Rayleigh - Taylor Gravity Waves and Quasiperiodic Oscillation Phenomenon in X-ray Binaries

Abstract

Accretion onto compact objects in X-ray binaries [black hole, neutron star (NS), white dwarf] is characterized by non-uniform flow density profiles. Such an effect of heterogeneity in presence of gravitational forces and pressure gradients exhibits Raylegh-Taylor gravity waves (RTGW). They should be seen as quasioperiodic wave oscillations (QPO). In this paper I show that the main QPO frequency, which is very close to the Keplerian frequency, is split into separate frequencies (hybrid and low branch) under the influence of the gravitational forces in the rotational frame of reference. The observed low and high QPO frequencies are an intrinsic signature of the RTGW. I elaborate the conditions for the density profile when the RTGW oscillations are stable. A comparison of the inferred QPO frequencies with QPO observations is presented. I find that hectohertz frequencies detected from NS binaries can be identified as the RTGW low branch frequencies. I also predict that an observer can see the double NS spin frequency during the NS long (super) burst events when the pressure gradients and buoyant forces are suppressed. The Coriolis force is the only force which acts in the rotational frame of reference and its presence causes perfect coherent pulsations with a frequency twice of the NS spin.

14 pages and 2 figures, ApJ in press

References in corpus (3)

• Correlation of the Quasi-Periodic Oscillation Frequencies of White Dwarf, Neutron Star, and Black Hole Binaries
• On the Low and High Frequency Correlation in Quasi-Periodic Oscillations Among White Dwarfs, Neutron Star and Black Hole Binaries
• Effects of Resonance in Quasiperiodic Oscillators of Neutron Star Binaries

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