Accretion physics of AM Herculis binaries

I. Results from one-dimensional stationary radiation hydrodynamics

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

Corresponding author: K. Beuermann, beuermann@uni-sw.gwdg.de

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 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) . 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.