arXiv subjects

D. Lai

Publications and source records attributed to D. Lai.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

3D MHD Simulations of Accretion onto Stars with Tilted Magnetic and Rotational Axes

We present results of global three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of accretion onto magnetized stars where both the magnetic and rotational axes of the star are tilted about the rotational axis of the disc. We observed that initially the inner parts of the disc are warped, tilted, and process due to the magnetic interaction between the magnetosphere and the disc. Later, larger tilted discs form with the size increasing with the magnetic moment of the star. The normal vector to the discs are tilted at different angles, from 5-10 degrees up to 30-40 degrees. Small tilts may result from the winding of the magnetic field lines about the rotational axis of the star and the action of the magnetic force which tends to align the disc. Another possible explanation is the magnetic Bardeen-Petterson effect in which the disc settles in the equatorial plane of the star due to precessional and viscous torques in the disc. Tilted discs slowly precess with the time scale of the order of 50 Keplerian periods at the reference radius (approx. 3 stellar radii). Our results can be applied to different types of stars where signs of tilted discs and/or slow precession have been observed.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

Observations of PSR J1357-6429 at 2.1 GHz with the Australia Telescope Compact Array

PSR J1357$-$6429 is a young and energetic radio pulsar detected in X-rays and $γ$-rays. It powers a compact pulsar wind nebula with a jet visible in X-rays and a large scale plerion detected in X-ray and TeV ranges. Previous multiwavelength studies suggested that the pulsar has a significant proper motion of about 180 mas yr$^{-1}$ implying an extremely high transverse velocity of about 2000 km s$^{-1}$. In order to verify that, we performed radio-interferometric observations of PSR J1357$-$6429 with the the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) in the 2.1 GHz band. We detected the pulsar with a mean flux density of $212\pm5$ $μ$Jy and obtained the most accurate pulsar position, RA = 13:57:02.525(14) and Dec = $-$64:29:29.89(15). Using the new and archival ATCA data, we did not find any proper motion and estimated its 90 per cent upper limit $μ< 106$ mas yr$^{-1}$. The pulsar shows a highly polarised single pulse, as it was earlier observed at 1.4 GHz. Spectral analysis revealed a shallow spectral index $α_ν$ = $0.5 \pm 0.1$. Based on our new radio position of the pulsar, we disclaim its optical counterpart candidate reported before.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

How strong are the Rossby vortices?

The Rossby wave instability, associated with density bumps in differentially rotating discs, may arise in several different astrophysical contexts, such as galactic or protoplanetary discs. While the linear phase of the instability has been well studied, the nonlinear evolution and especially the saturation phase remain poorly understood. In this paper, we test the non-linear saturation mechanism analogous to that derived for wave-particle interaction in plasma physics. To this end we perform global numerical simulations of the evolution of the instability in a two-dimensional disc. We confirm the physical mechanism for the instability saturation and show that the maximum amplitude of vorticity can be estimated as twice the linear growth rate of the instability. We provide an empirical fitting formula for this growth rate for various parameters of the density bump. We also investigate the effects of the azimuthal mode number of the instability and the energy leakage in the spiral density waves. Finally, we show that our results can be extrapolated to 3D discs.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

Rossby Wave Instability in three dimensional discs

The Rossby wave instability (RWI) is a promising mechanism for producing large-scale vortices in protoplanetary discs. The instability operates around a density bump in the disc, and the resulting vortices may facilitate planetesimal formation and angular momentum transfer in the disc dead zone. Most previous works on the RWI deal with two-dimensional (height-integrated) discs. However, vortices may have different dynamical behaviours in 3D than in 2D. Recent numerical simulations of the RWI in 3D global discs by Meheut et al. have revealed intriguing vertical structure of the vortices, including appreciable vertical velocities. In this paper we present a linear analysis of the RWI in 3D global models of isothermal discs. We calculate the growth rates of the Rossby modes (of various azimuthal wave numbers m = 2 - 6) trapped around the fiducial density bump and carry out 3D numerical simulations to compare with our linear results. We show that the 3D RWI growth rates are only slightly smaller than the 2D growth rates, and the velocity structures seen in the numerical simulations during the linear phase are in agreement with the velocity eigenfunctions obtained in our linear calculations. This numerical benchmark shows that numerical simulations can accurately describe the instability. The angular momentum transfer rate associated with Rossby vortices is also studied.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2009

