SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL 62048

PROF. PHILIP KAARET
KAARET@ASTRO.COLUMBIA.EDU

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
550 WEST 120TH STREET
NEW YORK
NY USA 10027
Tel: 212-854-3695 Fax: 212-854-8121
Medium: CD ROM
Subject: X-RAY BINARIES

SIMULTANEOUS SPECTRAL AND TIMING OBSERVATIONS OF ACCRETING NEUTRON STARS


ABSTRACT

We propose to use ASCA and RXTE to conduct simultaneous spectral and fast timing observations of neutron star low-mass x-ray binaries. Our recent results on 4U 0614+091 show that a soft blackbody component of the x-ray spectrum has a robust correlation with the frequency of the fast QPOs. Simultaneous ASCA and RXTE observations will allow us to extend these results to lower intensity states and to other sources where the blackbody cannot be reliable detected with RXTE alone. Joint spectral and timing data should lead to important new information on the behavior of accretion flows in neutron star LMXBs.

CO-INVESTIGATORS
CO-I NAME INSTITUTE COUNTRY
ERIC FORDCOLUMBIA U.USA
MICKEY CHIUCOLUMBIA U.USA

TARGETS

TARGET NAMEPRIRADECTIMETCOFFGISSIS CNTOBS
1)4U 0614+091
2
 94.2792 9.1369 40 ksN
N
P
70.00000
2
2)4U 1636-536
2
250.2292-53.7514 40 ksN
N
P
120.00000
2

TARGET 1

IF TWO OBSERVATIONS ARE APPROVED, IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE WEEK BETWEEN THE OBSERVATIONS.

TARGET 2

SEE REMARKS FOR TARGET 1.