Hyperaccreting Neutron-Star Disks, Magnetized Disks and Gamma-Ray Bursts

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the study of the hyperaccreting neutron-star disks and magnetized accretion flows. It is usually proposed that hyperaccreting disks surrounding stellar-mass black holes with a huge accretion rate are central engines of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). However, hyperaccretion disks around neutron stars may exist in some GRB formation scenarios. We study the structure and neutrino emission of a hyperaccretion disk around a neutron star. We consider a steady-state hyperaccretion disk, and as a reasonable approximation, divide it into two regions, the inner and outer disks. The outer disk is similar to that of a black hole. The inner disk has a self-similar structure, such as the entropy-conservation or the advection structure, depending on the energy transfer and emission in the disk. We see that the neutron star disk can cool more efficiently, produce much higher neutrino luminosity and neutrino annihilation luminosity than a black hole disk. The neutrino emission from the neutron star surface boundary layer could increase the neutrino annihilation luminosity. Moreover, we study the effects of a global magnetic field on viscously-rotating and vertically-integrated accretion disks around compact objects using a self-similar treatment, and use two methods to study magnetized flows with convection. We also give a review on GRB progenitors, central engines and an outlook in this thesis.