X-ray Emissions from Accreting White Dwarfs: a Review
Abstract
Interacting binaries in which a white dwarf accretes material from a companion - cataclysmic variables (CVs) in which the mass donor is a Roche-lobe filling star on or near the main sequence, and symbiotic stars in which the mass donor is a late type giant - are relatively commonplace. They display a wide range of behaviors in the optical, X-rays, and other wavelengths, which still often baffle observers and theorists alike. Here I review the existing body of research on X-ray emissions from these objects for the benefits of both experts and newcomers to the field. I provide introductions to the past and current X-ray observatories, the types of known X-ray emissions from these objects, and the data analysis techniques relevant to this field. I then summarize of our knowledge regarding the X-ray emissions from magnetic CVs, non-magnetic CVs and symbiotic stars, and novae in eruption. I also discuss space density and the X-ray luminosity functions of these binaries and their contribution to the integrated X-ray emission from the Galaxy. I then discuss open questions and future prospects.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1703.06171,
title = {X-ray Emissions from Accreting White Dwarfs: a Review},
author = {Koji Mukai},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1703.06171},
year = {2017}
}
Comments
Invited review for Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (accepted) - 48 pages including 12 figures