Near-critical spherical accretion by neutron stars - General relativistic treatment

Journal Article · Mon Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Astrophysical Journal; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/169936· OSTI ID:5597279

Park, Myeong-gu; Miller, G S ^[1]

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1. Illinois, University, Urbana (USA) Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM (USA)

Time-independent spherical accretion by a neutron star is studied using general relativistic radiation hydrodynamics. Numerical integrations of the flow equations are presented. These show that when the luminosity is sufficiently close to (but below) the Eddington limit, the flow velocity increases with decreasing radius far from the neutron star, reaches a maximum at an intermediate radius, and decreases at small radii. A large fraction of the binding energy of the flow is transferred to the radiation through scattering before the flow strikes the surface of the neutron star. Following Miller's treatment of accretion at luminosites near the Eddington limit (which neglected general relativistic effects), analytic approximations for the decelerating phase of the flow's velocity profile are derived. The dependence of the solutions on the variable Eddington factor prescription chosen to close the radiation moment equations is also examined. 33 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5597279
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (United States) Vol. 371; ISSN ASJOA; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
EDDINGTON THEORY
ENERGY TRANSFER
FIELD THEORIES
FLUID MECHANICS
GENERAL RELATIVITY THEORY
HYDRODYNAMICS
LUMINOSITY
MECHANICS
NEUTRON STARS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
STAR ACCRETION
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS
TIME DEPENDENCE