AM CVn binaries are a group of stars in which a white dwarf accretes from ahydrogen deficient companion in a very short period binary (P_orb=5-65 mins). Wecan study accretion flows of almost pure helium. They are predicted to bestrongest known sources for the gravitational wave observatory LISA. We aim toextend our survey of these objects using XMM which has shown that a largefraction of their accretion luminosity is emitted in the UV and X-ray bands. Inparticular, we will determine the mass transfer rate, the element abundance fromtheir X-ray spectra and characterise the X-ray and UV variability for 4 systems.Together with our existing dataset of these systems it will give us importantclues for our understanding of their evolutionary history and their energy balance.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2008-01-25T22:03:45Z/2008-01-26T03:50:43Z
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 Gavin Ramsay, 2009, 'Determining the physical parameters of AM CVn binaries', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-xri0yj0
