UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

White dwarf masses in magnetic cataclysmic variables: Multi-temperature fits to Ginga data

Cropper, M; Ramsay, G; Wu, K; (1998) White dwarf masses in magnetic cataclysmic variables: Multi-temperature fits to Ginga data. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , 293 (3) 222 - 232. 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.00610.x. Green open access

[thumbnail of 33382.pdf]
Preview
PDF
33382.pdf

Download (866kB)

Abstract

One method of obtaining the mass of the white dwarf in magnetic cataclysmic variables (mCVs) is through their hard X-ray spectra. However, previous mass estimates using this method give lower limits because the temperature of the plasma in the post-shock region (where the hard X-rays are emitted) is lower than the temperature of the shock itself. In AM Her systems, the additional cooling of the post-shock plasma by cyclotron emission will further lower the derived mass. Here we present estimates of the masses of the white dwarf in 13 mCVs derived using Ginga data and a model in which X-rays are emitted from a multi-temperature emission region with the appropriate temperature and density profile. We include in the model reflection from the surface of the white dwarf and a partially ionized absorber. We are able to achieve good fits to the data. We compare the derived masses with previous estimates and the masses for larger samples of isolated white dwarfs and those in CVs.

Type: Article
Title: White dwarf masses in magnetic cataclysmic variables: Multi-temperature fits to Ginga data
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.00610.x
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.00610.x
Language: English
Additional information: © 1998 RAS Definitive versions of articles pre-2013 are available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2966, now published by http://mnras.oxfordjournals.org
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Space and Climate Physics
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/33382
Downloads since deposit
168Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item