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Relativistic tidal interaction of a white dwarf with a massive black hole
- Source :
- Astrophysical Journal, Part 1. 432(2)
- Publication Year :
- 1994
- Publisher :
- United States: NASA Center for Aerospace Information (CASI), 1994.
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Abstract
- We compute encounters of a realistic white dwarf model with a massive black hole in the regime where relativistic effects are important, using a three-dimensional, finite-difference, Eulerian, piecewise parabolic method (PPM) hydrodynamical code. Both disruptive and nondisruptive encounters are considered. We identify and discuss relativistic effects important for the problem: relativistic shift of the pericenter distance, time delay, relativistic precession, and the tensorial structure of the tidal forces. In the nondisruptive case, stripping of matter takes place. In the surface layers of the surviving core, complicated hydrodynamical phenomena are revealed. In both disruptive and nondispruptive encounters, material flows out in the form of two thin, S-shaped, supersonic jets. Our results provide realistic initial conditions for the subsequent investigation of the dynamics of the debris in the field of the black hole. We evaluate the critical conditions for complete disruption of the white dwarf, and compare our results with the corresponding results for nonrelativistic encounters.
- Subjects :
- Astrophysics
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0004637X
- Volume :
- 432
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- NASA Technical Reports
- Journal :
- Astrophysical Journal, Part 1
- Notes :
- NSF PHY-91-00283, , NAGW-1583, , NAGW-2975, , NSF AST-91-15143, , NSCERC-OGP0138712
- Publication Type :
- Report
- Accession number :
- edsnas.19950039624
- Document Type :
- Report
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1086/174607