The hard X-rays from accreting white dwarfs (WDs) in magnetic cataclysmicvariables (CVs) are produced by shock-heating in the accretion column,and the measured temperature depends on the mass of the WD. By obtaininghigh-quality hard X-ray spectra, it is possible to measure the temperatureand constrain the WD mass. An important question is whether the WD massdistribution extends up to the Chandrasekhar limit. The best place to lookfor high-mass WDs is among CVs with the hardest spectra, making CVs foundin the 20-100 keV INTEGRAL survey good candidates for having more massiveWDs. We propose NuSTAR and XMM observations of two IGR CVs.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2020-07-30T10:54:12Z/2020-10-03T23:22:09Z
Version
18.02_20200221_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 John Tomsick, 2021, 'WHITE DWARF MASSES FOR CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES WITH VERY HARD ENERGY SPECTRA', 18.02_20200221_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-4q9hle3
