Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2007-02-02
Astrophys.J.660:1444-1450,2007
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, 7 pages, 4 figures; v2: Minor changes to correct typos and clarify cont
Scientific paper
10.1086/513457
One of the challenges to increasing the mass of a white dwarf through accretion is the tendency for the accumulating hydrogen to ignite unstably and potentially trigger mass loss. It has been known for many years that there is a narrow range of accretion rates for which the hydrogen can burn stably, allowing for the white dwarf mass to increase as a pure helium layer accumulates. We first review the physics of stable burning, providing a clear explanation for why radiation pressure stabilization leads to a narrow range of accretion rates for stable burning near the Eddington limit, confirming the recent work of Nomoto and collaborators. We also explore the possibility of stabilization due to a high luminosity from beneath the burning layer. We then examine the impact of the beta-decay-limited ''hot'' CNO cycle on the stability of burning. Though this plays a significant role for accreting neutron stars, we find that for accreting white dwarfs, it can only increase the range of stably-burning accretion rates for metallicities below 0.01 solar metallicity.
Bildsten Lars
Shen Ken J.
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