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Cross JE, Gregori G, Foster JM, et al. Laboratory analogue of a supersonic accretion column in a binary star system. Nat Commun. 2016;7:ncomms11899doi: 10.1038/ncomms11899.
Cross, J. E., Gregori, G., Foster, J. M., Graham, P., Bonnet-Bidaud, J. M., Busschaert, C., Charpentier, N., Danson, C. N., Doyle, H. W., Drake, R. P., Fyrth, J., Gumbrell, E. T., Koenig, M., Krauland, C., Kuranz, C. C., Loupias, B., Michaut, C., Mouchet, M., Patankar, S., Skidmore, J., Spindloe, C., Tubman, E. R., Woolsey, N., Yurchak, R., & Falize, �. �. (2016). Laboratory analogue of a supersonic accretion column in a binary star system. Nature communications, 7ncomms11899. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11899
Cross, J E, et al. "Laboratory analogue of a supersonic accretion column in a binary star system." Nature communications vol. 7 (2016): ncomms11899. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11899
Cross JE, Gregori G, Foster JM, Graham P, Bonnet-Bidaud JM, Busschaert C, Charpentier N, Danson CN, Doyle HW, Drake RP, Fyrth J, Gumbrell ET, Koenig M, Krauland C, Kuranz CC, Loupias B, Michaut C, Mouchet M, Patankar S, Skidmore J, Spindloe C, Tubman ER, Woolsey N, Yurchak R, Falize É. Laboratory analogue of a supersonic accretion column in a binary star system. Nat Commun. 2016 Jun 13;7:ncomms11899. doi: 10.1038/ncomms11899. PMID: 27291065; PMCID: PMC4910020.
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Nat Commun. 2016 Jun 13;7:ncomms11899. doi: 10.1038/ncomms11899.

Laboratory analogue of a supersonic accretion column in a binary star system.

Nature communications

J E Cross, G Gregori, J M Foster, P Graham, J-M Bonnet-Bidaud, C Busschaert, N Charpentier, C N Danson, H W Doyle, R P Drake, J Fyrth, E T Gumbrell, M Koenig, C Krauland, C C Kuranz, B Loupias, C Michaut, M Mouchet, S Patankar, J Skidmore, C Spindloe, E R Tubman, N Woolsey, R Yurchak, É Falize

Affiliations

  1. Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK.
  2. AWE, Aldermaston, Reading, West Berkshire RG7 4PR, UK.
  3. Service d'Astrophysique-Laboratoire AIM, CEA/DSM/Irfu, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
  4. CEA-DAM-DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France.
  5. First Light Fusion Ltd, Unit 10 Oxford Industrial Park, Mead Road, Yarnton Oxfordshire, OX5 1QU, UK.
  6. Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
  7. LULI-CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, CEA: Université Paris-Saclay; UPMC Univ Paris 06: Sorbonne Universités-F-91128, Palaiseau Cedex, France.
  8. Institute for Academic Initiatives, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
  9. LUTH, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 92190 Meudon, France.
  10. Target Fabrication Group, Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0QX, UK.
  11. York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DQ, UK.

PMID: 27291065 PMCID: PMC4910020 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11899

Abstract

Astrophysical flows exhibit rich behaviour resulting from the interplay of different forms of energy-gravitational, thermal, magnetic and radiative. For magnetic cataclysmic variable stars, material from a late, main sequence star is pulled onto a highly magnetized (B>10 MG) white dwarf. The magnetic field is sufficiently large to direct the flow as an accretion column onto the poles of the white dwarf, a star subclass known as AM Herculis. A stationary radiative shock is expected to form 100-1,000 km above the surface of the white dwarf, far too small to be resolved with current telescopes. Here we report the results of a laboratory experiment showing the evolution of a reverse shock when both ionization and radiative losses are important. We find that the stand-off position of the shock agrees with radiation hydrodynamic simulations and is consistent, when scaled to AM Herculis star systems, with theoretical predictions.

References

  1. Phys Rev Lett. 2002 Oct 14;89(16):165003 - PubMed
  2. Appl Opt. 2013 May 20;52(15):3597-607 - PubMed
  3. Nature. 2014 Aug 21;512(7514):282-5 - PubMed

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