2005/08/24 by J. M. Hameury, Jean-Marie Hameury, Jean-Pierre Lasota +1 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Accretion (finance) #Accretion disc #Astronomy #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Cataclysmic variable star #Dwarf nova #Instability #Low Mass #Mechanics #Physics #RADIUS #Stars #Tidal force #Tidal heating #White dwarf #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20053691
8 pages; accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics
arxiv created 2005/08/24 · openalex publication_date 2005/10/21 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The study of outer disc radius variations in close binary systems is important for understanding the structure and evolution of accretion discs. These variations are predicted by models of both quasi-steady and time-dependent discs, and these predictions can be confronted with observations. We consider theoretical and observational consequences of such variations in cataclysmic variables and low-mass X-ray binaries. We find that the action of tidal torques, that determine the outer radius at which the disc is truncated, must be important also well inside the tidal radius. We conclude that it is doubtful that the tidal-thermal instability is responsible for the superoutburst/superhump phenomena in dwarf novae, and confirm that it cannot be the reason for the outbursts of soft X-ray transients. It is likely that tidal torques play a role during superoutbursts of very-low mass-ratio systems but they cannot be the main and only cause of superhumps.