Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 321 1 b ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use a gas-pressure-supported, optically thick alpha disk, with and positive parameters. Here is the Stefan–Boltzmann constant in the Stefan–Boltzmann law, and and below are heating and cooling flux estimates per disk face. Hydrostatic equilibrium and the ideal gas relation give , while . Integrating viscous heating over one semi-thickness and estimating radiative diffusion giveHere the stipulated negative hydrogen ion opacity exponent is , which is a local approximation distinct from other empirical opacity fits. Substituting and equating heating and cooling givesDropping numerical constants of order one is essential here. This is the negative-hydrogen-opacity alpha-disk thickness scaling. Its angular thickness estimate isFor a central mass , Keplerian rotation gives , so . The isothermal sound speed isAn adiabatic sound speed differs by the constant factor if the adiabatic index is fixed. For , constant , and fixed composition, the disk aspect ratio grows as , so there is disk flaring when ; . The problem supplies no numerical parameters or specified , so no unique numerical or unconditional radial power can be inferred.
If the additional standard closure of a constant inward accretion rate well outside a zero-torque edge is intended, and imply . Eliminating it gives at fixed , hence and . These stronger powers use that extra steady-flow assumption. All these local scalings cease to apply if the thin disk or the stated opacity regime fails.