Related papers: Disc instabilities and "soft" X-ray transients
I discuss the case for an efficient orbital braking mechanism in CVs, and the effect of nova outbursts on the observed range of mass transfer rates. I review the continuing problem that models have in interpreting the short-period cut-off…
The outburst cycles of black hole X-ray transients are now generally understood as caused by a thermal instability in the accretion disk, the same mechanism as in dwarf novae outbursts. During quiescence the accretion occurs via a cool disk…
I discuss some aspects of the Disc Instability Model applied to outbursts in various types of binary systems. I lament the general lack of interest in the subject.
We study the stability of disc accretion in the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi. We construct a one-dimensional time-dependent model of the binary-disc system, which includes viscous heating and radiative cooling and a self-consistent treatment…
We have observed with XMM-Newton four radiatively efficient active type 1 galaxies with black hole masses < 10^6 Msun, selected optically from the SDSS. We show here that their soft X-ray spectrum exhibits a soft excess with the same…
The outbursts of low mass X-ray binaries are prolonged relative to those of dwarf nova cataclysmic variables as a consequence of X-ray irradiation of the disc. We show that the time-scale of the decay light curve and its luminosity at a…
The supersoft X-ray and optical transient ASASSN-16oh has been interpreted by Maccarone et al. (2019) as having being induced by an accretion event on a massive white dwarf, resembling a dwarf nova super-outburst. These authors argued that…
We propose a hybrid model to fit the X-ray spectra of atoll-type X-ray transients in the soft and hard states. This model uniquely produces luminosity tracks that are proportional to T^4 for both the accretion disk and boundary layer. The…
We present a model of an outburst of the soft X-ray transient A0620-003. A two-dimensional time-dependent smoothed particle hydrodynamics scheme is used to simulate the evolution of the accretion disc through a complete outburst. The scheme…
We have analyzed the variability and spectral evolution of the prototype dwarf nova system SS Cygni using RXTE data and AAVSO observations. A series of pointed RXTE/PCA observations allow us to trace the evolution of the X-ray spectrum of…
In order to provide an explanation for the unexpected radial brightness distribution of the steady accretion discs seen in nova-like variables, Nixon & Pringle (2019) proposed that the accretion energy is redistributed outwards by means of…
Discs that contain dead zones are subject to the Gravo-Magneto (GM) instability that arises when the turbulence shifts from gravitational to magnetic. We have previously described this instability through a local analysis at some radius in…
We present extensive, high-density Swift observations of V2491 Cyg (Nova Cyg 2008 No. 2). Observing the X-ray emission from only one day after the nova discovery, the source is followed through the initial brightening, the Super-Soft Source…
Models of nova outbursts suggest that an X-ray flash should occur just after hydrogen ignition. However, this X-ray flash has never been observationally confirmed. We present four theoretical light curves of the X-ray flash for two very…
Inelastic neutron and X-ray scattering experiments on surfaces and interfaces are a challenging topic in modern physics. Particular interest arises regarding surfaces and interfaces of soft matter and biological systems. We review both…
We show that the X-ray outburst light curves of four transient anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) and soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs), namely XTE J1810-197, SGR 0501+4516, SGR 1627-41 and CXOU J164710.2-455216, can be produced by the fallback…
The nature and origin of the soft X-ray excess in radio quiet AGN is still an open issue. The interpretation in terms of thermal disc emission has been challanged by the discovery of the constancy of the effective temperature despite the…
We discuss two important instability mechanisms that may lead to the limit-cycle oscillations of the luminosity of the accretion disks around compact objects: ionization instability and radiation-pressure instability. Ionization instability…
The response of advection-dominated accretion disks to local disturbances is examined by one-dimensional numerical simulations. It is generally believed that advection-dominated disks are thermally stable. We, however, find that any…
The stable and unstable solutions of a square 2D extreme type-II superconductor are studied in the field of a magnetic disc. We use a preconditioned Newton-Krylov solver to find the solutions and use numerical continuation to track the…