Hydrodynamical modeling of mass transfer in the close binary system <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis> Lyr

We present results of two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of mass transfer in the close binary system β Lyr for various radii of the accreting star and coefficients describing the interaction of the gaseous flow and the main component (primary). We take the stellar wind of the donor star into account and consider various assumptions about the radiative cooling of the gaseous flow. Our calculations show that the initial radius of the flow corresponding to our adopted mass-transfer rate through the inner Lagrange point (L₁) of (1–4) × 10^?5M_⊙/yr is large: 0.22–0.29 (in units of the orbital separation). In all the models, the secondary loses mass through both the inner and outer (L₁ and L₂) Lagrange points, which makes the mass transfer in the system nonconservative. Calculations for various values of the primary radius show a strong dependence on the coefficient fv that models the flow-primary interaction. When the radius of the primary is 0.5, there is a strong interaction between the gas flow from L1 and the flow reflected from the primary surface. For other values of the primary radius (0.1 and 0.2), the flow does not interact directly with the primary. The flow passes close to the primary and forms an accretion disk whose size is comparable to that of the Roche lobe and a dense circum-binary envelope surrounding both the disk and the binary components. The density in the disk varies from 10¹² to 10¹⁴ cm^?3, and is 10¹⁰–10¹² cm^?3 in the circum-binary envelope. The temperature in the accretion disk ranges from 30000 to 120000 K, while that in the circum-binary envelope is 4000–18000 K. When radiative cooling is taken into account explicitly, the calculations reveal the presence of a spiral shock in the accretion disk. The stellar wind blowing from the secondary strongly interacts with the accretion disk, circum-binary envelope, and flow from L₂. When radiative cooling is taken into account explicitly, this wind disrupts the accretion disk.     

Formation of a radiative wind and accretion disk in microquasars. Generation of flare activity in the disk due to an increase in the supply of material to the Lagrange point L<Subscript>1</Subscript>. The system LMC X-3

Three-dimensional numerical hydrodynamical modeling of a radiative wind and accretion disk in a close binary system with a compact object is carried out, using the massive X-ray binary LMC X-3 as an example. This system contains a precessing disk, and may have relativistic jets. These computations show that an accretion disk with a radius of about 0.20 (in units of the component separation) forms from the radiative wind from the donor when the action of the wind on the central source is taken into account, when the accretion rate is equal to the observed value (about 3.0 × 10^?8 M _⊙/year, which corresponds to the case when the donor overflows its Roche lobe by nearly 1%). It is assumed that the speed of the donor wind at infinity is about 2200 km/s. The disk that forms is geometrically thick and nearly cylindrical in shape, with a low-density tunnel at its center extending from the accretor through the disk along the rotational axis. We have also modeled a flare in the disk due to short-term variations in the supply of material through the Lagrange point L₁, whose brightnesses and durations are able to explain flares in cataclysmic variables and X-ray binaries. The accretion disk is not formed when the donor underfills its Roche lobe by 0.5%, which corresponds to an accretion rate onto the compact object of 2.0 × 10^?9 M _⊙/year. In place of a disk, an accretion envelope with a radius of about 0.03 forms, within which gas moves along very steep spiral trajectories before falling onto the compact object. As in the accretion-disk case, a tunnel forms along the rotational axis of the accretion envelope; a shock forms behind the accretor, where flares occur in a compact region a small distance from the accretor at a rate of about six flares per orbital period, with amplitudes of about 10 ^m or more. The flare durations are two to four minutes, and the energies of individual particles at the flare maximum are about 100–150 keV. These flares appear to be analogous to the flares observed in gamma-ray and X-ray burst sources. We accordingly propose a model in which these phenomena are associated with massive, close X-ray binary systems with component-mass ratios exceeding unity, in which the donor does not fill its Roche lobe. Although no accretion disk forms around the compact object, an accretion region develops near the accretor, where the gamma-ray and X-ray flares occur.     

