Related papers: What can we learn from Accretion Disc Eclipse Mapp…
In this lecture the basic theory of accretion disks is reviewed, with emphasis on aspects relevant for X-ray binaries and Cataclysmic Variables. The text gives a general introduction as well as a selective discussion of a number of more…
The early stages of the pre-Main-Sequence (PMS) evolution of young stars are characterized by a substantial interaction between the central star and the surrounding disk. Among the processes that take place, the accretion of material from…
We explore conditions and structure of accretion disks in short-period Cata- clysmic Variables (CVs), which have evolved beyond the period minimum. We show that accretion discs in systems with extreme mass ratios grow up to the size of…
We now understand how low mass stars evolve through cloud collapse and disc accretion, but whether higher mass stars are also disc accretors is as yet unknown. Spectropolarimetry observations can help in answering this basic question, as…
In this paper I review and discuss the basic concepts of accretion disks, focused especially on the case of accretion disks around black holes. The well known alpha-model is revisited, showing the strengths and weaknesses of the model.…
One of the main goals of modern observational cosmology is to map the large scale structure of the Universe. A potentially powerful approach for doing this would be to exploit three-dimensional spectral maps, i.e. the specific intensity of…
Using zoom-simulations carried out with the adaptive mesh-refinement code RAMSES with a dynamic range of up to $2^{27} \approx 1.34 \times 10^8$ we investigate the accretion profiles around six stars embedded in different environments…
The technique of intensity mapping (IM) has emerged as a powerful tool to explore the universe at $z < 6$. IM measures the integrated emission from sources over a broad range of frequencies, unlocking significantly more information than…
Accreting compact objects are crucial to understand several important astrophysical phenomena such as Type Ia supernovae, gravitational waves, or X-ray and $\gamma$-ray bursts. In addition, they are natural laboratories to infer fundamental…
We consider supercritical accretion onto a compact object when the accretion rate exceeds its value derived from the Eddington limit: L_{Edd}/c^2. We use the scenario that was proposed by Shakura and Sunyaev (1973) for the supercritical…
Spiral density waves are known to exist in many astrophysical disks, potentially affecting disk structure and evolution. We conduct a numerical study of the effects produced by a density wave, evolving into a shock, on the characteristics…
As a planet transits the face of a star, it accelerates along the line-of-sight. The changing delay in the propagation of photons produces an apparent deceleration of the planet across the sky throughout the transit. This persistent…
The disciplines of asteroseismology and extrasolar planet science overlap methodically in the branch of high-precision photometric time series observations. Light curves are, amongst others, useful to measure intrinsic stellar variability…
The idea of extra spatial dimensions arises from attempts to unify gravity with other fundamental interactions, develop a consistent theory of quantum gravity, and address open problems in particle physics and cosmology. Considerable…
Although the Eddington limit has originally been derived for stars, recently its relevance for the evolution of accretion discs has been realized. We discuss the question whether the classical Eddington limit - which has been applied…
Disc spectra from highly luminous black hole binaries are observed to be rather simple, despite theoretical predictions to the contrary. We collate the disc-dominated spectra from multiple observations of 10 separate sources, and show that…
Understanding the collapse of clouds and the formation of protoplanetary disks is essential to understanding the formation of stars and planets. Infall and accretion, the mass-aggregation processes that occur at envelope and disk scales,…
Transiting exoplanets provide access to data to study the mass-radius relation and internal structure of extrasolar planets. Long-period transiting planets allow insight into planetary environments similar to the Solar System where, in…
We report all possible basic solutions of an advective disk model and use them to explain major observations from black hole candidates.
Understanding how mass and angular momentum flow through accretion discs remains a fundamental unsolved problem in astrophysics. Accreting white dwarfs offer an ideal laboratory for addressing this question: their variability occurs on…