Three-dimensional modelling of accretion columns: spatial asymmetry and self-consistent simulations

TL;DR

This paper develops 3D models of accretion columns on magnetized neutron stars, revealing spatial asymmetries and self-consistently simulating spectral radiative transfer to understand their structure and X-ray emission.

Contribution

It introduces novel 3D and self-consistent models of accretion columns, incorporating spatial asymmetry and detailed radiative transfer effects.

Findings

Radiation flux distributions show non-axial symmetry.

Column structure and X-ray spectra depend on physical parameters.

Self-consistent models reveal complex plasma and radiation interactions.

Abstract

The paper presents the results of three-dimensional (3D) modelling of the structure and the emission of accretion columns formed above the surface of accreting strongly magnetized neutron stars under the circumstances when a pressure of the photons generated in the column base is enough to determine the dynamics of the plasma flow. On the foundation of numerical radiation hydrodynamic simulations, several 3D models of accretion column are constructed. The first group of the models contains spatially 3D columns. The corresponding calculations lead to the distributions of the radiation flux over the sidewalls of the columns which are not characterized by axial symmetry. The second group includes the self-consistent modelling of spectral radiative transfer and two-dimensional spatial structure of the column, with both thermal and bulk Comptonization taken into account. The changes in the structure of the column and the shape of X-ray continuum are investigated depending on physical parameters of the model.