XMM-Newton observations of eclipsing binary systems

XMM-Newton and Chandra are providing access to eclipsing binaries at unprecedented sensitivity that allows for the reconstruction of the distribution of coronal material around one or both of the stellar components. Here, we present results from XMM-Newton observations, including the binaries AR Lac and alpha CrB. Of primary interest are i) the distribution of coronal emission measure as a function of stellar latitude, ii) the degree of inhomogeneity in the surface distribution of coronal material, iii) the differences in the surface distribution for different hardness bands (e.g., implying a vertical temperature structure), and iv) the radial extent of significant coronal X-ray emission, indicating the extent of magnetic fields that carry significant X-ray emission measure.