Event Details

AM CVns or ultra-compact white dwarf binaries are systems that have orbits of less than 70 min and show a lack of Hydrogen. Due to their compacness, they are important sources of low-frequency gravitational waves. AM CVns also represent a unique opportunity to study H-deficient accretion flows under extreme conditions. A fraction of these binaries shows outbursts. However, the processes that cause these events are not clear. In this talk, I will discuss what we know about accretion in AM CVns, including recent observations that challenge traditional accretion models used to explain the origin of these outbursts and which support the existence of more complex mass-transfer mechanisms. I will also emphasize the importance of quantifying the influence of these newly identified processes, not only on the evolution of AM CVns, but also on the detection rate of these binaries with space-based gravitational wave observatories such as LISA.