Accretion onto magnetized neutron stars: X-ray pulsars with intermediate rotation rates

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1983 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/160768· OSTI ID:6269717

Burnard, D J; Lea, S M; Arons, J

We apply the hydromagnetic Kelvin-Helmholtz instability to the transport of accreting plasma across the magnetopause of a rotating, magnetized neutron star, when this surface is interchange stable. The accreting material is assumed to originate in a wind, or envelope, and thus carries with it little or no net angular momentum. The location of the magnetopause is determined, and under the assumption of aligned flow to the poles along dipole field lines, we estimate the blackbody emission temperature to be kT/sub x/ = 8.5P/sub 10//sup 1/4/L/sub 37//sup 0.31/..mu../sub 30//sup 0.07/R/sub asterisk6/ /sup -3/4/ keV. Here P/sub 10/ is the rotation period in units of 10 seconds, L/sub 37/ is the accretion luminosity in units of 10/sup 37/ ergs s/sup -1/, ..mu../sub 30/ is the magnetic moment in units of 10/sup 30/ gauss-cm/sup 3/, and R/sub asterisk6/ is the stellar radius in units of 10/sup 6/ cm. We also report a possible period dependence in the X-ray temperature data, roughly in agreement with our model calculations.

• Research Organization: Department of Physics and Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
• OSTI ID: 6269717
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 266:1; ISSN ASJOA
• 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
ATMOSPHERES
BINARY STARS
COOLING
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
COSMIC RAY SOURCES
COSMIC X-RAY SOURCES
FLUID MECHANICS
HEATING
HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY
HYDRODYNAMICS
INSTABILITY
MAGNETIC STARS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICS
MOTION
NEUTRON STARS
PLASMA
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
PULSARS
ROTATION
STAR ACCRETION
STAR EVOLUTION
STAR MODELS
STARS
STELLAR ATMOSPHERES
STELLAR MAGNETOSPHERES
STELLAR WINDS