MHD Modeling of Mass Transfer Processes in Close Binary Stars

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Authors should discuss /examine the effect of non-ideal heating/cooling terms on the flow structure to figure out its behaviour/patterns  from its ideal MHD counterpart/ mean equilibrium state. What is reason for not considering the current dissipation due to magnetic diffusion in energy equation (15)?

In the section-2, authors should discuss in details about their model in comparison to existing models of the same domain of interest. A comparison and required changes made during the development of MHD model need to be discussed.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

The paper "MHD modeling of mass transfer processes in close binary stars" (Zhilkin et al.) is devoted to the actual problem of studying the flow structure in close binary stars with a magnetic field. The main emphasis is on three-dimensional numerical modelling and interpretation of the obtained numerical solutions from the point of view of observations. The authors consider various types of magnetic cataclysmic variables: intermediate polars, as well as synchronous and asynchronous polars. The manuscript definitely may be recommended to publication with minor remarks in accordance with the follows:

1. Figure 1 contains a lot of unnecessary information (for example, vectors Rd, Ra, etc.), which is not used in any way in the text of the paper. I guest either to remove it from the drawing, or and its description (and use) to the text.

2. The caption to Fig. 3 should be slightly expanded and explained in more detail what exactly is depicted on it (iso-surface, axes, magnetic field lines).

3. In Fig. 5, the hierarchical structure of the stream indicated in the text of the paper is not obvious. For all four states of the system, the stream pattern looks approximately the same, apart from its geometry.

4. For an asynchronous polar, the time frames of the accretion stages are most likely indicated inaccurately. It is said that the switching process takes 0.1 beat periods, and the rest of the time - 0.9 beat periods, a single-pole accretion is observed in the system. Apparently, the correct option is 0.2 beat periods - switching processes and 0.8 - single-pole accretion.

5. The captions to Figures 6-10 do not indicate the presented phase position of the polar relative to the Earth observer (orbital phase value), although it is mentioned in the text. For the convenience of reading, it would be possible to specify it.

6. In the description of the flow features in an asynchronous polar, a repeated statement on the hierarchical structure of the stream, previously mentioned for a synchronous polar, is given. It would be possible, without repeating this description, to say briefly that for an asynchronous polar there is the same characteristic element of flow that was previously observed in a synchronous system.

7. In the text, when analysing the flow structure in an asynchronous polar at the pole switching phase, it is said that at the final stage of this process, the deviation of the accretion zone from the magnetic pole is practically absent. However, in represented figures, it can't be seen clearly.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Authors have included all my previous suggestions in the revised version of this manuscript.