Photometry and polarimetry of the classical Herbig Ae star VV Ser

We present the results of our long-term photometric and polarimetric observations of the classical Herbig Ae star VV Ser, performed at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory as part of a program of photometric and polarimetric monitoring of UX Ori stars. We recorded an unusually deep minimum of VV Ser (ΔV≈3^m), with a turn of the color tracks in the V-(U-B) and V-(B-V) diagrams (“the blueing effect”) observed for the first time for this star. The increase of the linear polarization during the minimum brightness was consistent with expectations for variable circumstellar extinction models, and the maximum polarization in the B band reached a record value for UX Ori stars in the deepest part of the minimum (12.8±1.4%). Our results cannot be explained by models with an axially symmetrical circumstellar dust disk consisting of silicate grains. They point to the existence of a large-scale nonuniformity in the azimuthal dust distribution near VV Ser attributable to the presence of a second component or protoplanet.