Tomography of Polars

Abstract

We are reviewing the power of Doppler tomography for detailed investigations of polars (magnetic cataclysmic binaries without accretion disk). Using high-resolution spectroscopy in combination with tomography as analytic tool, the structure and extent of the accretion flows and accretion curtains in the binaries can be uncovered and the irradiated and non-irradiated parts of the mass-donating secondary stars can be made visible. In addition we show, how basic system parameters like the binary inclination and the mass ratio can be addressed by tomography.

10 pages, 6figures, Proc. Annapolis Workshop on magnetic cataclysmic variables (MCV2), ASP Conf Ser., in press, see also http://www.aip.de:8080/~preprint/preprints/1998/1998_ads_mcv2.html