Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
May 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010aas...21642703s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #216, #427.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.840
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Abstract
The superhump phenomenon in close binary systems is an additional luminosity increase on top of the superoutburst that is associated with dwarf novae. During the superoutburst the luminosity increases on a scale of 100 times the normal outburst. The superhump phenomenon is an additional periodic change in luminosity which can amount to an amplitude variation of a few tenths of a magnitude. The superhump has a period, Psh, which is usually a few per cent longer than the orbital period of the system, Porb. This phenomenon has been observed in many SU UMa-type dwarf novae, such as in the OY Car system.
The mechanism that drives the superhump phenomenon is not clearly understood, but the most popular theory is the tidal instability model (Osaki 1996). In this model a 3:1 resonance between the orbital motion of the binary system and the rotational period within the accretion disk that drives a growing eccentricity. This eccentricity becomes unstable and creates hot spots throughout the accretion disk which is believed to be the driving force behind the superhump phenomenon.
I used high-resolution 2D hydrodynamic simulations to test the hypothesis that the tidal instability model is consistent with the superhump phenomenon. I ran these simulations for about 700 orbital periods, so as to look at the entire evolution of the superhump phenomenon. The growth of eccentricity is quantified by using Fourier decomposition of the radial velocities throughout the disk. I hope to show that the superhump phenonmenon is driven in large part by the instability in the accretion disk thereby confirming the tidal instability model.
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