Observational Manifestations of the Precessional Wave in the Accretion Disk of a Cataclysmic Variable Star

Effects due to the interaction of the steam from the inner Lagrangian point with the accretion disk in a cataclysmic variable star are considered. The results of three-dimensional gas-dynamical numerical simulations confirm that the disk thickness in the vicinity of the interaction with the stream is minimum when the component-mass ratio is 0.6. As a consequence, some of the matter from the stream does not collide with the outer edge of the accretion disk, and continues its motion unperturbed toward the accretor. This part of the stream subsequent interacts (collides) with a thickening of the accretion disk due to the presence of a precessional wave in the disk, leading to the appearance of an additional zone of heating at the disk surface. This additional zone of enhanced luminosity (hot spot) is a direct observational manifestation of the precessional wave in the accretion disk.     

Three-dimensional hydrodynamical modeling of the two-component wind and accretion disk in the close binary β Lyrae

This paper continues a series of studies on three-dimensional hydrodynamical modeling of mass transfer in the binary system β Lyr. The model takes into account the stellar wind from the donor star, which outflows at a rate of , as demonstrated by radio observations. This stellar wind should appreciably influence the formation of the envelope in the binary. Computations have shown that the interaction of the matter flow from the Lagrangian point L₁ and the accretor wind leads to the formation of an optically and geometrically thick gaseous envelope around the accretor. The matter flow meets the accretor wind, spreads out, accumulates over the outer edge of the wind, and forms a geometrically thick envelope (disk). The wind flows freely at the center of the disk, over the accretor poles. Jet-like structures arise beyond the wind-propagation region, above the thick accretion disk. The matter flowing from the outer edge of the disk interacts with the donor wind, leading to the formation of a standing shock between L₁ and the outer edge of the disk, in the direction corresponding to orbital phase 0.25. This shock is able to explain the origin of the X-ray radiation from the binary β Lyr.     

Three-dimensional hydrodynamical modeling of mass transfer in the close binary system β Lyr

We present a three-dimensional hydrodynamical modeling of mass transfer in the close binary system β Lyr taking radiative cooling into account explicitly. The assumed mass-transfer rate through the first Lagrangian point L₁ is 3.0 × 10^?5 M _⊙/yr. A flow with a radius of 0.14–0.16 (in units of orbital separation) is formed in the vicinity of L₁. This flow forms an accretion disk with a radius close to 23 R _⊙ and a thickness of about 10 R _⊙. The accretion disk is surrounded by an outer envelope that extends beyond the computational domain. A spiral shock forms at the outer boundary of the disk at orbital phase 0.25. Geometrically, the disk is toruslike, while the outer envelope is cylinder-like. In this model, which has low temperatures inside the computational domain, no jetlike structures form in the disk. It is possible that the jetlike structure in β Lyr arises due to the interaction of radiative wind from the accretor with the flow from L₁. In the model considered, a hot region exists over the poles of the accretor at a height of about 0.21. The amount of matter lost by the system is close to 10% of the mass flowing through L₁; i.e., the mass transfer in the system is almost conservative. For a mass-transfer rate of 3.0 × 10^?5 M _⊙/yr, the orbital period varies by 40.4 s/yr. This means that the observed variation of the orbital period of 19 s/yr should correspond to a mass-transfer rate close to 1.0 × 10^?5 M _⊙/yr.     

Star formation region in Orion KL. epoch 1985.8

We have derived the fine structure of the region of the H₂O supermaserflare in the Orion Nebula at epoch 1985.8. This structure includes a chain of compact components that extends to 25 AU and has a width of 0.4 AU. The velocities of the components vary along the chain. The structure corresponds to an accretion disk separated into protoplanetary rings, viewed edge-on. The velocities of the components correspond to Keplerian motion around an object with a mass of M=0.3±0.2M_⊙. The velocity of the central object relative to the Local Standard of Rest is V_LSR=4.0±0.7 km/s. The radius of the inner part of the disk is 9±4 AU, while the radius of the outer disk is 35±6 AU. The rotational velocities of the inner and outer rings are 5±1 km/s and 2.5±0.5 km/s, respectively. The emission of the structure is amplified in the ambient medium—an envelope with velocities of 7.6±0.3 km/s. The rate at which the envelope is accreting onto the central object is 3.6±0.7 km/s. The gradient of the infall velocity is 1.1 km/s.     

