Stream-field interactions in the magnetic accretor AO Piscium

UV spectra of the magnetic accretor AO Psc show absorption features for half the binary orbit. The absorption is unlike the wind-formed features often seen in similar stars. Instead, we attribute it to a fraction of the stream that overflows the impact with the accretion disk. Rapid velocity variati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2005-03
Main Authors: Hellier, Coel, Liza van Zyl
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absorption
Accretion disks
Binary stars
Stellar winds
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:UV spectra of the magnetic accretor AO Psc show absorption features for half the binary orbit. The absorption is unlike the wind-formed features often seen in similar stars. Instead, we attribute it to a fraction of the stream that overflows the impact with the accretion disk. Rapid velocity variations can be explained by changes in the trajectory of the stream depending on the orientation of the white-dwarf's magnetic field. Hence we are directly observing the interaction of an accretion stream with a rotating field. We compare this behavior to that seen in other intermediate polars and in SW Sex stars.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.0503207