Fractal Analysis of Dwarf Novae

In this paper, the fractal properties of the light curves of three dwarf novae—CN Ori (UGZ), YZ Cnc (UGSU), and X Leo (UGSS)—have been studied using high-precision photometric data from the TESS space mission. The fractal dimensions computed via Higuchi’s method vary substantially across different variability classes, yielding values of 1.6–1.7 for dynamically complex systems (CN Ori and YZ Cnc) and approximately 1.0 for X Leo, which exhibits regular behavior. Moving multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MFDFA) applied to the YZ Cnc dataset reveals a pronounced broadening of the multifractal spectrum width (up to 3–4) prior to superoutbursts, suggesting a potential signature for their prediction. Furthermore, the periodogram analysis has detected both positive and negative superhumps in CN Ori, while confirming orbital periods for YZ Cnc and X Leo that align with existing spectroscopic data.