1999A&A...346..151G

We present IUE spectroscopy of the three cataclysmic variables SWUMa, CUVel, and AHMen. In all three systems, a broad Lyα absorption profile is observed. In the two short-period dwarf novae SWUMa and CUVel, the SWP flux is interpreted as photospheric emission from white dwarfs with effective temperatures of 16000K and 18500K, respectively, similar to the well-studied systems WZSge and VWHyi. From the white dwarf temperatures derived in short period dwarf novae to date, there is no significant difference between the supposedly old, low-mass-transfer TOADs and the ``normal'' SUUMa dwarf novae. In the case of the novalike variable AHMen, the interpretation of the IUE data is not unambiguous. The SWP spectrum closely resembles that of a 19000K white dwarf, but this interpretation is in conflict with the distance d>150pc which we derive from the published optical spectrum. The SWP spectrum can alternatively be explained by emission from an accretion disc with a moderate mass transfer rate (∼10^–9.5M_☉/yr) seen at a low inclination (∼20°). The possible contribution of the white dwarf to the observed UV flux cannot be determined quantitatively from the poor IUE spectrum, but may be as high as 50%.