20 research outputs found
Creation of the CMB spectrum: precise analytic solutions for the blackbody photosphere
The blackbody spectrum of CMB was created in the blackbody photosphere at
redshifts z>2x10^6. At these early times, the Universe was dense and hot enough
that complete thermal equilibrium between baryonic matter (electrons and ions)
and photons could be established. Any perturbation away from the blackbody
spectrum was suppressed exponentially. New physics, for example annihilation
and decay of dark matter, can add energy and photons to CMB at redshifts z>10^5
and result in a Bose-Einstein spectrum with a non-zero chemical potential
(). Precise evolution of the CMB spectrum around the critical redshift of
z~2x10^6 is required in order to calculate the -type spectral distortion
and constrain the underlying new physics. Although numerical calculation of
important processes involved (double Compton process, comptonization and
bremsstrahlung) is not difficult, analytic solutions are much faster and easier
to calculate and provide valuable physical insights. We provide precise (better
than 1%) analytic solutions for the decay of , created at an earlier
epoch, including all three processes, double Compton, Compton scattering on
thermal electrons and bremsstrahlung in the limit of small distortions. This is
a significant improvement over the existing solutions with accuracy ~10% or
worse. We also give a census of important sources of energy injection into CMB
in standard cosmology. In particular, calculations of distortions from
electron-positron annihilation and primordial nucleosynthesis illustrate in a
dramatic way the strength of the equilibrium restoring processes in the early
Universe. Finally, we point out the triple degeneracy in standard cosmology,
i.e., the and distortions from adiabatic cooling of baryons and
electrons, Silk damping and annihilation of thermally produced WIMP dark matter
are of similar order of magnitude (~ 10^{-8}-10^{-10})
A Hydrodynamical Approach to CMB mu-distortions
Spectral distortion of the cosmic microwave background provides a unique
opportunity to probe primordial perturbations on very small scales by
performing large-scale measurements. We discuss in a systematic and pedagogic
way all the relevant physical phenomena involved in the production and
evolution of the mu-type spectral distortion. Our main results agree with
previous estimates (in particular we show that a recently found factor of 3/4
arises from relativistic corrections to the wave energy). We also discuss
several subleading corrections such as adiabatic cooling and the effects of
bulk viscosity, baryon loading and photon heat conduction. Finally we calculate
the transfer function for mu-distortions between the end of the mu-era and now.Comment: 45 page
An Analytical Study on the Multi-critical Behaviour and Related Bifurcation Phenomena for Relativistic Black Hole Accretion
We apply the theory of algebraic polynomials to analytically study the
transonic properties of general relativistic hydrodynamic axisymmetric
accretion onto non-rotating astrophysical black holes. For such accretion
phenomena, the conserved specific energy of the flow, which turns out to be one
of the two first integrals of motion in the system studied, can be expressed as
a 8 degree polynomial of the critical point of the flow configuration.
We then construct the corresponding Sturm's chain algorithm to calculate the
number of real roots lying within the astrophysically relevant domain of
. This allows, for the first time in literature, to {\it
analytically} find out the maximum number of physically acceptable solution an
accretion flow with certain geometric configuration, space-time metric, and
equation of state can have, and thus to investigate its multi-critical
properties {\it completely analytically}, for accretion flow in which the
location of the critical points can not be computed without taking recourse to
the numerical scheme. This work can further be generalized to analytically
calculate the maximal number of equilibrium points certain autonomous dynamical
system can have in general. We also demonstrate how the transition from a
mono-critical to multi-critical (or vice versa) flow configuration can be
realized through the saddle-centre bifurcation phenomena using certain
techniques of the catastrophe theory.Comment: 19 pages, 2 eps figures, to appear in "General Relativity and
Gravitation
Gravitational waves from rapidly rotating neutron stars
Rapidly rotating neutron stars in Low Mass X-ray Binaries have been proposed
as an interesting source of gravitational waves. In this chapter we present
estimates of the gravitational wave emission for various scenarios, given the
(electromagnetically) observed characteristics of these systems. First of all
we focus on the r-mode instability and show that a 'minimal' neutron star model
(which does not incorporate exotica in the core, dynamically important magnetic
fields or superfluid degrees of freedom), is not consistent with observations.
We then present estimates of both thermally induced and magnetically sustained
mountains in the crust. In general magnetic mountains are likely to be
detectable only if the buried magnetic field of the star is of the order of
G. In the thermal mountain case we find that gravitational
wave emission from persistent systems may be detected by ground based
interferometers. Finally we re-asses the idea that gravitational wave emission
may be balancing the accretion torque in these systems, and show that in most
cases the disc/magnetosphere interaction can account for the observed spin
periods.Comment: To appear in 'Gravitational Waves Astrophysics: 3rd Session of the
Sant Cugat Forum on Astrophysics, 2014', Editor: Carlos F. Sopuert
The iron lines as a tool for magnetic field estimations in non-flat accretion flows
Observations of AGNs and microquasars by ASCA, RXTE, Chandra and XMM-Newton
indicate the existence of broad X-ray emission lines of ionized heavy elements
in their spectra. Such spectral lines were discovered also in X-ray spectra of
neutron stars and X-ray afterglows of GRBs. Recently, Zakharov et al. (MNRAS,
2003, 342, 1325) described a procedure to estimate an upper limit of the
magnetic fields in regions from which X-ray photons are emitted. The authors
simulated typical profiles of the iron line in the presence of
magnetic field and compared them with observational data in the framework of
the widely accepted accretion disk model. Here we further consider typical
Zeeman splitting in the framework of a model of non-flat accretion flows, which
is a generalization of previous consideration into non-equatorial plane motion
of particles emitting X-ray photons.
Using perspective facilities of space borne instruments (e.g. Constellation-X
mission) a better resolution of the blue peak structure of iron line
will allow to evaluate the magnetic fields with higher accuracy.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure
Accretion, Outflows, and Winds of Magnetized Stars
Many types of stars have strong magnetic fields that can dynamically
influence the flow of circumstellar matter. In stars with accretion disks, the
stellar magnetic field can truncate the inner disk and determine the paths that
matter can take to flow onto the star. These paths are different in stars with
different magnetospheres and periods of rotation. External field lines of the
magnetosphere may inflate and produce favorable conditions for outflows from
the disk-magnetosphere boundary. Outflows can be particularly strong in the
propeller regime, wherein a star rotates more rapidly than the inner disk.
Outflows may also form at the disk-magnetosphere boundary of slowly rotating
stars, if the magnetosphere is compressed by the accreting matter. In isolated,
strongly magnetized stars, the magnetic field can influence formation and/or
propagation of stellar wind outflows. Winds from low-mass, solar-type stars may
be either thermally or magnetically driven, while winds from massive, luminous
O and B type stars are radiatively driven. In all of these cases, the magnetic
field influences matter flow from the stars and determines many observational
properties. In this chapter we review recent studies of accretion, outflows,
and winds of magnetized stars with a focus on three main topics: (1) accretion
onto magnetized stars; (2) outflows from the disk-magnetosphere boundary; and
(3) winds from isolated massive magnetized stars. We show results obtained from
global magnetohydrodynamic simulations and, in a number of cases compare global
simulations with observations.Comment: 60 pages, 44 figure