| Proposal Number | Subject Category | PI Name | Chandra Time | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11300009 | WD and NS Binaries | Wolfgang Pietsch | Resolving short supersoft source states of optical novae in the core of M31 | |
| 11400007 | BH and NS Binaries | Michael J Church | The mechanism of jet formation in Cyg X-2 and the nature of the hot ADC | |
| 11500004 | SN, SNR AND ISOLATED NS | George Pavlov | Young, hot PSR J1357-6429 and its PWN |
Subject Category: WD Binaries and CV
Proposal Number: 11300009
Title: Resolving short supersoft source states of optical novae in the core of M31
PI Name: Wolfgang Pietsch
We propose to continue the monitoring of the M31 core with 5x18.4ks XMM-Newton EPIC and 5x18.4ks Chandra HRC-I observations equally distributed from Nov 2009 to mid Feb 2010 to determine additional lightcurves for short SSS states of optical novae. SSS states with <100 d duration indicate accreting massive white dwarfs. They are proposed as SNIa progenitors and determining their frequency is very important. We will correlate detected sources with novae from optical monitoring. With a nova rate in the field of ~25/yr and SSS states lasting from weeks to years we will follow light curves of many novae. Durations of the nova SSS state will allow us to constrain envelope and white dwarf masses. We will also monitor time variability of ~200 M31 X-ray sources (mostly XRBs).
Subject Category: BH and NS Binaries
Proposal Number: 11400007
Title: The mechanism of jet formation in Cyg X-2 and the nature of the hot ADC
PI Name: Michael J Church
The Z-track source Cygnus X-2 has relativistic jets essentially in only one of its three states allowing us to find conditions at the inner disk needed for jet formation. The applicants recently made breakthroughs, proposing from continuum analysis a model for the Z-track and jet formation and secondly mapping highly ionized ADC line features around the Z indicating that the mass accretion rate increases in the sense opposite to that shown by the continuum. The crux of understanding the 3 states, jet formation and line formation in the ADC is finding the direction of Mdot increase and we propose to do this by obtaining the evolution of continuum and lines over a complete Z-track movement with XMM and Chandra.
Subject Category: SN, SNR AND ISOLATED NS
Proposal Number: 11500004
Title: Young, hot PSR J1357-6429 and its PWN
PI Name: George Pavlov
Observations of thermal components in the X-ray spectra of young pulsars provide insights into fundamental physics of neutron star interiors and magnetospheres. A short XMM-Newton exposure of the 7 kyr old PSR J1357-6429 has revealed thermal emission from the NS surface and an elongated diffuse feature extending from the pulsar, most likely a pulsar wind nebula (PWN). Observations with Chandra HRC-S have have provided tentative detections of a compact PWN and pulsations. Here we propose a detailed study of the pulsar's spectral and timing properties, and deep imaging and spectroscopy of the PWN with XMM-Newton and Chandra.
