TY - JOUR
T1 - Sinking of a magnetically confined mountain on an accreting neutron star
AU - Wette, K.
AU - Vigelius, M.
AU - Melatos, A.
PY - 2010/2
Y1 - 2010/2
N2 - We perform ideal-magnetohydrodynamic axisymmetric simulations of magnetically confined mountains on an accreting neutron star, with masses ≲0.12 M⊙. We consider two scenarios, in which the mountain sits atop a hard surface or sinks into a soft, fluid base. We find that the ellipticity of the star, due to a mountain grown on a hard surface, approaches ∼2 × 10-4 for accreted masses ≳1.2 × 10-3 M⊙, and that sinking reduces the ellipticity by between 25 and 60 per cent. The consequences for gravitational radiation from low-mass X-ray binaries are discussed.
AB - We perform ideal-magnetohydrodynamic axisymmetric simulations of magnetically confined mountains on an accreting neutron star, with masses ≲0.12 M⊙. We consider two scenarios, in which the mountain sits atop a hard surface or sinks into a soft, fluid base. We find that the ellipticity of the star, due to a mountain grown on a hard surface, approaches ∼2 × 10-4 for accreted masses ≳1.2 × 10-3 M⊙, and that sinking reduces the ellipticity by between 25 and 60 per cent. The consequences for gravitational radiation from low-mass X-ray binaries are discussed.
KW - Accretion, accretion discs
KW - Pulsars: general
KW - Stars: magnetic fields
KW - Stars: neutron
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77949334042&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.15937.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.15937.x
M3 - Article
SN - 0035-8711
VL - 402
SP - 1099
EP - 1110
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
IS - 2
ER -