Proposal Number | Subject Category | PI Name | Chandra Time | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
25400480 | BH AND NS BINARIES | P. Kosec | 25.00ks | Mapping the Vertical Structure of an X-ray Binary Disc Wind |
Proposal Number: 25400480
Subject Category: BH AND NS BINARIES
Title: Mapping the Vertical Structure of an X-ray Binary Disc Wind
PI Name: Kosec
Abstract:
Understanding the 3D structure of disc winds is vital for constraining their energetics, but in most sources, we only have one sightline through the wind. Her X-1 is a unique X-ray binary with a warped precessing disc, providing time variable sightlines. A disc wind was detected during Her X-1 Main High state, varying in time due to the changes in our sightline over the precession cycle. Hence, we can uniquely sample the vertical wind structure, seen to weaken at greater heights above the disc. An archival Short High state observation shows a stronger wind than those during Main High - we are sampling lower wind heights above the disc. We propose 3x80 ks XMM and 1x25 ks Chandra exposures during Short High, to understand the 3D wind structure at all heights and constrain its energetics.