Abstract
view Abstract Citations (11) References (21) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS The influence of nuclear burning on the stability of degenerate and nondegenerate accretion disks. Taam, R. E. ; Fryxell, B. A. Abstract The structure and stability of accretion disks composed of hydrogen-rich matter rotating about a central neutron star have been investigated for known sources of viscosity. Two general classes of solutions have been found. For one class the energy generated in the disk is provided by hydrogen burning, whereas for the other class the gravitational binding energy released by viscous dissipation dominates. The former solutions are thermally unstable (stable) whenever hydrogen burns via the normal CNO cycle (pp chain) in a partially or fully degenerate region of the disk. Solutions characterized by nuclear-burning via the Beta-limited CNO cycle or by viscous dissipation only are always stable. On the basis of a local analysis it is shown that modulations of the mass flow in the disk are possible for a range of mass inflow rates into the disk. In such circumstances the disk can undergo a phase transition from a cold, low-viscosity state to a hot, high-viscosity state as a result of the thermonuclear flash instability. Phase transitions from the hot state to the cold state also occur whenever the mass input rate into the disk is less than the equilibrium mass flow rate corresponding to the hot state. It is also shown that for sufficiently high mass flow rates all the hydrogen-rich matter can be processed to helium in the inner regions of the disk before it can be accreted by a neutron star. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: July 1985 DOI: 10.1086/163298 Bibcode: 1985ApJ...294..303T Keywords: Accretion Disks; Mass Flow; Neutron Stars; Nuclear Astrophysics; Nuclear Fusion; Stellar Models; Thermal Stability; Mass Flow Rate; Viscosity; X Ray Sources; Astrophysics full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (1)
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