On the magnetic accretor GK Persei in outburst

RXTE made five X-ray observations of the magnetic accretor GK Per during its 1996 outburst, recording a count rate of 10 times the quiescent level. The 351-s spin pulse shows a deep, nearly sinusoidal modulation, in contrast to the weaker, double-humped profile of quiescence. The spectrum shows absorption increased by two orders of magnitude over quiescence. We explain these differences in terms of the changing accretion geometry as the outbursting disc forces the magnetosphere inwards, and discuss the 5000-s X-ray quasi-periodic oscillations seen during the outbursts of GK Per.

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