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Runaway of Line-driven Winds toward Critical and Overloaded Solutions

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Achim Feldmeier1 and Isaac Shlosman2

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Line-driven winds from hot stars and accretion disks are thought to follow a unique, critical solution that corresponds to a maximum mass-loss rate and a particular velocity law. We show that in the presence of negative velocity gradients, radiative-acoustic (Abbott) waves can drive shallow wind solutions toward larger velocities and mass-loss rates. Perturbations that are introduced downstream from the critical point of the wind lead to a convergence toward the critical solution. By contrast, low-lying perturbations cause evolution toward a mass-overloaded solution, developing a broad deceleration region in the wind. Such a wind differs fundamentally from the critical solution. For sufficiently deep-seated perturbations, overloaded solutions become time-dependent and develop shocks and shells.


Subject headings

accretion, accretion disks; galaxies: active; hydrodynamics; novae, cataclysmic variables; stars: mass loss; stars: winds, outflows


Dates

Issue 2 (2000 April 1)

Received 1999 October 28, accepted for publication 2000 February 15

Published 2000 March 9



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