Compact object binaries: Insights from the X-ray observations and a new window of X-ray Polarization

Compact object binaries are some of the unique laboratories in the universe as they have one of the strongest gravity regimes and interaction of high-temperature matter. X-ray observations of these sources provide insights into the emission components and constrain the physical properties of compact objects due to the proximity of the emission region to the compact object. In this seminar, I will discuss some of the interesting compact binaries and how the X-ray observations of these sources can be interpreted to understand the dynamics of these systems. For the first part of my talk, I will talk about GX 340+0, a persistent low mass X-ray binary that shows a peculiar Z-track on its hardness-intensity diagram. We have done an extensive campaign of the source to study the spectral, timing, and polarimetric properties of the source in X-ray and radio wavelengths, which has revealed interesting properties of the source. Subsequently, I will discuss a fast-declining nova, V1674 Her (also known as Nova Her 2021) which was extensively monitored during its outburst in 2021. Using simultaneous X-ray and UV observations with AstroSat, we probe the rotation period and the spectral properties of the source as a function of the rotation of the white dwarf.