X-ray Observations of the Eclipsing Polar DP Leo

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Session 55 -- Interacting Binaries: CVs and XRBs
Display presentation, Thursday, January 13, 9:30-6:45, Salons I/II Room (Crystal Gateway)

[55.07] X-ray Observations of the Eclipsing Polar DP Leo

C.R. Robinson, F.A. C\'ordova (Penn State)

We present ROSAT PSPC observations of the eclipsing magnetic polar DP Leo. The highly variable X-ray light curve of DP Leo exhibits an intensity dip prior to eclipse which was not previously observed to occur. The dip is interpreted as the eclipse of the main accretion region by an accretion stream varying in impact position on the white dwarf with time. The soft X-ray spectrum is well fit by either a blackbody (kT = $24.8^{+2.6}_{-8.1}$ eV) or a soft power law spectrum ($\alpha \sim$ 4.0). No evidence exists for accretion onto the stronger magnetic pole and severe limits are placed upon the flux from any hard bremsstrahlung component. A distance upper limit of 500 pc is obtained from the absorption in the spectral fit and a distance estimate of around 450 pc was obtained through the use of existing data. \special{psfile=robinson.ps voffset=-370 hoffset=-90 vscale=55 hscale=55 angle=0}

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