Discovery of Drifting High-frequency QPOs in Global Simulations of Magnetic Boundary Layers

TL;DR

This study numerically discovers high-frequency QPOs in magnetic boundary layers of accreting stars, revealing a correlation between magnetosphere size and QPO frequency, with implications for millisecond pulsars.

Contribution

First numerical identification of drifting high-frequency QPOs caused by non-axisymmetric magnetic boundary layer accretion in simulations.

Findings

QPO frequencies range from 350 Hz to 990 Hz for one spot.

QPO frequency increases as magnetosphere size decreases.

QPO peak drifts with accretion rate changes.

Abstract

We report on the numerical discovery of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) associated with accretion through a non-axisymmetric magnetic boundary layer in the unstable regime, when two ordered equatorial streams form and rotate synchronously at approximately the angular velocity of the inner disk The streams hit the star's surface producing hot spots. Rotation of the spots leads to high-frequency QPOs. We performed a number of simulation runs for different magnetospheric sizes from small to tiny, and observed a definite correlation between the inner disk radius and the QPO frequency: the frequency is higher when the magnetosphere is smaller. In the stable regime a small magnetosphere forms and accretion through the usual funnel streams is observed, and the frequency of the star is expected to dominate the lightcurve. We performed exploratory investigations of the case in which the magnetosphere becomes negligibly small and the disk interacts with the star through an equatorial belt. We also performed investigation of somewhat larger magnetospheres where one or two ordered tongues may dominate over other chaotic tongues. In application to millisecond pulsars we obtain QPO frequencies in the range of 350 Hz to 990 Hz for one spot. The frequency associated with rotation of one spot may dominate if spots are not identical or antipodal. If the spots are similar and antipodal then the frequencies are twice as high. We show that variation of the accretion rate leads to drift of the QPO peak.