A white dwarf of mass accretes gas with hydrogen mass fraction

PHYSICS · Subjective · Fermi University Physics · Astrophysics & Cosmology · Radiation, radiative transfer and stellar atmospheres · Radiation, radiative transfer and stellar atmospheres

Stars from the Inside, Ch Hot and fast electrons: bremsstrahlung, Compton scattering and synchrotron emission

Problem

A white dwarf of mass M=1.0 M⊙M = 1.0\,M_\odot accretes gas with hydrogen mass fraction X=0.5X = 0.5. Using the electron-scattering opacity κes=0.0199(1+X) m2 kg−1\kappa_{\rm es} = 0.0199(1+X)\,\mathrm{m^2\,kg^{-1}}, calculate the Eddington luminosity LEdd=4πGMcκesL_{\rm Edd} = \frac{4\pi GMc}{\kappa_{\rm es}} for this gas, both in watts and in units of L⊙=3.828×1026 WL_\odot = 3.828\times10^{26}\,\mathrm{W}.

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