Images of accretion discs - II. Doppler tomography

Abstract

A method for producing two-dimensional maps of accretion disks is presented which is based on observations of line profiles as a function of the binary phase. The maximum entropy method is used to select a single image from the set allowed by the statistical noise in the data. It is demonstrated that the method can accurately reproduce compact 'S' waves produced by asymmetric emission patterns. The technique has application to the interpretation of the complex line variations noted in the spectra of cataclysmic variables.