SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL 42031
PROF. JOSEPH PATTERSON
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
NY USA 10027
NEW YORK
538 WEST 120TH STREET

  E-mail: JOP@TRISTRAM.PHYS.COLUMBIA.EDU	Tel: 212-854-3276	Fax: 212-316-9504
  Medium: 2GBDAT

Subject: CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES                                       
  Title: THE X-RAY SPECTRUM OF WZ SAGITTAE                                               


Abstract:
 WZ Sagittae is one of the most famous and extensively studied cataclysmic variables.
 Optical/UV spectrophotometry shows a continuum matched by a 15000 K white dwarf,
 with little room for actual accretion light. After this nonaccretion light is
 subtracted, the star remains with Lx/Lopt = 30, a surprisingly high ratio for any
 plausible accretion theory. Another feature difficult to understand is the very high
 spindown rate inferred from the 28 s optical pulsations. An elegant solution to both
 problems would be achieved if the white dwarf is predominantly a "propellor" in
 quiescence, with the X-rays generated not in an accretion shock, but in the tangled,
 field-entrained plasma at the magnetosphere. This hypothesis can be tested by a good-quality X-ray spectrum.

 Co-Is:
   1  KOJI MUKAI          	NASA/GSFC                     USA       
      (No Co-I contact data)
   2  CAROLE HASWELL      	COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY           USA       


Target Name           PRI RA        Dec        Time TC  Off GIS SIS_Cts  Obs
-------------------   --- --------  --------   ---- --  --- --- -------  ---
WZ SGE                 0  301.9000   17.7042    40   N   N   P  0.17000   1