Kent S. Wood (Naval Research Laboratory, United States)

X-ray Timing of Accretion-Driven Shock Phenomena in AM Her Stars

AM Herculis or Polar stars are magnetic cataclysmic variables in which the accreting white dwarf is locked in
synchronous rotation with the companion star. This talk reviews hydrodynamic modeling of QPOs observed
in AM Her stars and related systems. Time dependent models of accretion onto the polar cap are able to
account for optical QPOs and make predictions for QPOs in X-rays. A large-area X-ray array will be able to
test these models in detail, using multi-wavelength approaches not previously exploited for QPOs. Possible
relevance to QPOs in black hole systems will be discussed.