Testing the Physics of Magnetic Accretion: EX Hydrae from the Shock to the White Dwarf Surface
Abstract
We propose to observe the magnetic Cataclysmic Variable (CV) EX Hydrae with the HETG to make a direct measurement of the temperature and density structure of its accretion columns and study the physics of the shock and subsequent cooling flow. The accretion column structure, crucial to our understanding of accretion physics, remains one of the last unexplored components of CVs and other accreting objects. The accretion columns of EX Hydrae are unobscured and are periodically occulted by the body of the white dwarf, making it the ideal target for this study. We will use high signal-to-noise light curves for individual spectral lines to measure the temperature and density structure. The result will be applicable to a broad range of objects from clusters of galaxies to T Tauri stars.
- Publication:
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Chandra Proposal
- Pub Date:
- September 2006
- Bibcode:
- 2006cxo..prop.2117B
- Keywords:
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- Chandra Proposal ID #08300134