Zsidi, G., Nixon, C.J. orcid.org/0000-0002-2137-4146, Naylor, T. et al. (1 more author) (2024) Revisiting the accretion disc spectra of dwarf novae and nova-like variables: implications for the standard disc model. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 532 (1). pp. 592-603. ISSN 0035-8711
Abstract
Accretion discs are fundamental to much of astronomy. They can occur around stars, both young and old, around compact objects they provide a window into the extremes of physics, and around supermassive black holes in galaxy centres, they generate spectacular luminosities that can outshine the entire galaxy. However, our understanding of the inner workings of accretion discs remains far from complete. Here, we revisit a conundrum in the observations of some of the simplest accreting systems: the cataclysmic variables (CVs). The high-accretion-rate states of (non-magnetic) CVs can be divided into the short-lived outbursts (∼a week), typical of dwarf novae (DNe), and the long-lived (and sometimes perpetual) high states of nova-like (NL) CVs. Since both sorts of high-state occur in approximately steady-state accretion discs with similar properties and accretors, we would expect them to display similar spectral energy distributions. However, previous analyses based on UV spectra from the International Ultraviolet Explorer have shown that their spectral energy distributions are different. We perform a re-analysis of the data using up to date calibrations and distance (and thus dereddening) estimates to test whether this difference persists and whether it is statistically significant over the sample. We find that it does persist, and it is statistically significant. We propose routes to investigating this discrepancy further and discuss the implications this has for other accreting systems, such as X-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei, and protoplanetary discs.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | accretion, accretion discs, stars: dwarf novae, novae, cataclysmic variables, ultraviolet: stars |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) > Astrophysics (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 23 Jan 2025 13:38 |
Last Modified: | 23 Jan 2025 13:38 |
Published Version: | https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/532/1/592/7... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/mnras/stae1416 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:222203 |
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