Periodic Accretion in the T Tauri Binary UZ Tau E

Results of three-dimensional numerical simulations of the gas dynamics of the envelope of the young T Tauri binary star UZ Tau E are considered. The flow structure in the circumstellar envelope of the system is analyzed. It is shown that a regime with the impulsive accretion of matter from the circumstellar disk is realized in the binary system, in which there is a periodic transfer of matter to the accretion disk of the primary component through the accretion disk of the secondary.

     

Spectroscopy and doppler mapping of the binary SS Cyg during outburst

We carried out spectroscopy of the binary SSCyg in the Hα, Hβ, and Hγ lines in its active state in August and December 2006. We have estimated the parameters of the main flow elements contributing to the spectra. Profile variations during the orbital period are analyzed, and a Doppler tomogram computed for the Hα line. We consider the evolution of the line profiles with the development of the outburst. A phenomenological model explaining the observed outburst features is suggested. In this model, the main elements of the flow determining the shape of the spectral lines are the accretion disk, a toroidal shell formed in the inner parts of the disk, an expanding spherical shell around the accreting star, a region in front of the bow shock that forms due to the orbital motion of the disk in the circumbinary envelope, and the surface of the donor star near the inner Lagrange point, L1, which is heated by radiation from the accretor.     

Elliptical motion of a star in a close binary system

The motion of a rotating star in a close binary system with conservative mass exchange is considered. In contrast to the Paczyński-Huang model, the new model applied examines the relative motion of a star along an elliptical orbit in a close binary system, taking into account the mutual gravitation between the stars, reactive forces, the gravitation exered on the stars by the mass-transfer stream, and perturbations due to the rotation of the accreting star. The variations of the semi-major axis and eccentricity of the orbit and the orbital angular velocity of the accreting star as a function of the component-mass ratio q are determined. The results are applied to the BF Aurigae system.     

Calculation of profiles of CIV,NV, OVI,and SiIV resonance lines formed in accretion shocks in T Tauri stars: A plane layer

We have calculated profiles of the CIV 1550, NV 1240, OVI 1035, and SiIV 1400 resonance doublets for a plane-parallel shock viewed at various angles. Calculations were performed for the range of preshock gas velocities V₀ and gas densities ρ₀ appropriate for classical T Tauri stars. The parameters of accretion shocks in young stars can be determined by comparing the calculated and observed profiles of the studied lines and their relative intensities. It is not possible to derive the parameters of the accreting gas from the line profiles without knowing the geometry of the accretion zone. The relation I _v (µ,V₀,ρ₀) for a plane shock, where I _v is the intensity μ=cosθ, can be used to determine the accretion parameters by either choosing a geometry for the radiating region or using a technique similar to Doppler tomography. The results obtained for DR Tau, T Tau, and RY Tau indicate that, in contrast to current concepts, the inner regions of the accretion disk are not disrupted by the magnetic field of the star, and the disk reaches the stellar surface. As a result, only a small fraction of the accreted matter passes through the shock and falls onto the star.     

Turbulence in the Accretion Disks in Semi-Detached Binary Systems with Various Component-Mass Ratios

Results of three-dimensional gas-dynamical numerical simulations of the structure of matter flows in semi-detached binary systems with various component-mass ratios are considered. The main elements of the flows in the models studied are described. The characteristics of density waves inside the accretion disk for various component-mass ratios are considered. The influence of the precessional density wave on the development of instability in the accretion disks and the characteristics of developing turbulence are analyzed. Values of the Shakura–Syunyaev coefficient α for the simulated systems are calculated.     

A “tsunami” in the protoplanetary disk of SV Cep

The results of ~15 years of photometric observations of the UX Ori star SV Cep in the near-infrared (JHKL) are presented. They demonstrate the presence of a cyclic component with a period of ~7 years in the variations of the IR fluxes. This is clearly seen in all four IR bands, but is absent in the optical. The variation amplitude is highest in the K band: ΔK ≈ 0.68 ^m . The shape of the variations differs slightly in the transition from J to L. However, it is reproduced with good accuracy during two cycles, suggesting a periodic process is observed. If the periodic perturbations in the circumstellar disk of SV Cep are due to a companion’s orbitalmotion, the orbital semi-major axis should be ~5AU, foramass of SVCep of 2.6M _⊙. The absence of a seven-year period in the optical light curve of SV Cep means that the observed period cannot be due to variations in the circumstellar extinction. The IR brightness variations could be due to the companion’s motion along an eccentric orbit, resulting in a periodic modulation of the rate of accretion onto the star.     

