Warping modes in discs around accreting neutron stars |
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Authors: | H. Meheut M. Tagger |
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Affiliation: | AstroParticules et Cosmologie (APC), UMR 7164, 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, F75205 Paris, Cedex 13, France;Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace (LPC2E), CNRS, 3A avenue de la Recherche Scientifique, 45071 Orléans, Cedex 2, France |
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Abstract: | The origin and stability of a thin sheet of plasma in the magnetosphere of an accreting neutron star are investigated. First, the radial extension of such a magnetospheric disc is explored. Then a mechanism for magnetospheric accretion is proposed, reconsidering the bending wave explored by Agapitou, Papaloizou & Terquem, that was found to be stable in ideal magnetohydrodynamics. We show that this warping becomes unstable and can reach high amplitudes, in a variant of Pringle's radiation-driven model for the warping of active galactic nucleus accretion discs. Finally, we discuss how this mechanism might give a clue to explain the observed X-ray kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillation of neutron star binaries. |
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Keywords: | accretion, accretion discs instabilities MHD stars: neutron |
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