TY - JOUR
T1 - Stability analyses of two-temperature radiative shocks
T2 - Formulation, eigenfunctions, luminosity response and boundary conditions
AU - Saxton, Curtis J.
AU - Wu, Kinwah
PY - 2001/7/1
Y1 - 2001/7/1
N2 - We present a general formulation for stability analyses of radiative shocks with multiple cooling processes, longitudinal and transverse perturbations, and unequal electron and ion temperatures. Using the accretion shocks of magnetic cataclysmic variables as an illustrative application, we investigate the shock instabilities by examining the eigenfunctions of the perturbed hydrodynamic variables. We also investigate the effects of varying the condition at the lower boundary of the post-shock flow from a zero-velocity fixed wall to several alternative types of boundaries involving the perturbed hydrodynamic variables, and the variations of the emission from the post-shock flow under different modes of oscillations. We found that the stability properties for flow with a stationary-wall lower boundary are not significantly affected by perturbing the lower boundary condition, and they are determined mainly by the energy-transport processes. Moreover, there is no obvious correlation between the amplitude or phase of the luminosity response and the stability properties of the system. Stability of the system can, however, be modified in the presence of transverse perturbation. The luminosity responses are also altered by transverse perturbation.
AB - We present a general formulation for stability analyses of radiative shocks with multiple cooling processes, longitudinal and transverse perturbations, and unequal electron and ion temperatures. Using the accretion shocks of magnetic cataclysmic variables as an illustrative application, we investigate the shock instabilities by examining the eigenfunctions of the perturbed hydrodynamic variables. We also investigate the effects of varying the condition at the lower boundary of the post-shock flow from a zero-velocity fixed wall to several alternative types of boundaries involving the perturbed hydrodynamic variables, and the variations of the emission from the post-shock flow under different modes of oscillations. We found that the stability properties for flow with a stationary-wall lower boundary are not significantly affected by perturbing the lower boundary condition, and they are determined mainly by the energy-transport processes. Moreover, there is no obvious correlation between the amplitude or phase of the luminosity response and the stability properties of the system. Stability of the system can, however, be modified in the presence of transverse perturbation. The luminosity responses are also altered by transverse perturbation.
KW - Accretion, accretion discs
KW - Binaries: close
KW - Shock waves
KW - White dwarfs
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0042910355&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04343.x
DO - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04343.x
M3 - Article
SN - 0035-8711
VL - 324
SP - 659
EP - 684
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
IS - 3
ER -