Premium
Doppler tomography of accretion in binaries
Author(s) -
Steeghs D.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
astronomische nachrichten
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.394
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1521-3994
pISSN - 0004-6337
DOI - 10.1002/asna.200310221
Subject(s) - doppler effect , tomography , accretion (finance) , physics , accretion disc , astrophysics , astronomy , computer science , optics
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. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)