On the stream-accretion disk interaction - Response to increased mass transfer rate

Abstract

The time-dependent interaction between the stream of mass from the inner Lagrangian point and the accretion disk, resulting from an increasing mass transfer rate is calculated. The calculation is fully three-dimensional, using a pseudoparticle description of the hydrodynamics. It is demonstrated that the results of such calculations, when combined with specific observations, have the potential of both determining essential parameters, such as the viscosity parameter alpha, and can distinguish between different models of dwarf nova eruptions.