Period clustering of anomalous X-ray pulsars

The question of why the observed periods of anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) and soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) cluster in the range 2–12 s is discussed. The possibility that AXPs and SGRs are the descendants of high-mass X-ray binaries that have disintegrated in core-collapse supernova explosions is investigated. The spin periods of neutron stars in high-mass X-ray binaries evolve towards the equilibrium period, which is a few seconds, on average. After the explosion of its massive companion, the neutron star becomes embedded in a dense gaseous envelope, and accretion from this envelope leads to the formation of a residual magnetically levitating disk. It is shown that the expected mass of the disk in this case is 10^?7–10^?8 M_⊙, which is sufficient to support accretion at the rate 10¹⁴–10¹⁵ g/s over a few thousand years. During this period, the star manifests itself as an isolated X-ray pulsar with a number of parameters similar to those of AXPs and SGRs. The periods of such pulsars can cluster if the lifetime of the residual disk does not exceed the spin-down timescale of the neutron star.     

The mechanism of circumbinary envelope formation in close binaries

We consider the structure and formation of the circumbinary envelopes in semi-detached binary systems. Three-dimensional numerical simulations of the gas dynamics are used to study the flow pattern in a binary system after it has reached the steady-state accretion regime. The outer parts of the circumbinary envelope are replenished by periodic ejections from the accretion disk and circum-disk halo through the vicinity of the Lagrange point L₃. In this mechanism, the shape and position of a substantial part of the disk is specified by a precessional density wave. On timescales comparable to the orbital period, the precessional wave (and hence an appreciable fraction of the disk) will be virtually stationary in the observer’s frame, whereas the positions of other elements of the flow will vary due to the orbital rotation. The periodic variations of the positions of the disk and the bow shock formed when the inner parts of the circumbinary envelope flow around the disk result in variations in both the rate of angular-momentum transfer to the disk and the flow structure near L₃. All these factors lead to a periodic increase of the matter flow into the outer layers of the circumbinary envelope through the vicinity of L₃. The total duration of the ejection is approximately half the orbital period.     

Photometric and polarimetric activity of RZ Psc

We present the results of synchronous photometric and polarimetric U BV RI observations of the irregular variable star RZ Psc, acquired at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in 1989–2002. The star’s photometric behavior is characterized by short, sporadic Algol-like dimmings. We observed only one deep minimum, with a V amplitude of about 1.5^m, during the entire observation time. During this minimum, the star’s linear polarization reached 3.5%. Comparisons with polarization observations of RZ Psc during another deep minimum in 1989 show that the two minima can be described by the same polarization-brightness relation, testifying to an eclipsing nature for the minima. This provides evidence that the optical characteristics of the flattened circumstellar dust envelope that gives rise to the star’s intrinsic polarization have remained virtually unchanged over the last 13 years. We argue that the origin of this stability is the presence of a large dust-free cavity in the central region of the circumstellar dust disk of RZ Psc. The cavity could be associated with binarity of the star or the formation of a planetary system, with most of the dust in the central region of the disk being transformed into large bodies—planetesimals and planets.     

Three-dimensional hydrodynamical modeling of accretion-disk formation in microquasars. Cen X-3

We have carried out three-dimensional hydrodynamical modeling of the formation of an accretion disk around a compact object due to radiative wind of a massive donor in a close binary system. The massive X-ray binary Cen X-3, which has a precessing accretion disk and may possess relativistic jets, is considered as an example. The computations show that, when the action of the central compact object on the formation of the wind is taken into account, the radiative wind forms an accretion disk with a radius of 0.16 (in units of the orbital separation), which accretes at a rate close to 1 × 10^?8 M _⊙/yr. In this model, the disk is spherically symmetrical and geometrically thick, with a tunnel going from the accretor to the upper layers of the disk along the accretor’s rotational axis at the disk center. The number density of the gas in the tunnel is five orders of magnitude lower than in the disk. The wind-disk interaction at the outer boundary of the disk produces a strong shock (wind-disk shock) directed toward the donor. The black-body emission of the disk and tunnel is nonstationary, and resembles the outbursts observed in Cen X-3. An analysis of the location of the region of nonstationary emission suggests that the outbursts occur in the wind-disk shock.     

