Einstein X-ray observations of cataclysmic variables

Observations with the imaging X-ray detectors on the Einstein Observatory have led to a large increase in the number of low luminosity X-ray sources known to be associated with cataclysmic variable stars (CVs). The high sensitivity of the Einstein instrumentation has permitted study of their short timescale variability and spectra. The data are adding significantly to our knowledge of the accretion process in cataclysmic variables and forcing some revision in our ideas concerning the origin of the optical variability in these stars.