X-ray Timing of Neutron Stars, Astrophysical Probes of Extreme Physics

The characteristic physical timescales near stellar-mass compact objects are measured in milliseconds. These timescales -- the free-fall time, the fastest stable orbital period, and stellar spin periods -- encode the fundamental physical properties of compact objects: mass, radius, and angular momentum. The characteristic temperature of matter in the vicinity of neutron stars is such that the principal electromagnetic window into their realms is the X-ray band. Because of these connections to the fundamental properties of neutron stars, X-ray timing studies remain today the most direct means of probing their structure and dynamics. While current X-ray observatories have revealed many relevant and fascinating phenomena, they lack the sensitivity to fully exploit them to uncover the fundamental properties of compact objects and their extreme physics. With this white paper, we summarize and highlight the science opportunities that will accompany an order-of-magnitude improvement in X-ray timing sensitivity, a goal attainable in the coming decade.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2007

The SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline. III. Comparison with High-Resolution Spectroscopy of SDSS/SEGUE Field Stars

We report high-resolution spectroscopy of 125 field stars previously observed as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and its program for Galactic studies, the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE). These spectra are used to measure radial velocities and to derive atmospheric parameters, which we compare with those reported by the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline (SSPP). The SSPP obtains estimates of these quantities based on SDSS ugriz photometry and low-resolution (R = 2000) spectroscopy. For F- and G-type stars observed with high signal-to-noise ratios (S/N), we empirically determine the typical random uncertainties in the radial velocities, effective temperatures, surface gravities, and metallicities delivered by the SSPP to be 2.4 km/s, 130 K (2.2%), 0.21 dex, and 0.11 dex, respectively, with systematic uncertainties of a similar magnitude in the effective temperatures and metallicities. We estimate random errors for lower S/N spectra based on numerical simulations.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Nonideal strongly magnetized plasmas of neutron stars and their electromagnetic radiation

We study the equation of state, polarization and radiation properties for nonideal, strongly magnetized plasmas which compose outer envelopes of magnetic neutron stars. Detailed calculations are performed for partially ionized hydrogen atmospheres and for condensed hydrogen or iron surfaces of these stars. This is a companion paper to astro-ph/0511803

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Partially ionized atmospheres of neutron stars with strong magnetic fields

We construct hydrogen atmosphere models for strongly magnetized neutron stars in thermodynamic equilibrium, taking into account partial ionization. The presence of bound states affects the equation of state, absorption coefficients, and polarizability tensor of a strongly magnetized plasma. Therefore the partial ionization influences the polarization vectors and opacities of normal electromagnetic waves, and thus the spectra of outgoing radiation. Here we review a model suitable for the most typical neutron-star atmospheres and focus on the problems that remain to be solved for its extension to other atmospheric parameters.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1993

Equilibrium, Stability and Orbital Evolution of Close Binary Systems

We present a new analytic study of the equilibrium and stability properties of close binary systems containing polytropic components. Our method is based on the use of ellipsoidal trial functions in an energy variational principle. We consider both synchronized and nonsynchronized systems, constructing the compressible generalizations of the classical Darwin and Darwin-Riemann configurations. Our method can be applied to a wide variety of binary models where the stellar masses, radii, spins, entropies, and polytropic indices are all allowed to vary over wide ranges and independently for each component. We find that both secular and dynamical instabilities can develop before a Roche limit or contact is reached along a sequence of models with decreasing binary separation. High incompressibility always makes a given binary system more susceptible to these instabilities, but the dependence on the mass ratio is more complicated. As simple applications, we construct models of double degenerate systems and of low-mass main-sequence-star binaries. We also discuss the orbital evolution of close binary systems under the combined influence of fluid viscosity and secular angular momentum losses from processes like gravitational radiation. We show that the existence of global fluid instabilities can have a profound effect on the terminal evolution of coalescing binaries. The validity of our analytic solutions is examined by means of detailed comparisons with the results of recent numerical fluid calculations in three dimensions.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1993

Hydrodynamic Instability and Coalescence of Binary Neutron Stars

We study the importance of hydrodynamic effects on the evolution of coalescing binary neutron stars. Using an approximate energy functional constructed from equilibrium solutions for polytropic binary configurations, we incorporate hydrodynamic effects into the calculation of the orbital decay driven by gravitational wave emission. In particular, we follow the transition between the quasi-static, secular decay of the orbit at large separation and the rapid dynamical evolution of configurations approaching contact. We show that a purely Newtonian hydrodynamic instability can significantly accelerate the coalescence at small separation. Such an instability occurs in all close binary configurations containing sufficiently incompressible stars. Calculations are performed for various neutron star masses, radii, spins, and effective polytropic indices. Typically, we find that the radial infall velocity just prior to contact is about 10\% of the tangential orbital velocity. Post-Newtonian effects can move the stability limit to a larger binary separation, and may induce an even larger radial velocity. We also consider the possibility of mass transfer from one neutron star to the other. We show that stable mass transfer is impossible except when the mass of one of the components is very small (less than about 0.4 solar mass) and the viscosity is high enough to maintain corotation.

astro-ph↗