Contents

• Contents
• 1. Introduction
  • 1. X-Ray Astronomy
  • 2. X-Ray Binaries
    • 1. Accretion
    • 2. Orbital Properties
    • 3. Mass Transfer
    • 4. Classification of X-Ray Binaries
    • 5. Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries
    • 6. High-Mass X-Ray Binaries
  • 3. The Evolution of High-Mass X-Ray Binaries
  • 4. Radiation Processes in High-Mass X-Ray Binaries
    • 1. Continuum Emission
    • 2. Cyclotron Scattering Resonance Features
    • 3. The Pulse Profile
    • 4. Line Emission
    • 5. Iron Line Diagnostics
  • 5. Timing Properties of High-Mass X-Ray Binaries
    • 1. Dynamical Timescales for High-Mass X-Ray Binaries
    • 2. The X-Ray Light Curve
    • 3. Pulse Arrival Time Analysis
    • 4. Interaction of the accretion disk with the magnetosphere
    • 5. Quasi-Periodic Oscillations
• 2. Non-Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometers
  • 1. Proportional Counters
    • 1. Gas Scintillation Proportional Counters
  • 2. Solid-State Ionization Detectors
    • 1. Scintillation Detectors
    • 2. Si(Li) Detectors
    • 3. Charge-Coupled Devices
  • 3. Thermal X-Ray Detectors
    • 1. Calorimeters with Resistive Thermometers
    • 2. Thermal X-Ray Detectors with Reactive Thermometers
    • 3. Kinetic Inductance Thermometry
• 3. X-Ray Observatories
  • 1. The Broad Band X-Ray Telescope
  • 2. The European X-Ray Observatory Satellite
    • 1. The Gas Scintillation Proportional Counter
  • 3. The Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics
    • 1. The X-Ray Telescope
    • 2. The Solid State Imaging Spectrometers
    • 3. The Gas Imaging Spectrometers
  • 4. The Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer
    • 1. The Proportional Counter Array
    • 2. The High Energy X-Ray Timing Experiment
  • 5. Summary
• 4. Centaurus X-3
  • 1. Orbital Properties
  • 2. Mass Transfer
  • 3. Formation of an Accretion Disk.
  • 4. The X-Ray Light Curve
  • 5. The X-Ray Spectrum
• 5. Resolving the Iron Line -- BBXRT
  • 1. The Observation
    • 1. Background rejection
  • 2. Results
    • 1. Timing analysis
    • 2. Spectroscopy of the pulse-phase averaged data
    • 3. Pulse phase resolved spectroscopy
  • 3. Discussion
    • 1. The pulse profile
    • 2. The Fourier power spectrum
    • 3. Comparison of results with previous observations of the iron line
    • 4. The origin of the broad emission feature at 6.7 keV
  • 4. Conclusions
• 6. The Continuum Spectrum -- EXOSAT GSPC
  • 1. Motivation
  • 2. The Observations
  • 3. Data Analysis and Results
    • 1. Background Subtraction
    • 2. Spectroscopy of the pulse-phase averaged data
    • 3. Pulse phase resolved spectroscopy
  • 4. Discussion and Conclusions
    • 1. The pulse profile
    • 2. The continuum spectrum
    • 3. The Iron Line
• 7. Effects of Reflection -- ASCA
  • 1. Motivation
  • 2. The Observation
  • 3. Results
    • 1. Timing analysis
    • 2. The Light Curve
    • 3. The pulse profile
    • 4. Spectroscopy
  • 4. Discussion
    • 1. The pulse profile
    • 2. The X-Ray Spectrum
    • 3. Pulsar Geometry
  • 5. Conclusions
• 8. Cyclotron Line -- RXTE
  • 1. Motivation
  • 2. The Observation
    • 1. Background subtraction
  • 3. Results
    • 1. The Pulse Profile
    • 2. Spectroscopy
  • 4. Discussion and Conclusions
• 9. Conclusions
  • 1. List of Results
  • 2. Future Work
    • 1. The Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility
    • 2. X-Ray Multi-Mirror Mission
    • 3. Astro-E
    • 4. The Constellation Mission
    • 5. Summary
  • 1. Aluminum Proof-of-Concept Kinetic Inductors
    • 1. Device Fabrication
    • 2. Testing
  • 2. Limitations of Kinetic Inductors
    • 1. Critical currents
  • 3. Conclusions
• Bibliography