Flux Modulation from Non-Axisymmetric Stuctures in Accretion Discs

Abstract

Non-axisymmetric accretion discs can lead to flux variability. Here we provide an analytic framework for modeling non-axisymmetric structures like hotspots and spiral waves and their influence on observed timing measurements. The presently unexplained Low-frequency Quasi-Periodic Oscillations (LFQPO), observed in X-ray binaries and cataclysmic variables, could be the result of such discs. Our framework serves as a guide to quantify the properties that non-axisymmetric structures produced by nonlinear accretion disc models must have in order to explain observed features such as LFQPOs. The results from our microquasar appliations also provide analogous predictions for X-ray modulation in active galactic nuclei. The formalism and physical interpration is of practical use for generic non-axisymmetric accretion disc systems.