Spiral Waves in a Solar-Size Accretion Disc

Details Spiral Waves in a Solar-Size Accretion Disc Spiral Waves in a Solar-Size Accretion Disc

Mar 1997

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997ieees........4h&link_type=abstract

Spectrum, p. 4

Computer Science

Dwarf Stars, Spectrographs, Electromagnetic Surface Waves, Deposition, Cataclysmic Variables, Dominance, Flexibility, Schedules, Prototypes

Scientific paper

Accretion is one of the most efficient energy mechanisms known, converting a substantial fraction of the rest mass of infalling material into radiation and heat. In systems known as cataclysmic variables (CVs), a mass-losing red star feeds an accretion disc around a white dwarf. CVs are ideally suited for studying accretion discs because of their proximity (approx. 100 pc), the dominance of the accretion disc light over the dwarf star, and the short timescales well suited for human observers (dynamical timescale of approx. minutes, orbital periods of approx. hours and viscous timescales of approx. days). Since CVs have orbital periods of a few hours, the SERVICE programme at the ING telescopes is well suited for undertaking a quick look on new CVs or provide complimentary emission line information for old ones. But the programme's main advantage is that it offers the observers the opportunity of some flexibility over the predetermined schedule to cover unexpected events such as nova outbursts. Indeed, we observed the dwarf nova prototype IP Peg while it was on the rise to outburst on 19 August 1993 with the intermediate dispersion spectrograph on the 2.5 m Isaac Newton telescope during SERVICE time. As we will describe in the following this resulted in the discovery of spiral structure in the binary's accretion disc.

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