Accretion Disks are not in a Vacuum!

The disk is being BASHED by the stellar wind, BATTERED by the tidal stream, and BLASTED by X-rays...


The intense X-ray flux ablates the inner edge of the accretion disk, driving a strong polar wind. This disk wind effectively quenches any irradiation driven wind from the surface of the primary.


The impact of the tidal stream drives a strong spiral wave into the disk, resulting in a mass accretion rate comparable to the Eddington limit.