Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T00:09:45.222Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Flares of AE Aqr

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

M. Eracleous
Affiliation:
Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
K. Horne
Affiliation:
Physics and Astronomy, The University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9AJ, UK
M. Livio
Affiliation:
Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
W. F. Welsh
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Keele University, Keele, ST5 5BG, UK

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The enigmatic flaring activity of AE Aqr, which extends from the radio to the X-ray bands, may be the exotic outcome of a relatively feeble accretion flow onto the rapidly spinning white dwarf. We summarize and interpret the results of recent observations by HST and ROSAT of the aperiodic flares. Optical and UV flares are tightly correlated and are clearly involved in powering the emission lines. The spectrum of a flare consists of a Balmer continuum, and a plethora of emission lines, which vary synchronously. The large optical/UV flares are not accompanied by large X-ray outbursts. The radial velocity curves of the UV lines, and of Hα, suggest that they originate in the accretion stream. The observational results dis-favor scenarios invoking coronal activity on the secondary star or instabilities at the disk/magnetosphere interface. Rather, they support a recently proposed scenario in which the accretion flow consists of blobs which are shocked upon encountering the white dwarf magnetosphere.

Type
Intermediate Polars
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1996

References

Chincarini, G., Walker, M.F., 1981, A&A, 104, 24 Google Scholar
Eracleous, M., Horne, K., Robinson, E.L., et al., 1994, Ap. J., 433, 313 Google Scholar
Eracleous, M., Horne, K., Osborne, J.P., et al., 1995, in “Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables”, eds Buckley, D., Warner, B., ASP Conf. Ser. 85, 392 Google Scholar
Osborne, J.P., Clayton, K.L., O’Donoghue, D., et al., 1995, in “Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables”, eds Buckley, D., Warner, B., ASP Conf. Ser. 85, 368 Google Scholar
van Paradijs, J., Kraakman, H., van Amerongen, S., 1989, A&AS, 79, 205 Google Scholar
Reinen, K., Beuermann, K., 1994, A&A, 282, 493 Google Scholar
Spruit, H.C., Taam, R.E., 1993, Ap. J., 402, 593 Google Scholar
Welsh, W.F., Horne, K., Gomer, R., 1993, Ap. J., 410, L39 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wynn, G., King, A.R., Horne, K., 1995, in “Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables”, eds Buckley, D., Warner, B., ASP Conf. Ser. 85, 196 Google Scholar
Wynn, G., 1996, these proceedings, p161Google Scholar