Accretion flows in the non-synchronous magnetic cataclysmic variables

We investigate the accretion flows in the non-synchronous magnetic cataclysmic variables (intermediate polars). We show that for orbital periods <5 hr, the white dwarf magnetic field is likely to prevent the formation of an accretion disc, and channels the infalling matter on to large fractions of the white dwarf surface. We show that spin data for these systems suggest magnetic moments $$\mu\sim{10}^{33}-{10}^{34}\,\text G\,\text{cm}^{-3}$$ for the white dwarfs, in agreement with the evolutionary considerations of King, Frank & Ritter, and theoretical arguments by King. Our picture provides natural explanations for the orbital effects found in hard X-ray observations of EX Hya and AO Psc ( =H2252 – 035).