Pulsars, transients and relativistic astrophysics

Abstract:

The Faulkes Telescope Project is the educational arm of the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT). It currently has two 2-metre robotic telescopes, located at Haleakala on Maui (FT North) and Siding Spring in Australia (FT South). It is planned to increase this to six 2-metre telescopes in the future, complemented by a network of 30-40 smaller (0.4 - 1 metre) telescopes providing 24 hour coverage of both northern and southern hemispheres. We are undertaking a monitoring project of 10 low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) using FT North to study the optical continuum behaviour of X-ray transients in quiescence. The introduction of FT South in September 2006 allows us to extend this monitoring to include 17 southern hemisphere LMXBs. With new instrumentation, we also intend to expand this monitoring to include both infrared wavelengths and spectroscopy.

Abstract:

We present the results from a large observing campaign where we obtained 61 medium resolution spectra spread over three months. We thus cover roughly five orbits and about half a precession phase. In this paper we describe the analysis of the so-called "stationary" emission lines, which we use to compute Doppler-maps of the emission distribution in the SS433-system. The radial velocities of the individual line components have been analysed. Periodic variations with the orbital period are confirmed, but also variations on longer timescales are found. These long-term variation might be either either related to the precession phase or to some transient phenomen.

Abstract:

We present the results from a large observing campaign where we obtained 61 medium resolution spectra spread over three months. We thus cover roughly five orbits and about half a precession phase. In this paper we describe the analysis of the so-called "stationary" emission lines, which we use to compute Doppler-maps of the emission distribution in the SS433-system. The radial velocities of the individual line components have been analysed. Periodic variations with the orbital period are confirmed, but also variations on longer timescales are found. These long-term variation might be either either related to the precession phase or to some transient phenomen.

Abstract:

This modern introduction to thermal physics contains a step-by-step presentation of the key concepts. The text is copiously illustrated and each chapter contains several worked examples.