Related papers: Magnetic field transport in compact binaries
Dwarf novae (DNe) are accreting white dwarfs that show eruptions due to a thermal-viscous instability in the accretion disk. The outburst timescales constrain $\alpha$, the ratio of the viscous stress to the thermal pressure, and so the…
Dwarf novae (DNe) and X-ray binaries exhibit outbursts thought to be due to a thermal-viscous instability in the accretion disk. The disk instability model (DIM) assumes that accretion is driven by turbulent transport, customarily…
The eruptive cycles of dwarf novae (DN) are thought to be due to a thermal-viscous instability in the accretion disk surrounding the white dwarf (WD). This model has long been known to imply a stress to pressure ratio \alpha ~0.1 in…
Dwarf Novae and low-mass X-ray binaries are eruptive binary systems comprised of a Roche-lobe overflowing solar-type star and an accreting compact object. Their recurrence time can be explained by a low-accreting phase, the quiescence,…
We review our current knowledge of thermal and viscous instabilities in accretion discs around compact objects. We begin with classical disc models based on analytic viscosity prescriptions, discussing physical uncertainties and exploring…
In a standard, steady, thin accretion disc, the radial distribution of the dissipation of the accretion energy is determined simply by energy considerations. Here we draw attention to the fact that while the (quasi-)steady discs in dwarf…
Astrophysical disks are likely embedded in an ambient vertical magnetic field. This ambient field is known to drive magneto-rotational turbulence in the disk bulk but is also responsible for the launching of magnetized outflows at the…
Outward transport of angular momentum, as well as viscous and thermal stability, are the necessary criteria for the formation of accretion disc and to radiate steadily. Turbulent motions originating from magneto-rotational instability or…
Recurring outbursts associated with matter flowing onto compact stellar remnants (black-holes, neutron stars, white dwarfs) in close binary systems, provide strong test beds for constraining the poorly understood accretion process. The…
Magnetically arrested disks (MADs) are a compelling model for explaining variability in low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGN), including horizon-scale outbursts like those observed in Sagittarius A*. MADs experience powerful flux…
The existing disk instability model for dwarf nova eruptions is reviewed, in the light of recent progress in the understanding of angular momentum transport in accretion disks. It is proposed that the standard lower branch in the…
A thermal/viscous instability of the accretion disc arising when hydrogen is partially ionized is the most popular explanation of the outbursts of both dwarf novae (DN) and soft X-ray transients (SXT). During an outburst, the disc expands…
We propose that the strength of angular momentum transport in accretion discs threaded by net vertical magnetic field is determined by a self-regulation mechanism: the magnetorotational instability (MRI) grows until its own turbulent…
Convection has been discussed in the field of accretion discs for several decades, both as a means of angular momentum transport and also because of its role in controlling discs' vertical structure via heat transport. If the gas is…
In accretion disks with large-scale ordered magnetic fields, the magnetorotational instability (MRI) is marginally suppressed, so other processes may drive angular momentum transport leading to accretion. Accretion could then be driven by…
We study the time evolution of a large-scale magnetic flux threading an accretion disk. Induction equation of the mean poloidal field is solved under the standard viscous disk model. Magnetic flux evolution is controlled by the two…
The evolution of a large-scale poloidal magnetic field in accretion discs is an important problem because of its role in the launching of jets and winds and in determining the intensity of turbulence. In this paper, we develop a formalism…
The status of our current understanding of angular momentum transport in accretion disks is reviewed. The last decade has seen a dramatic increase both in the recognition of key physical processes and in our ability to carry through direct…
I review the basics of the disc instability model (DIM) for dwarf novae and soft-X-ray transients and its most recent developments, as well as the current limitations of the model, focusing on the dwarf nova case. Although the DIM uses the…
The stresses produced by magnetorotational turbulence can provide effective angular momentum transport in accretion disks. However, questions remain about the ability of simulated disks to reproduce observationally inferred…