Physics
Scientific paper
Jul 1996
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996hst..prop.6422h&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #6422
Physics
Hst Proposal Id #6422 Binaries And Star Formation
Scientific paper
The intermediate polars are a prime opportunity for observing the interaction of an accretion flow with a strong magnetic field. Yet many fundamental issues remain unresolved. For instance, it is not known whether the accretion flow passes through a partial accretion disk, as suggested by many optical studies, or whether material accretes through the direct impact of the accretion stream with the magnetosphere, as suggested by the presence of beat period modulations in intermediate polar X-ray light curves. The low energy optical emission might not trace the dominant accretion flow, but we have no velocity information in the X-ray band. Spin-cycle resolved UV spectroscopy will both give velocity information and trace the accretion flow to within 1-2 white dwarf radii of the white dwarf surface, allowing a direct link to the X- ray studies. AO Psc is a typical intermediate polar, is one of the brightest in the UV, and shows the clearest spin-cycle variations in the optical and UV emission lines -- it is thus the best target for a line profile study using HST. We propose to use the GHRS to obtain high time and spectral resolution observations of the C IV line, which is prominent in the spectrum of AO Psc. Watching how the line profile changes around the 805-s spin cycle will reveal the accretion flow as it approaches the X-ray emitting shock, settling many uncertainties regarding the flow of material from the magnetosphere onto the white dwarf.
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