Partial Accretion Research Articles

Typical X-Ray Outburst Light Curves of Aql X-1

We show that the typical X-ray outburst light curve of Aql X-1 can be reproduced by accretion onto a neutron star in the frame of the disk instability model without invoking partial accretion or the propeller effect. The knee and the subsequent sharp decay in the X-ray light curve can be generated naturally by taking into account the weak dependence of the disk aspect ratio, h/r, on the disk mass-flow rate, Ṁin , in the X-ray irradiation flux calculation. This Ṁin dependence of h/r only slightly modifies the irradiation temperature profile along the hot disk in comparison to that obtained with a constant h/r. Nevertheless, this small difference has a significant cumulative effect on the hot disk radius, leading to a much faster decrease in the size of the hot disk and thereby to a sharper decay in the X-ray outburst light curve. The same model also produces the long-term evolution of Aql X-1, consistent with its observed outburst recurrence time and typical light curve. Our results imply that the source accretes matter from the disk in the quiescent state as well. We also estimate that the dipole moment of the source μ ≲ 4 × 1026 G cm3 (B ≲ 4 × 108 G at the surface).

The orbital period versus absolute magnitude relationship of intermediate polars: implications for low states and outbursts

ABSTRACT Recent advances in time-domain astronomy have led to fresh observational insights into intermediate polars, a subtype of magnetic cataclysmic variables generally accreting via a partial accretion disc. These new discoveries include detections of superhumps, low states, and outbursts. However, these studies have largely relied on relative photometry. Here, we tabulate the absolute G magnitudes of confirmed intermediate polars, plot them against their orbital periods, and compare the results to similar studies of dwarf novae during quiescence and in outburst. This exercise suggests the presence of two distinct luminosity classes of intermediate polars, with practical and physical implications for the studies of low states and outbursts. In particular, we point out that two of the optically luminous systems showing short outbursts are also seen to exhibit superhumps, suggesting that they may be caused by the same underlying mechanism.

Can a jumping-Jupiter trigger the Moon’s formation impact?

ABSTRACT We investigate the possibility that the Moon’s formation impact was triggered by an early dynamical instability of the giant planets. We consider the well-studied ‘jumping Jupiter’ hypothesis for the Solar system’s instability, where Jupiter and Saturn’s semimajor axes evolve in step-wise manner from their primordially compact architecture to their present locations. Moreover, we test multiple different configurations for the primordial system of terrestrial planets and the Moon-forming projectile, with particular focus on the almost equal masses impact. We find that the instability/migration of the giant planets excites the orbits of the terrestrial planets through dynamical perturbations, thus allowing collisions between them. About 10 per cent of the simulations lead to a collision with the proto-Earth which resulted in a final configuration of the terrestrial system that reproduces, to some extent, its present architecture. Most of these collisions occur in the hit-and-run domain, but about 15 per cent occur in the partial accretion regime, with the right conditions for a Moon-forming impact. In most of the simulations, there is a delay of more than ∼20 My between the time of the instability and the Moon-forming impact. This supports the occurrence of an early instability (<10 My after dissipation of the gas in the protoplanetary disc), compatible with the time of the Moon-forming impact (30–60 My) inferred from cosmochemical constraints. In general, the final states of the inner Solar system in our simulations show an excess of Angular Momentum Deficit, mostly attributed to the overexcitation of Mercury’s eccentricity and inclination.

Statistics of collision parameters computed from 2D simulations

ABSTRACTThere are two popular ways to speed up simulations of planet formation via increasing the collision probability: (i) confine motion to 2D, (ii) artificially enhance the physical radii of the bodies by an expansion factor. In this paper, I have performed 100 simulations each containing 104 interacting bodies and computed the collision parameters from the results of the runs. Each run was executed for a lower and a higher accuracy parameter. The main goal is to determine the probability distribution functions of the collision parameters and their dependence on the expansion factor. A simple method is devised to improve the determination of the collision parameters from the simulation data. It was shown that the distribution of the impact parameter is uniform and independent of the expansion factor. For real collisions, the impact velocity is greater than 1 mutual escape velocity, a finding that can be explained using the two-body problem. The results cast some doubts on simulations of the terrestrial planets’ final accretion that have assumed merge. Collision outcome maps were created adopting the fragmentation model of recent studies to estimate the number of different types of collisions. A detailed comparison with earlier works indicates that there are similarities as well as significant differences between the different works. The results indicate that as the planetary disc matures and the masses of the bodies differ progressively than the majority of collisions lead to mass growth either via partial accretion or via graze-and-merge collision.

