Measuring the masses of magnetic white dwarfs with NuSTAR: A Legacy Survey

The X-ray spectra of intermediate polars (accreting magnetic white dwarfs with a magnetically disrupted inner accretion disk) can be modeled to give a direct measurement of white dwarf mass. However, as the characteristic temperature of the standing shock located above the white dwarf is typically >10 keV, we require telescopes capable of detecting hard X-rays. The emergence of NuSTAR as the first telescope capable of focusing hard X-rays has brought about a previously unprecedented combination of high sensitivity and high spatial and spectral resolution beyond 10 keV. The capabilities of NuSTAR make it the ideal observatory to perform a survey of accurate white dwarf masses in intermediate polars. In November 2017 we commenced a survey of magnetic cataclysmic variables under the NuSTAR Legacy Survey program. I will present results from the survey, which intends to constrain the mass distribution of magnetic white dwarfs in our Galaxy, and in turn has important implications for binary evolution models.