The discovery of 50 minute periodic absorption events from 4U1915-05

The steady flux from 4U1916-05 which undergoes periodic absorption dips every 50 minutes was demonstrated. This period represents the underlying orbital period of the system. It is suggested that variations in the depth and duration of these events are caused by a bulge in the edge of the accretion disk, at the point where the gas stream impacts the disk. The mass losing star in this system is probably a low mass white dwarf. The spectrum of the dips indicates that the metallicity of the absorbing material is at least a factor 17 below solar values

X-ray spectroscopy of late-type stars

The solid state spectrometer on the Einstein Observatory determined .4 - 4.5 keV spectra for Capella, Algol and 6 RS CVn binaries. All show evidence for a bimodal distribution of emission measure with temperature with one component approximately 7 million degrees and one approximately 40 million degrees. The spread in values of both luminosity and emission measure is 10 for the low temperature component and approximately 500 for the high temperature component. Line emission due to Fe can be identified in most of them and abundances of Si, S and Fe are consistent with approximately solar values in all cases. Estimates indicate dimensions of the emitting regions are on the order of the stellar size and the binary separation for the low and high temperature components, respectively, unless the pressures are high. Variations in the flux were observed, mostly in the hard component for the RS CVn binaries, in the soft component for Capella. A flare was observed during primary eclipse of Algol. The possibility is discussed that the other variations could all be due to intrinsic variability with a time scale of hours-days rather than eclipse or modulation with photometric phase

Measured and predicted shock shapes and aerodynamic coefficients for blunted cones at incidence in helium at Mach 20.3

Experimental values of shock shapes (alpha = 0 degrees and 10 degrees) and static aerodynamic coefficients (alpha = -4 degrees to 12 degrees) for sharp and spherically blunted cones having cone half-angles of 30, 45, 60, and 70 degrees and nose bluntness ratios of 0, 0.25, and 0.50 are presented. Shock shapes were also measured at 0 degree angle of attack by using a flat-faced cylinder (90 degree cone) and a hemispherically blunted cylinder (sphere). All tests were conducted in helium (gamma = 5/3) at a free-stream Mach number of 20.3 and a unit free-stream Reynolds number of 22,400,000 per meter. Comparisons between measured values and predicted values were made by using several numerical and simple engineering methods

The MXB1916-053/4U1915-05: Burst properties and constraints on a 50 minute binary secondary

Results are presented from OSO-8 and HEAO-1 A2 observations of 34 bursts from the X-ray burster MXB1916-053/4U1915-05 recently discovered to show a 50 minute binary period. While 11 burst previously reported all had similar light curves, 22 observed two years later show a factor of 3 range of peak fluxes and decay times between 3 and 20 s. Recurrence times between successive bursts vary between 3 and 6 hours. A ratio of steady flux to average burst flux of equiv 120 is developed. A burst observed with the HEAO-1 A2 experiment showed an initial temperature rise to a peak black body temperature of equiv 3 keV followed by the cooling typical of type I bursts. The burst was unusual in that the apparent projected size of a blackbody source increased by a factor of 3 during the cooling phase

The X-ray absorption spectrum of 4U1700-37 and its implications for the stellar wind of the companion HD153919

The first high resolution non-dispersive 2-60 KeV X-ray spectra of 4U1700-37 is presented. The continuum is typical of that found from X-ray pulsars; that is a flat power law between 2 and 10 keV and, beyond 10 keV, an exponential decay of characteristic energy varying between 10 and 20 keV. No X-ray pulsations were detected between 160 ms and 6 min with an amplitude greater than approximately 2%. The absorption measured at binary phases approximately 0.72 is comparable to that expected from the stellar wind of the primary. The gravitational capture of material in the wind is found to be more than enough to power the X-ray source. The increase in the average absorption after phi o approximately 0.5 is confirmed. The minimum level of adsorption is a factor of 2 or 3 lower than that reported by previous observers, which may be related to a factor of approximately 10 decline in the average X-ray luminosity over the same interval. Short term approximately 50% variations in adsorption are seen for the first time which appear to be loosely correlated with approximately 10 min flickering activity in the X-ray flux. These most likely originate from inhomogeneities in the stellar wind of the primary

A 2 component X-ray spectrum from SMC X-1

Both HEAO-1 A2 and Einstein SSS observations of SMC X-1 are presented. An unpulsed soft component is found with a blackbody temperature of 0.16 keV and an area for the emission region of 10 to the 15th power sq cm to 10 to the 17th power sq cm. The hard X-ray component is pulsed; the phase averaged spectrum is a power law with alpha approximately 0.5 keV up to 17 keV above which it steepens. The SSS sets an upper limit of 4 x 10 to the 21st power H cm/2 to any absorption and is consistent with that expected from the wind of SK160. Absorption dips with a timescale of several hundred seconds are seen immediately following an eclipse exit and are probably caused by inhomogeneities in the wind of SK160

Two component X-ray emission from RS CVn binaries

A summary of results from the solid state spectrometer on the Einstein Observatory for 7 RS CVn binaries is presented. The spectra of all require two emission components, evidenced by line emission characteristic of plasma at 4 to 8 x 10 to the 6th power and bremsstrahlung characteristic of 20 to 100 x 10 to the 6th power K. The data are interpreted in terms of magnetic coronal loops similar to those seen on the Sun, although with different characteristic parameters. The emission regions could be defined by separate magnetic structures. For pressure less than approximately 10 dynes/sq cm the low temperature plasma would be confined within the stellar radii, while the high temperature plasma would, for the synchronous close binaries, fill the binary orbits. However, for loop pressures exceeding 100 dynes/sq cm, the high temperature components would also be confined to within the stellar radii, in loops covering only small fractions of the stellar surfaces. While the radio properties and the occurrence of X-ray flares suggest the larger emission regions, the observations of time variations leave the ambiguity unresolved

Pulse phase spectroscopy of Hercules X-1

The 6-18 keV and the 40-60 keV X-ray spectrum of Hercules X-1 were simultaneously observed with the A-2 experiment on HEAO 1. By combining these measurements with the results of an earlier observation of this X-ray pulsar, evidence is found for a component of emission above 40 keV which is above an extrapolation from lower energies, by a factor which is pulse phase dependent. These data are compared to previous hard X-ray observations and possible models are discussed

Accretion powered X-ray pulsars

A unified description of the properties of 14 X-ray pulsars is presented and compared with the current theoretical understanding of these systems. The sample extends over six orders of magnitude in luminosity, with the only trend in the phase averaged spectra being that the lower luminosity systems appear to have less abrupt high energy cutoffs. There is no correlation of luminosity with power law index, high energy cutoff energy or iron line EW. Detailed pulse phase spectroscopy is given for five systems

Intense molecular emission from the Lagoon nebula, M8

The discovery is reported of the second strongest source of mm and submm wavelength CO line emission, towards M8, the Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius. The ~31 M⊙ molecular core has dimensions ~0.2 x 0.3pc and is centred on the O7V star Herschel 36 (H36), near the Hourglass Nebula in the core of M8. Emission from the CO line wings extends to the north and south of the Hourglass, although a lack of near-IR H2 emission indicates that outflow activity is much less prominent than in many active star-formation regions, and suggests that the CO line wings may trace the expanding edge of a cavity around H36. The molecular line data are compared with new near-IR narrow-band, continuum-subtracted images in He I, H2, and H,+ (Brγ) lines and archival HST emission-line images in Hα, [O III], and [S II]. The optical and near-IR data are found to be broadly consistent with previous photo-ionisation models of the Hourglass, which is excited by H 36. However, there are variations in the He I/Brγ line ratio which are difficult to explain