Paula Szkody, Univ. Washington, Seattle Realtime RXTE Science Data Display. These range from the most luminous sources in our own Galaxy, X-ray binaries, to the active galactic nuclei and quasars that are the most luminous sources known in the Universe. This session will present the highlights of new scientific results from the first year of the mission. There will also be a workstation set up with a direct link to RXTE to allow session participants to see realtime scientific data from the satellite.
Neutron stars are among the most exotic astronomical objects known.
Formed in the supernova explosion of a dying star, they contain bulk matter at the highest densities known in the universe. When present with a normal star in a binary system, mass accretion onto the neutron star can generate a luminosity in X-rays 50,000 times greater than the total luminosity of the Sun. The high density and compact nature of these objects requires measuring the X-ray emission on very short timescales. The variability of the X-ray emission from neutron stars on millisecond timescales conveys information about the physical properties of neutron stars and their environs. I will discuss recent observations of neutron star binary systems by RXTE and what they are telling us about the physics of neutron stars.