Abstract

Aims. NSV 13983 is catalogued as a dwarf nova based on a reported outburst from 2005. The system has not yet been studied spectroscopically. We attempt to confirm its nature as a dwarf nova and determine its orbital period.Methods. We derive the orbital period by using time-resolved spectroscopic data to measure radial velocities.Results. The average spectrum shows evidence that the system is a dwarf nova in quiescence. The radial velocity curves derived from measurements of the spectral lines Hα and H, show a clear modulation with a period of 2.76 h. This places NSV 13983 below the upper edge of the gap in the period distribution of cataclysmic variables, implying that it is the 14th dwarf nova in the gap. © 2008 ESO.