Observations of the X-ray Nova A0620 - 00 with the Ariel V Crystal Spectrometer/Polarimeter

The X-ray nova A0620 – 00 has been studied with the Ariel V crystal spectrometer/ polarimeter for the presence of X-ray lines and polarization. Upper limits are obtained for the Si XIV, S xv and S XVI lines to a level of less than 2 eV at 3 σ for the sulphur lines and 3·6 eV for Si XIV. No linear polarization is observed to a level of 2 per cent at 2·6 keV. These results are interpreted in terms of an accretion disk model for the source, in which the electron scattering depth $${\tau }_\text{es}\,\sim\,20$$, and constraints are given on the disk geometry.