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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Cataclysmic variables and low-mass X-ray binaries

Book ·
OSTI ID:5572697
There is little doubt that the cataclysmic variables are closely related to the low-mass X-ray binaries, in which the accelerating star is usually, or perhaps always, a neutron star. The binary periods are roughly the same, the acceleration rates are similar, both have low-mass companion stars, and both show lots of variability. Despite all these similarities, however, research has proceeded more or less independently for each of the two classes of accreting binaries, and has focused on different aspects of the systems. Papers include major review articles on the observational properties and evolution of low-mass X-ray binaries, recent observational and theoretical work on cataclysmic variables containing a magnetic white dwarf (the ''AM Her'' and ''DQ Her'' stars), and theories of dwarf novae outbursts.
OSTI ID:
5572697
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English