Accretion physics of AM Herculis binaries

Free access article

Issue		A&A Volume 373, Number 1, July I 2001


Page(s)		211 - 221
Section		Formation, structure and evolution of stars
DOI		http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20010600

A&A 373, 211-221 (2001)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20010600

I. Results from one-dimensional stationary radiation hydrodynamics

A. Fischer and K. Beuermann

Universitäts-Sternwarte, Geismarlandstr. 11, 37083 Göttingen, Germany

(Received 30 November 2000 / Accepted 23 April 2001 )

Abstract
We have solved the one-dimensional stationary two-fluid hydrodynamic equations for post-shock flows on accreting magnetic white dwarfs simultaneous with the fully frequency and angle-dependent radiative transfer for cyclotron radiation and bremsstrahlung. Magnetic field strengths B = 10 to 100 MG are considered. At given B, this theory relates the properties of the emission region to a single physical parameter, the mass flow density (or accretion rate per unit area) $\dot m$ . We present the normalized temperature profiles and fit formulae for the peak electron temperature, the geometrical shock height, and the column density of the post-shock flow. The results apply to pillbox-shaped emission regions. With a first-order temperature correction they can also be used for narrower columns provided they are not too tall.

Key words: stars: cataclysmic variables -- stars: white dwarfs -- stars: binaries: close -- radiative transfer -- hydrodynamics

Offprint request: K. Beuermann, beuermann@uni-sw.gwdg.de

What is OpenURL?

The OpenURL standard is a protocol for transmission of metadata describing the resource that you wish to access. An OpenURL link contains article metadata and directs it to the OpenURL server of your choice. The OpenURL server can provide access to the resource and also offer complementary services (specific search engine, export of references...). The OpenURL link can be generated by different means.

If your librarian has set up your subscription with an OpenURL resolver, OpenURL links appear automatically on the abstract pages.
You can define your own OpenURL resolver with your EDPS Account. In this case your choice will be given priority over that of your library.
You can use an add-on for your browser (Firefox or I.E.) to display OpenURL links on a page (see http://www.openly.com/openurlref/). You should disable this module if you wish to use the OpenURL server that you or your library have defined.