Neutron Star Radius-to-mass Ratio from Partial Accretion Disk Occultation as Measured through Fe Kα Line Profiles

Abstract We present a new method to measure the radius-to-mass ratio (R/M) of weakly magnetic, disk-accreting neutron stars by exploiting the occultation of parts of the inner disk by the star itself. This occultation imprints characteristic features on the X-ray line profile that are unique and are expected to be present in low-mass X-ray binary systems seen under inclinations higher than ∼65°. We analyze a Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array observation of a good candidate system, 4U 1636-53, and find that X-ray spectra from current instrumentation are unlikely to single out the occultation features owing to insufficient signal-to-noise. Based on an extensive set of simulations we show that large-area X-ray detectors of the future generation could measure R/M to ∼ % precision over a range of inclinations. Such is the precision in radius determination required to derive tight constraints on the equation of state of ultradense matter and it represents the goal that other methods also aim to achieve in the future.

Diagnostic of the spectral properties of Aquila X-1 by Insight-HXMT snapshots during the early propeller phase

We study the 2018 outburst of Aql X-1 via the monitor of all sky X-ray image (MAXI) data. We show that the outburst starting in February 2018 is a member of short-low class in the frame of outburst duration and the peak count rate although the outburst morphology is slightly different from the other fast-rise-exponential-decay (FRED) type outbursts with a milder rising stage. We study the partial accretion in the weak propeller stage of Aql X-1 via the MAXI data of the 2018 outburst. We report on the spectral analysis of 3 observations of Aquila X-1 obtained by Insight – hard X-ray modulation telescope (Insight-HXMT) during the late decay stage of the 2018 outburst. We discuss that the data taken by Insight-HXMT is just after the transition to the weak propeller stage. Our analysis shows the necessity of a comptonization component to take into account the existence of an electron cloud resulting photons partly up-scattered.

Partial Accretion in the Propeller Stage of Low-mass X-Ray Binary Aql X–1

Abstract Aql X–1 is one of the most prolific low-mass X-ray binary transients (LMXBTs) showing outbursts almost annually. We present the results of our spectral analyses of Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer/proportional counter-array observations of the 2000 and 2011 outbursts. We investigate the spectral changes related to the changing disk-magnetosphere interaction modes of Aql X–1. The X-ray light curves of the outbursts of LMXBTs typically show phases of fast rise and exponential decay. The decay phase shows a “knee” where the flux goes from the slow-decay to the rapid-decay stage. We assume that the rapid decay corresponds to a weak propeller stage at which a fraction of the inflowing matter in the disk accretes onto the star. We introduce a novel method for inferring, from the light curve, the fraction of the inflowing matter in the disk that accretes onto the neutron star depending on the fastness parameter. We determine the fastness parameter range within which the transition from the accretion to the partial propeller stage is realized. This fastness parameter range is a measure of the scale height of the disk in units of the inner disk radius. We applied the method to a sample of outbursts of Aql X–1 with different maximum flux and duration times. We show that different outbursts with different maximum luminosity and duration follow a similar path in the parameter space of accreted/inflowing mass flux fraction versus fastness parameter.

Fragmentation of colliding planetesimals with water content

AbstractWe investigate the outcome of collisions of Ceres-sized planetesimals composed of a rocky core and a shell of water ice. These collisions are not only relevant for explaining the formation of planetary embryos in early planetary systems, but also provide insight into the formation of asteroid families and possible water transport via colliding small bodies. Earlier studies show characteristic collision velocities exceeding the bodies' mutual escape velocity which—along with the distribution of the impact angles—cover the collision outcome regimes ‘partial accretion’, ‘erosion’, and ‘hit-and-run’ leading to different expected fragmentation scenarios. Existing collision simulations use bodies composed of strengthless material; we study the distribution of fragments and their water contents considering the full elasto-plastic continuum mechanics equations also including brittle failure and fragmentation.

The Origin of Parsec-Scale Gaseous and Stellar Disks in the Galactic Center and AGNs

The Galactic center stellar disk and the circumnuclear ring provide a unique opportunity to study in detail the dynamics and physical conditions of distant molecular disks in the nuclei of galaxies. One of the key questions is how these disks form so close to their host black holes and under what condition they form stars in a tidally stressed environment. We argue that disk formation around a massive black hole is due to partial accretion of extended molecular clouds that temporarily pass through the central region of the Galaxy. The cancellation of angular momentum of the gravitationally focused gas naturally creates a compact gaseous disk. The disk can potentially become gravitationally unstable and form stars. We apply these ideas to explain the origin of sub-parsec megamaser disks found in the nuclei of Seyfert 2 galaxies. We show that an empirical scaling relation between the mass of the black hole and the size of the disk can be understood in the context of the cloud capture scenario. We conclude that the stellar and gas disks found in our Galactic center act as a bridge to further our understanding of more distant mega-maser disks in the nuclei of Seyfert 2 galaxies.

