Exoplanets and Stellar Physics

Abstract:

We describe some recent nonlinear three dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of accretion discs in binary systems where the orbit is circular and not necessarily coplanar with the disc midplane. The calculations are relevant to a number of observed astrophysical phenomena, including the precession of jets associated with young stars, the high spectral index of some T Tauri stars, and the light curves of X-ray binaries such as Hercules X-1 which suggest the presence of precessing accretion discs.

Abstract:

We study the global bending modes of a thin annular disc subject to both an internally generated magnetic field and a magnetic field due to a dipole embedded in the central star with axis aligned with the disc rotation axis. When there is a significant inner region of the disc corotating with the star, we find spectra of unstable bending modes. These may lead to elevation of the disc above the original symmetry plane facilitating accretion along the magnetospheric field lines. The resulting non-axisymmetric disc configuration may result in the creation of hotspots on the stellar surface and the periodic photometric variations observed in many classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs). Time-dependent behaviour may occur including the shadowing of the central source in magnetic accretors even when the dipole and rotation axes are aligned. © 1997 RAS.