X-ray and ultraviolet studies of the interstellar medium and the winds of cataclysmic variables

A study of the halos of Galactic x-ray sources produced by the scattering of x rays by interstellar grains is presented. The size, shape, and intensity of these x-ray halos are used to determine the parameters (e.g., the size distribution and number density) characterizing interstellar grains. In addition, an observational study is presented of the x-ray halos of the four brightest young Galactic supernova remnants: the Crab Nebula, Cas A, Tycho's, and Kepler's supernova remnant; an observational and theoretical study of the purported soft x-ray halo around the dwarf nova SU UMa; and a theoretical study of the effect of the x-ray halo of the x-ray binary Cyg X-3 on the depth of modulation of this source's x-ray light curve and the impact of this effect on the stellar wind, cocoon, and accretion-disk corona models for this source. In addition, by means of an analysis of the narrow absorption lines in high-resolution ultraviolet spectra obtained with the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE), results are presented of a study of the properties characterizing the gas phase of the interstellar medium in the vicinity of the Sun (d ≤ 150 pc) toward five cataclysmic variables: SS Cyg, V3885 Sgr, IX Vel, RW Sex, and AM Her