COLLISIONS BETWEEN GRAVITY-DOMINATED BODIES. II. THE DIVERSITY OF IMPACT OUTCOMES DURING THE END STAGE OF PLANET FORMATION

Numerical simulations of the stochastic end stage of planet formation typically begin with a population of embryos and planetesimals that grow into planets by merging. We analyzed the impact parameters of collisions leading to the growth of terrestrial planets from recent N-body simulations that assumed perfect merging and calculated more realistic outcomes using a new analytic collision physics model. We find that collision outcomes are diverse and span all possible regimes: hit-and-run, merging, partial accretion, partial erosion, and catastrophic disruption. The primary outcomes of giant impacts between planetary embryos are approximately evenly split between partial accretion, graze-and-merge, and hit-and-run events. To explore the cumulative effects of more realistic collision outcomes, we modeled the growth of individual planets with a Monte Carlo technique using the distribution of impact parameters from N-body simulations. We find that fewer planets reached masses >0.7 M Earth using the collision physics model compared to simulations that assumed every collision results in perfect merging. For final planets with masses >0.7 M Earth, 60% are enriched in their core-to-mantle mass fraction by >10% compared to the initial embryo composition. Fragmentation during planet formation produces significant debris (~15% of the final mass) and occurs primarily by erosion of the smaller body in partial accretion and hit-and-run events. In partial accretion events, the target body grows by preferentially accreting the iron core of the projectile and the escaping fragments are derived primarily from the silicate mantles of both bodies. Thus, the bulk composition of a planet can evolve via stochastic giant impacts.

On the Formation of Compact Stellar Disks around Sagittarius A*

The recent identification of one or two sub-parsec disks of young, massive stars orbiting the ~4e6 solar mass black hole Sgr A* has prompted an in-situ scenario for star formation in disks of gas formed from a cloud captured from the Galactic center environment. To date there has been no explanation given for the low angular momentum of the disks relative to clouds passing close to the center. Here we show that the partial accretion of extended Galactic center clouds, such as the 50 km/s giant molecular cloud, that temporarily engulf Sgr A* during their passage through the central region of the Galaxy provide a natural explanation for the angular momentum and surface density of the the observed stellar disks. The captured cloud material is gravitationally unstable and forms stars as it circularizes, potentially explaining the large eccentricity and range of inclinations of the observed stellar orbits. The application of this idea to the formation of the circumnuclear ring is also discussed.

Metamorphism of metasediments at the scale of an orogen: a key to the Tertiary geodynamic evolution of the Alps

Abstract Major discoveries in metamorphic petrology, as well as other geological disciplines, have been made in the Alps. The regional distribution of Late Cretaceous–Tertiary metamorphic conditions, documented in post-Hercynian metasediments across the entire Alpine belt from Corsica–Tuscany in the west to Vienna in the east, is presented in this paper. In view of the uneven distribution of information, we concentrate on type and grade of metamorphism; and we elected to distinguish between metamorphic paths where either pressure and temperature peaked simultaneously, or where the maximum temperature was reached at lower pressures, after a significant temperature increase on the decompression path. The results show which types of process caused the main metamorphic imprint: a subduction process in the western Alps, a collision process in the central Alps, and complex metamorphic structures in the eastern Alps, owing to a complex geodynamic and metamorphic history involving the succession of the two types of process. The western Alps clearly show a relatively simple picture, with an internal (high-pressure dominated) part thrust over an external greenschist to low-grade domain, although both metamorphic domains are structurally very complex. Such a metamorphic pattern is generally produced by subduction followed by exhumation along a cool decompression path. In contrast, the central Alps document conditions typical of subduction (and partial accretion), followed by an intensely evolved collision process, often resulting in a heating event during the decompression path of the early-subducted units. Subduction-related relics and (collisional/decompressional) heating phenomena in different tectonic edifices characterize the Tertiary evolution of the Eastern Alps. The Tuscan and Corsica terrains show two different kinds of evolution, with Corsica resembling the western Alps, whereas the metamorphic history in the Tuscan domain is complex owing to the late evolution of the Apennines. This study confirms that careful analysis of the metamorphic evolution of metasediments at the scale of an entire orogen may change the geodynamic interpretation of mountain belts.

