Ultraluminous X-ray Pulsars: The Extremes of Accretion

This proposal request funds to support a 3-year program (PI+PDRA) focused on observational studies of ultraluminous X-ray pulsars (ULXs), specifically aiming to (i) understand ULX demographics by hunting for new ULX pulsars using our new, multi-mission ULX catalogue (ii) understand the extreme super-Eddington accretion physics at play in ULX pulsars (iii) continue efforts to expand the broader ULX population. In addition to learning about the ULX population, addressing these issues also has broader connections to the early-universe growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs).