Long-term evolution of accretion disks around the neutron star in Be/X-ray binaries

Abstract

we study the long-term evolution of the accretion disk around the neutron star in Be/X-ray binaries. We confirm the earlier result by Hayasaki & Okazaki (2004) that the disk evolves via a two-stage process, which consists of the initial developing stage and the later developed stage. The peak mass-accretion rate is distributed around apastron after the disk is fully developed. This indicates that the modulation of the mass accretion rate is essentially caused by an inward propagation of the one-armed spiral wave. The X-ray luminosity peak around the apastron could provide circumstatial evidence for an persistent disk around the neutron star in Be/X-ray binaries.