AN ORIGIN FOR THE MAIN PULSATION AND OVERTONES OF SGR1900+14 DURING THE AUGUST 27 (1998) SUPEROUTBURST

The crucial observation on the occurrence of subpulses (overtones) in the Power Spectral Density of the August 27 (1998) event from SGR1900+14, as discovered by BeppoSAX,7 has received no consistent explanation in the context of the competing theories to explain the SGRs phenomenology: the magnetar and accretion-driven models. Based on the ultra-relativistic, ultracompact X-ray binary model introduced in the accompanying paper,20 I present here a self-consistent explanation for such an striking feature. I suggest that both the fundamental mode and the overtones observed in SGR1900+14 stem from pulsations of a massive white dwarf (WD). The fundamental mode (and likely some of its harmonics) is excited because of the mutual gravitational interaction with its orbital companion (a NS, envisioned here as point mass object) whenever the binary Keplerian orbital frequency is a multiple integer number (m) of that mode frequency.28 Besides, a large part of the powerful irradiation from the fireball-like explosion occurring on the NS (after partial accretion of disk material) is absorbed in different regions of the star driving the excitation of other multipoles,25,26 i.e., the overtones (fluid modes of higher frequency). Part of this energy is then reemitted into space from the WD surface or atmosphere. This way, the WD lightcurve carries with it the signature of these pulsations inasmuch the way as it happens with the Sun pulsations in Helioseismology. It is shown that our theoretical prediction on the pulsation spectrum agrees quite well with the one found by BeppoSAX,7 a feature confirmed by numerical simulations (Montgomery & Winget 2000).

Was the Late Triassic orogeny in Turkey caused by the collision of an oceanic plateau?

Abstract A belt of Late Triassic deformation and metamorphism (Cimmeride Orogeny) extends east-west for 1100 km in northern Turkey. It is proposed that this was caused by the collision and partial accretion of an Early-Middle Triassic oceanic plateau with the southern continental margin of Laurasia. The upper part of this oceanic plateau is recognized as a thick Lower-Middle Triassic metabasite-marble-phyllite complex, named the Nilüfer Unit, which covers an area of 120 000 km 2 with an estimated volume of mafic rocks of 2 × 10 5 km 3 . The mafic sequence, which has thin stratigraphic intercalations of hemipelagic limestone and shale, shows consistent within-plate geochemical signatures. The Nilüfer Unit has undergone a high-pressure greenschist facies metamorphism, but also includes tectonic slices of eclogite and blueschist with latest Triassic isotopic ages, produced during the attempted subduction of the plateau. The short period for the orogeny (< 15 Ma; Norian-Hettangian) is further evidence for the oceanic plateau origin of the Cimmeride Orogeny. The accretion of the Nilüfer Plateau produced strong uplift and compressional deformation in the hanging wall. A large and thick clastic wedge, fed from the granitic basement of the Laurasia, represented by a thick Upper Triassic arkosic sandstone sequence in northwest Turkey, engulfed the subduction zone and the Nilüfer Plateau.

Spectroscopy and Photometry of EUVE J1429-38.0:An Eclipsing Magnetic Cataclysmic Variable

view Abstract Citations (9) References (18) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Spectroscopy and Photometry of EUVE J1429-38.0:An Eclipsing Magnetic Cataclysmic Variable Howell, Steve B. ; Craig, Nahide ; Roberts, Bryce ; McGee, Paddy ; Sirk, Martin Abstract EUVE J1429-38.0 was originally discovered as a variable source by the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) satellite. We present new optical observations which unambiguously confirm this star to be an eclipsing magnetic system with an orbital period of 4() h 46() m. The photometric data are strongly modulated by ellipsoidal variations during low states which allow a system inclination of near 80 degrees to be determined. Our time-resolved optical spectra, which cover only about one-third of the orbital cycle, indicate the clear presence of a gas stream. During high states, EUVE J1429-38.0 shows ~ 1 mag deep eclipses and the apparent formation of a partial accretion disk. EUVE J1429-38.0 presents the observer with properties of both the AM Herculis and the DQ Herculis types of magnetic cataclysmic variable. Publication: The Astronomical Journal Pub Date: June 1997 DOI: 10.1086/118434 Bibcode: 1997AJ....113.2231H full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (3) MAST (1)