Doppler tomography of accretion in binaries

Abstract

Since its conception, Doppler tomography has matured into a versatile and widely used tool. It exploits the information contained in the highly-structured spectral line-profiles typically observed in mass-transferring binaries. Using inversion techniques akin to medical imaging, it permits the reconstruction of Doppler maps that image the accretion flow on micro-arcsecond scales. I summarise the basic concepts behind the technique and highlight two recent results; the use of donor star emission as a means to system parameter determination, and the real-time movies of the evolving accretion flow in the cataclysmic variable WZ Sge during its 2001 outburst. I conclude with future opportunities in Doppler tomography by exploiting the combination of superior data sets, second generation reconstruction codes and simulated theoretical tomograms to delve deeper into the physics of accretion flows.

arXiv comment4 pages, two color figures, to appear in the proceedings of IAU JD9, "Astro-tomography", eds. A.Cameron, A.Schwope and S.Vrielmann, movies available at http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~dsteeghs/wzsge/movies.html

References in corpus (7)

• Dynamical Evidence for a Black Hole in GX 339-4
• The mass donor of Scorpius X-1 revealed
• The 2001 Superoutburst of WZ Sagittae
• Bowen Fluorescence from the Companion Star in X1822-371
• Extending emission line Doppler tomography ; mapping modulated line flux
• New results on GP Com
• Evolution of spiral shocks in U Gem during outburst

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• Tomographic approach to resolving the distribution of LISA Galactic binaries
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• Doppler tomography in fusion plasmas and astrophysics
• Three-Dimensional Doppler Images of the Disk-like and Stream-like States of U Coronae Borealis
• Optical Photometry and Spectroscopy of the Accretion-Powered Millisecond Pulsar HETE J1900.1-2455
• Using Optical Spectroscopy to Map the Geometry and Structure of the Irradiated Accretion Discs in Low-mass X-ray Binaries: The Pilot-Study of MAXI J0637$-$430
• Doppler Tomography by Total Variation Minimization
• A systematic study of spiral density waves in the accretion discs of Cataclysmic Variables
• A spectroscopic analysis of the eclipsing nova-like EC21178-5417 -- discovery of spiral density structures
• A tomographic study of V691 CrA (X1822-371)