H. M. J. Boffin, D. Steeghs
Published 2001-10-09Version 1
In the first part of this article, we review the observational evidence for spirals in the accretion discs of cataclysmic variables. It is shown that with the increasing amount of data available, spirals appear to be an omnipresent feature of accretion discs in outburst. Spirals seem to live until decline that is, for several tens of orbital periods. We then study the formation of spiral shocks from a theoretical side, using the results of various numerical simulations. We make a comparison between observations and theory and briefly discuss the implications of the presence of spirals in the discs of cataclysmic variables.
Comments: 10 pages, 5 figures. To be published in "The Physics of Cataclysmic Variables and Related Objects", ASP Conf. Ser., eds. B. T. Gansicke, K. Beuermann, & K. Reinsch
Spiral waves in accretion discs - theory
The tidally induced warping, precession and truncation of accretion discs in binary systems: three-dimensional simulations
Orbital periods of cataclysmic variables identified by the SDSS. IV. SDSS J220553.98+115553.7 has stopped pulsating
