On convection-induced viscosity in accretion disks in cataclysmic variables

Abstract

The vertical structure of accretion disks in cataclysmic variable systems is examined on the assumption that the convection is solely responsible for inducing the viscous heating. The viscous heating is distributed over the entire vertical structure so that purely radiative zones are able to carry a radial mass flux. The convective flux is computed by two different methods in separate calculations and the results from each method are compared. The values of the viscosity obtained are compared with those values inferred from the observed time scales of dwarf nova eruptions. Sequences of equilibrium solutions for constant radius and varying mass accretion rate are examined, the relations between viscosity and surface density are discussed in the context of recent models for the eruptions of dwarf novae.