A series of 1979 papers by Ghosh and Lamb developed a model of this process near magnetically active neutron stars. For 10 points each:
[10e] Name this process that sometimes creates relativistic jets along the axis of rotation of a namesake disk. Bodies like protostars, neutron stars, and black holes accumulate gas from the interstellar medium in this process.
ANSWER: accretion [accept accretion disks]
[10h] Ghosh and Lamb found that accretion torque causes pulsars to spin faster until this process creates a countervailing torque. This process occurs when the accretion disk’s rotation rate is coupled to that of the pulsar.
ANSWER: magnetic braking
[10m] Accreting pulsars that exceed this constraint may be the source of soft gamma repeaters. The formula for this constraint can be derived by equating radiation pressure to gravitational force.
ANSWER: Eddington luminosity [or Eddington limit]
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