The mass and angular momentum loss from the edge of the accretion disc and the evolution of cataclysmic binaries.

Abstract

The IUE observations of high excitation P Cygni profiles provide evidence that there is mass outflow in the cataclysmic variables with speed of ≡5000 km/s which can not be driven by the late-type secondary stars. The authors proposed here that these outflows are originated from the outer edge of the accretion disc and give a model for calculation of the mass and angular momentum loss from the edge of the accretion disc and its effects on the evolution of cataclysmic variables. The results of the calculations show that the angular momentum loss from the edge of the disc can account for the mechanism for driving the evolution of cataclysmic binary systems with periods longer than 3 hrs.