Cataclysmic Variables: An Empirical Angular Momentum Loss Prescription from Open Cluster Data

We apply the angular momentum loss rates inferred from open cluster stars to the evolution of cataclysmic variables (CVs). We show that the angular momentum prescriptions used in earlier CV studies are inconsistent with the measured rotation data in open clusters. The timescale for angular momentum loss () above the fully convective boundary is ~2 orders of magnitude longer than inferred from the older model, and the observed angular momentum …