In 1977, Santiago Tapia at the Univ. of Arizona discovered a short-period binary system whose optical light is circularly polarized by as much as 20%. The regime of magnetic accretion that was uncovered by this measurement has been a source of interest and excitement for observers and theorists alike. Magnetic shocks, field-aligned flows, turbulent coupling regions, funnels, and siphons are entertaining and instructional ingredients of this remarkable picture, which continues to reveal itself through discoveries using today's orbiting observatories, deep optical surveys, and sensitive instrumentation aboard large telescopes. The most recent discoveries may be the oddest members of the family, with magnetic emission lines that can be mistaken for those of QSOs, non-contact accretion, and "bombardment" solutions to the hydrodynamic equations.

Refreshments will be served in the Steward Observatory lobby at 3:30pm.