5,851 research outputs found
Spectral Properties of Accretion Disks Around Black Holes II -- Sub-Keplerian Flows With and Without Shocks
Close to a black hole, the density of the sub-Keplerian accreting matter
becomes higher compared to a spherical flow due to the presence of a
centrifugal barrier independent of whether or not a standing shock actually
forms. This hot dense flow intercepts soft photons from a cold Keplerian disk
and reprocesses them to form high energy X-rays and gamma rays. We study the
spectral properties of various models of accretion disks where a Keplerian disk
on the equatorial plane may or may not be flanked by a sub-Keplerian disk and
the sub-Keplerian flow may or may not possess standing shocks. From comparison
with the spectra, we believe that the observed properties could be explained
better when both the components (Keplerian and sub-Keplerian) are
simultaneously present close to a black hole, even though the sub-Keplerian
halo component may have been produced out of the Keplerian disk itself at
larger radii. We are able to understand soft and hard states of black hole
candidates, properties of X-ray novae outbursts, and quasi-periodic
oscillations of black hole candidates using these two component models. We fit
spectra of X-ray novae GS1124-68 and GS2000+25 and satisfactorily reproduce the
light curves of these objects.Comment: 15 Latex pages plus 12 figures. Macros included. Astrophysical
Journal (In press
Class Transitions and Two Component Accretion Flow in GRS 1915+105
The light curve of the galactic micro-quasar GRS 1915+105 changes in at least
thirteen different ways which are called classes. We present examples of the
transitions from one class to another as observed by the IXAE instrument aboard
the Indian Satellite IRS-P3. We find that the transitions are associated with
changes in photon counts over a time-scale of only a few hours and they take
place through unknown classes. Assuming that the transitions are caused by
variation of the accretion rates, this implies that a significant fraction of
the matter must be nearly freely falling in order to have such dramatic changes
in such a short time.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, Astronomy and Astrophys. (in press
Satellite observations of thought experiments close to a black hole
Since black holes are `black', methods of their identification must
necessarily be indirect. Due to very special boundary condition on the horizon,
the advective flow behaves in a particular way, which includes formation of
centrifugal pressure dominated boundary layer or CENBOL where much of the
infall energy is released and outflows are generated. The observational aspects
of black holes must depend on the steady and time-dependent properties of this
boundary layer. Several observational results are written down in this review
which seem to support the predictions of thought experiments based on this
advective accretion/outflow model. In future, when gravitational waves are
detected, some other predictions of this model could be tested as well.Comment: Published in Classical and Quantum Gravity, v. 17, No. 12, p. 2427,
200
Computation of outflow rates from accretion disks around black holes
We self-consistently estimate the outflow rate from the accretion rates of an
accretion disk around a black hole in which both the Keplerian and the
sub-Keplerian matter flows simultaneously. While Keplerian matter supplies
soft-photons, hot sub-Keplerian matter supplies thermal electrons. The
temperature of the hot electrons is decided by the degree of inverse
Comptonization of the soft photons. If we consider only thermally-driven flows
from the centrifugal pressure-supported boundary layer around a black hole, we
find that when the thermal electrons are cooled down, either because of the
absence of the boundary layer (low compression ratio), or when the surface of
the boundary layer is formed very far away, the outflow rate is negligible. For
an intermediate size of this boundary layer the outflow rate is maximal. Since
the temperature of the thermal electrons also decides the spectral state of a
black hole, we predict that the outflow rate should be directly related to the
spectral state.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
Mass Outflow Rate From Accretion Discs around Compact Objects
We compute mass outflow rates from accretion disks around compact objects,
such as neutron stars and black holes. These computations are done using
combinations of exact transonic inflow and outflow solutions which may or may
not form standing shock waves. Assuming that the bulk of the outflow is from
the effective boundary layers of these objects, we find that the ratio of the
outflow rate and inflow rate varies anywhere from a few percent to even close
to a hundred percent (i.e., close to disk evacuation case) depending on the
initial parameters of the disk, the degree of compression of matter near the
centrifugal barrier, and the polytropic index of the flow. Our result, in
general, matches with the outflow rates obtained through a fully time-dependent
numerical simulation. In some region of the parameter space when the standing
shock does not form, our results indicate that the disk may be evacuated and
may produce quiescence states.Comment: 30 Latex pages and 13 figures. crckapb.sty; Published in Class.
Quantum Grav. Vol. 16. No. 12. Pg. 387
Spectral Signatures of Winds from Accretion Disks Around Black Holes
We show that with the wind/jet activity, the spectral index of hard X-ray is
changed in galactic microquasars. When mass loss takes place, the spectrum
becomes softer and when mass gain takes place, the spectrum becomes harder. We
present examples of such changes in GRS1915+105.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures To be published in the Proceedings of 10th Marcel
Grossman Meeting, Ed. R. Ruffini et al. (World Scientific: Singapore
QPO Evolution in 2005 Outburst of the Galactic Nano Quasar GRO J1655-40
GRO J1655-40 showed significant X-ray activity in the last week of February,
2005 and remained active for the next 260 days. The rising and the decline
phases of this particular outburst show evidence for systematic movements of
the Comptonizing region, assumed to be a CENBOL, which causes the
Quasi-periodic Oscillations or QPOs. We present both the spectral and the
timing results of the RXTE/PCA data taken from these two hard spectral states.
Assuming that the QPOs originate from an oscillating shock CENBOL, we show how
the shock slowly moves in through the accretion flow during the rising phase at
a constant velocity and accelerate away outward during the later part of the
decline phase. By fitting the observed frequencies with our solution, we
extract time variation of various disk parameters such as the shock locations,
velocity etc.Comment: 5 Pages, 2 Figures, Proceeding of the 2nd Kolkata Conference on
"Observational Evidence for the Black Holes in the Universe", Published in
AIP, 200
Particle Acceleration in Advection-Dominated Accretion Disks with Shocks: Green's Function Energy Distribution
The distribution function describing the acceleration of relativistic
particles in an advection-dominated accretion disk is analyzed using a
transport formalism that includes first-order Fermi acceleration, advection,
spatial diffusion, and the escape of particles through the upper and lower
surfaces of the disk. When a centrifugally-supported shock is present in the
disk, the concentrated particle acceleration occurring in the vicinity of the
shock channels a significant fraction of the binding energy of the accreting
gas into a population of relativistic particles. These high-energy particles
diffuse vertically through the disk and escape, carrying away both energy and
entropy and allowing the remaining gas to accrete. The dynamical structure of
the disk/shock system is computed self-consistently using a model previously
developed by the authors that successfully accounts for the production of the
observed relativistic outflows (jets) in M87 and \SgrA. This ensures that the
rate at which energy is carried away from the disk by the escaping relativistic
particles is equal to the drop in the radial energy flux at the shock location,
as required for energy conservation. We investigate the influence of advection,
diffusion, and acceleration on the particle distribution by computing the
nonthermal Green's function, which displays a relatively flat power-law tail at
high energies. We also obtain the energy distribution for the particles
escaping from the disk, and we conclude by discussing the spectrum of the
observable secondary radiation produced by the escaping particles.Comment: Published in Ap
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