2001ApJ...547L.151L

In some circumstances, the mass accretion rate M{dot}_* onto a compact star may depend not only on external boundary conditions but also on the radius R_* of the accreting star. Writing the dependence as M{dot}_*∝R^p_*, we estimate p for transient binary systems in a quiescent state. We use the observed luminosities L of binary accreting white dwarfs (R_*∼10⁹ cm) and neutron stars (R_*∼10⁶ cm) under similar quiescent conditions and estimate M{dot}_* in each system through the relation L~GM_*M{dot}_*/R_*, where M_* is the mass of the star. From the limited data available, we infer that p∼0.9±0.5 for quiescent binaries. This radial dependence is consistent with radiatively inefficient accretion flows that either are convective or lose mass via a wind.