Forced Oscillations in Fluid Tori and Quasi-Periodic Oscillations

Abstract

The kilo-Hertz Quasi--Periodic Oscillations in X-ray binaries could originate within the accretion flow, and be a signature of non--linear fluid oscillations and mode coupling in strong gravity. The possibility to decipher these systems will impact our knowledge of fundamental parameters such as the neutron star mass, radius, and spin. Thus they offer the possibility to constrain the nuclear equation of state and the rotation parameter of stellar--mass black holes. We review the general properties of these oscillations from a hydrodynamical point of view, when the accretion flow is subject to external perturbations and summarize recent results.