A one-dimensional accretion column model for magnetized neutron stars

The infalling movement of the matter accreted onto a magnetized neutron star is discussed. A one-dimensional accretion column model is presented to describe the variations of the infalling velocity, density and temperature of the infalling plasma. The column can be divided from top down into four zones, impact, deceleration of ideal gas, deceleration of degenerate gas and outflow. As an example, the accretion column for an accretion rate of 10¹⁷ g/s and a polar magnetic field of ≈ 10⁸ T was calculated. We discuss thermonuclear reaction inside the column, and consider that it may be related to the quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) of the X-ray flux in low-mass close binaries.