Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21347908w&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #479.08
Mathematics
Logic
Scientific paper
Accretion disks are ubiquitous in astronomy; being present in stellar formation, neutron stars, supermassive black holes and specifically to this project cataclysmic variables. This study used mid IR time series photometric observations at 4.5 and 8 microns from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, two optical light curves in the I and R bands from Perth Observatory's 14 inch Robotic Telescope, and a chronological timeline of previously published light curves of WZ Sge over the past half century to investigate the dynamics of this cataclysmic variable star. The unexpected eclipse at 4.5 and 8 microns appears to provide evidence of a previously unseen "dark matter” in the form of a cool outer dust ring surrounding the optically visible accretion disk. The eclipse at 4.5 and 8 microns is wider than at optical wavelengths indicating the dust ring is too cool to emit in the higher optical frequencies.
The results may significantly amplify the size of all accretion disks, resulting in major implications on current models for the components of accretion disks. In addition, these findings suggest that all previously derived brightness values of accretion disks which did not take into account the potential cool outer dust ring may be inaccurate. Since an outer dust ring would decrease the amount of energy reaching telescopes here on Earth, current brightness values for accretion disks in super-massive black holes, and Protostars would be inaccurate. The result may be distance calculations to all such objects, which depend so heavily on accurate brightness values, will need to be recalculated.
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