The continuum radiation from accretion discs and the boundary layer

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Abstract
We make two extreme assumptions about the structure of the boundary layer between the accretion disc and the star in accreting white dwarfs. We then calculate in a self-consistent way the emerging radiation from the disc and the boundary layer, and compare the predictions with a series of observations of nova-like variables in the UV. We derive a set of parameters for which an excellent agreement with the observation is found. Our conclusions are as follows. (i) The theoretical modelling of accretion discs in nova-like variables provides very good agreement with the observations. (ii) The results indicate that the temperatures in the boundary layer are very low and that the boundary layers contribute, in general, a small fraction of the total accretion luminosity in these objects. A significant part of the accretion energy must go to processes other than radiation. (iii) The accreting white dwarf is most likely a fast rotator.

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