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The Flares of AE Aqr

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

M. Eracleous ,
K. Horne ,
M. Livio  and
W. F. Welsh
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

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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
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 158: Cataclysmic Variables and Related Objects , 1996 , pp. 165 - 166
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1996

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