UV line diagnostics of accretion disk winds in cataclysmic variables. Final Report, 1 Sep. 1990 - 29 Feb. 1992

Technical Report · Sat Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7114278

Vitello, P; Shlosman, I

The IUE data base is used to analyze the UV line shapes of cataclysmic variables RW Sex, RW Tri, and V Sge. Observed lines are compared to synthetic line profiles computed using a model of rotating bi-conical winds from accretion disks. The wind model calculates the wind ionization structure self-consistently including photoionization from the disk and boundary layer and treats 3-D line radiation transfer in the Sobolev approximation. It is found that winds from accretion disks provide a good fit for reasonable parameters to the observed UV lines which include the P Cygni profiles for low inclination systems and pure emission at large inclination. Disk winds are preferable to spherical winds which originate on the white dwarf because they (1) require a much lower ratio of mass loss rate to accretion rate and are therefore more plausible energetically, (2) provide a natural source for a bi-conical distribution of mass outflow which produces strong scattering far above the disk leading to P Cygni profiles for low inclination systems, and pure line emission profiles at high inclination with the absence of eclipses in UV lines, and (3) produce rotation broadened pure emission lines at high inclination.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7114278
• Report Number(s): N-92-25735; NASA-CR--190219; NAS--1.26:190219; CNN: NAG5-1387; W-7405-ENG-48
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661300* -- Other Aspects of Physical Science-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ACCRETION DISKS
BOUNDARY LAYERS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DISTRIBUTION
EMISSION SPECTRA
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
EVALUATION
IONIZATION
LAYERS
MASS DISTRIBUTION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MOTION
PHOTOIONIZATION
RADIATION TRANSPORT
ROTATION
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SPECTRA
STAR ACCRETION
STAR EVOLUTION
STAR MODELS
STARS
STELLAR ACTIVITY
STELLAR WINDS
ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRA
VARIABLE STARS