Formation and evolution of Ae and Be stars

Several scenarios for the formation of accretion and decretion disks in single and binary Ae and Be stars are proposed. It is shown that, in order for a rapidly rotating main-sequence Be star to lose mass via a disk, the star’s rotation must be quasi-rigid-body. Estimates show that such rotation can be maintained by the star’s magnetic field, which is probably a relict field. The evolution of single Be main-sequence stars is numerically simulated allowing for mass loss via the stellar wind and rotational mass loss assuming rigid-body rotation. The stellar wind is the factor that determines the maximum mass of Be stars, which is close to 30M _⊙. The evolution of Be stars in close binaries is analyzed in the approximation adopted in our scenario. Long gamma-ray bursts can be obtained as a result of the collapse of rapidly rotating oxygen—neon degenerate dwarfs—the accreting companions of Be stars—into neutron stars.     

Synthetic light curves of close binaries in a cool-disk model. The “hot line” and “hot spot” as visual indicators of interaction between the flow and disk

We present a “combined” model taking into account visual manifestations of the interaction between the gas flow and the accretion disk in a close binary system in the form of a “hot line” and a “hot spot.” The binary consists of a red dwarf that fills its Roche lobe and a compact spherical star (a white dwarf or neutron star) surrounded with a thick ellipsoidal accretion disk of a complex shape. The disk thickness is not large near the compact star but increases according to a parabolic law towards its outer edge. The oblique collision of the gaseous flow with matter of the cool, rotating disk, whose outer edge has a temperature <10 000 K, creates an extended region of enhanced energy release. In the combined model, this region is represented with a hot line that coincides with the optically opaque part of the flow and is located outside the disk, together with a hot spot at the outer surface of the disk, on the leeward side of the flow. The synthetic light curves for the combinedmodel and a hot-line model demonstrate that both models are able to fairly accurately reproduce the shapes of both classical and atypical light curves of cataclysmic variables in quiescence. Our determination of the parameters of the cataclysmic variable OY Car from an analysis of its light curves using the two models shows that the basic characteristics of the close binary, such as the component mass ratio q = M ₁/M ₂, orbital inclination i, effective temperatures of the red dwarf (T ₂) and white dwarf (T ₁), and orientation of the disk α _e , remain the same within the errors. The parameters describing the size of the slightly elliptical disk and the radiation flux from the disk differ by several percent (∼ 2–8%). A more significant difference is detected in the parameters of the hot line, due to the different shape and alignment of the flow and the presence of an additional radiation source—the hot spot—on the disk.     

Impact of the magnetic field on the structure of accretion disks in semi-detached binaries

We discuss characteristic features of the magnetic gas-dynamical structure of the flows in a semi-detached binary system obtained from three-dimensional simulations, assuming that the intrinsic magnetic field of the accreting star is dipolar. The turbulent diffusion of the magnetic field is taken into account. The SS Cyg system is considered as an example. Including the magnetic field can alter the basic parameters of the accretion disk, such as the accretion rate and the characteristic density. The magnetic field in the disk is primarily toroidal.     

Signs of magnetic accretion in X-ray pulsars

The spin-down mechanism of accreting neutron stars is discussedwith an application to one of the best studied X-ray pulsars GX301-2. We show that the maximum possible spin-down torque applied to a neutron star from the accretion flow can be evaluated as K _sd ^(t) = ??²/(r _m r _cor)^3/2. The spin-down rate of the neutron star in GX301-2 can be explained provided the magnetospheric radius of the neutron star is smaller than its canonical value. We calculate the magnetospheric radius considering the mass-transfer in the binary system in the frame of the magnetic accretion scenario suggested by V.F. Shvartsman. The spin-down rate of the neutron star expected within this approach is in a good agreement with that derived from observations of GX301-2.