Since the early days of X-ray astronomy one of the central questions in ourunderstanding of accretion onto magnetic white dwarfs in compact binaries iswhether their observed ratio between soft and hard X-ray emission is inaccordance with theoretical expectations or not. We propose to continue ourstudy of this issue with XMM-Newton observations of three soft X-ray selectedpolars in addition to one system observed during AO-4. The X-ray characteristicsof our sample are complementary to the parameter space covered by previousobservations of polars with XMM-Newton and Chandra. A detailed study of thespectral omponents, their flux contributions, and the physical structure of theaccretion regions in these systems will, therefore, provide new insight into this long-lasting problem.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2006-09-30T19:24:37Z/2006-10-01T01:23:10Z
Version
17.56_20190403_1200
Mission Description
The European Space Agencys (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESAs second cornerstone of the Horizon 2000 Science Programme. It carries 3 high throughput X-ray telescopes with an unprecedented effective area, and an optical monitor, the first flown on a X-ray observatory. The large collecting area and ability to make long uninterrupted exposures provide highly sensitive observations. Since Earths atmosphere blocks out all X-rays, only a telescope in space can detect and study celestial X-ray sources. The XMM-Newton mission is helping scientists to solve a number of cosmic mysteries, ranging from the enigmatic black holes to the origins of the Universe itself. Observing time on XMM-Newton is being made available to the scientific community, applying for observational periods on a competitive basis.
European Space Agency, Dr Klaus Reinsch, 2007, 'The energy budget of soft X-ray selected polars openParcontinuedclosePar', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-x9ekmmq
