THE PROPELLER REGIME OF DISK ACCRETION TO A RAPIDLY ROTATING MAGNETIZED STAR

Authors: M.M. Romanova, G.V. Ustyugova, A.V. Koldoba,  R.V.E. Lovelace. 

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Disk accretion to a rapidly rotating star. Matter flow in the "propeller" regime for a star rotating at W_*=0.5 W_K* 

The figure shows the opening of the magnetic field lines during the disk-star interaction at T = 0, 35, 70. Time T is measured in Keplerian periods of rotation at r = 1. The bottom plot represents expanded view of the magnetosphere near the disk at T = 70, where field lines are closed or only partially opened.

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Episode of accretion for w_*= 0.58. From left to right the figure shows before, during, and after the accretion  event. The color background shows the density levels, that change from r = 0.003 (dark blue) to r = 1.6 (red). The white lines are magnetic field lines. The red solid line shows the surface b = E_matter/E_mag = 1 which separates the magnetically  dominated region from the matter dominated region. The Alfven radius( b  = 1) is r_A ~ 8. For a non-rotating star, r_A ~ 1.