Simultaneous Resonant Excitation of Low-frequency Eccentric Wave and Tilt Wave on Tidally Deformed Disks

TL;DR

This paper investigates how low-frequency eccentric and tilt oscillation modes are simultaneously excited in tidally deformed disks, potentially explaining observed outburst timescales in Be/X-ray binary systems through wave-wave resonance.

Contribution

It introduces a model of simultaneous excitation of eccentric and tilt modes on tidally deformed disks via wave-wave resonance, relevant to Be/X-ray binaries.

Findings

Oscillation periods are about ten times the secondary's orbital period.

Resonant excitation explains the timescale of giant outbursts.

Modes exhibit prograde and retrograde precession.

Abstract

Simultaneous excitation of low-frequency eccentric precessing mode (one-armed p-mode) and tilt mode on tidally deformed disks is considered. If the orbit of the secondary star is eccentric and its orbital plane is misaligned with the disk plane of the primary, the above-mentioned two low-frequency oscillation modes are simultaneously excited on the primary disk, the former having prograte precession and the latter having retrograde precession. This excitation of disk oscillations is due to a wave-wave resonant excitation process considered by Kato (2013). If parameter values relevant to Be/X-ray binary systems are adopted, the periods of these excited oscillations are around ten times of the orbital period of the secondary, which may be comparable with the time scale of giant outbursts observed in Be/X-ray systems.