AM Herculis binaries - Particle acceleration, radio emission and synchronizationIt has been suggested that the recently discovered radio emission from AM Her arises as a result of gyrosynchrotron radiation from electrons at energies approximately 400 keV in the magnetosphere of the white dwarf. However, no mechanism for producing such energetic electrons was discussed. In this paper, it is argued that small departures from synchronous rotation can cause the companion star to act as a unipolar inductor. This leads to high voltages being produced across the companion star, which provides the necessary acceleration mechanism. This also implies that if the magnetic white dwarf was formed with a rapid rotation, synchronization would be achieved on a time scale approximately 10,000 yr.
Document ID
19840053159
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Chanmugam, G. (Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA, United States)
Dulk, G. A. (Colorado, University Boulder, CO, United States)