341 research outputs found
Global Dynamics of Advection-Dominated Accretion Revisited
We numerically solve the set of dynamical equations describing
advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAF) around black holes, using a method
similar to that of Chakrabarti (1996a). We choose the sonic radius of the flow
and the integration constant in angular momentum equation as free
parameters, and integrate the equations from the sonic point inwards to see if
the solution can extend supersonically to the black hole horizon, and outwards
to see if and where an acceptable outer boundary of the flow can be found. We
recover the ADAF-thin disk solution constructed in Narayan, Kato, & Honma
(1997, NKH97), an representative paper of the previous works on global ADAF
solutions, although in that paper an apparently very different procedure was
adopted. We obtain a complete picture in the form of parameter space
which sums up the situation of ADAF solution at a glance. For comparison we
also present the distribution of global solutions for inviscid flows in the
space, which supports the view that there should be some similarities
between the dynamical behavior of ADAF and that of adiabatic flows, and that
there should be a continuous change from the properties of viscous flows to
those of inviscid ones.Comment: 24 pages with 15 figures, to appear in ApJ Vol. 52
Boson Stars as Gravitational Lenses
We discuss boson stars as possible gravitational lenses and study the lensing
effect by these objects made of scalar particles. The mass and the size of a
boson star may vary from an individual Newtonian object similar to the Sun to
the general relativistic size and mass of a galaxy close to its Schwarzschild
radius. We assume boson stars to be transparent which allows the light to pass
through them though the light is gravitationally deflected. We assume boson
stars of the mass to be on non-cosmological distance from
the observer. We discuss the lens equation for these stars as well as the
details of magnification. We find that there are typically three images of a
star but the deflection angles may vary from arcseconds to even degrees. There
is one tangential critical curve (Einstein ring) and one radial critical curve
for tangential and radial magnification, respectively. Moreover, the deflection
angles for the light passing in the gravitational field of boson stars can be
very large (even of the order of degrees) which reflects the fact they are very
strong relativistic objects. We also propose a suitable formula for the lens
equation for such large deflection angles, and with the reservation that large
deflection angle images are highly demagnified but in the area of the
tangential critical curve, their existence may help in observational detection
of suitable lenses possessing characteristic features of boson stars which
could also serve as a direct evidence for scalar fields in the universe.Comment: accepted by Astrophys. J., 31 pages, AASTeX, 6 figure
Line Emission from an Accretion Disk around a Black hole: Effects of Disk Structure
The observed iron K-alpha fluorescence lines in Seyfert-1 galaxies provide
strong evidence for an accretion disk near a supermassive black hole as a
source of the line emission. These lines serve as powerful probes for examining
the structure of inner regions of accretion disks. Previous studies of line
emission have considered geometrically thin disks only, where the gas moves
along geodesics in the equatorial plane of a black hole. Here we extend this
work to consider effects on line profiles from finite disk thickness, radial
accretion flow and turbulence. We adopt the Novikov and Thorne (1973) solution,
and find that within this framework, turbulent broadening is the dominant new
effect. The most prominent change in the skewed, double-horned line profiles is
a substantial reduction in the maximum flux at both red and blue peaks. The
effect is most pronounced when the inclination angle is large, and when the
accretion rate is high. Thus, the effects discussed here may be important for
future detailed modeling of high quality observational data.Comment: 21 pages including 8 figures; LaTeX; ApJ format; accepted by ApJ;
short results of this paper appeared before as a conference proceedings
(astro-ph/9711214
Evolution of bimodal accretion flows
We consider time-dependent models for rotating accretion flows onto black
holes, where a transition takes place from an outer cooling-dominated disc to a
radiatively inefficient flow in the inner region. In order to allow for a
transition of this type we solve the energy equation, both, for the gas and for
the radiation field, including a radiative cooling flux and a turbulent
convective heat flux directed along the negative entropy gradient. The
transition region is found to be highly variable, and a corresponding variation
expected for the associated total luminosity. In particular, rapid oscillations
of the transition radius are present on a timescale comparable with the local
Keplerian rotation time. These oscillations are accompanied by a quasi-periodic
modulation of the mass flux at the outer edge of the advection-dominated
accretion flow (ADAF). We speculate about the relevance for the high-frequency
QPO phenomenon.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Revised version, added system of equations.
Accepted for publication in MNRA
Secular instability in quasi-viscous disc accretion
A first-order correction in the -viscosity parameter of Shakura and
Sunyaev has been introduced in the standard inviscid and thin accretion disc. A
linearised time-dependent perturbative study of the stationary solutions of
this "quasi-viscous" disc leads to the development of a secular instability on
large spatial scales. This qualitative feature is equally manifest for two
different types of perturbative treatment -- a standing wave on subsonic
scales, as well as a radially propagating wave. Stability of the flow is
restored when viscosity disappears.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, AASTeX. Added some new material and upgraded the
reference lis
Evolution of transonicity in an accretion disc
For inviscid, rotational accretion flows driven by a general pseudo-Newtonian
potential on to a Schwarzschild black hole, the only possible fixed points are
saddle points and centre-type points. For the specific choice of the Newtonian
potential, the flow has only two critical points, of which the outer one is a
saddle point while the inner one is a centre-type point. A restrictive upper
bound is imposed on the admissible range of values of the angular momentum of
sub-Keplerian flows through a saddle point. These flows are very unstable to
any deviation from a necessarily precise boundary condition. The difficulties
against the physical realisability of a solution passing through the saddle
point have been addressed through a temporal evolution of the flow, which gives
a non-perturbative mechanism for selecting a transonic solution passing through
the saddle point. An equation of motion for a real-time perturbation about the
stationary flows reveals a very close correspondence with the metric of an
acoustic black hole, which is also an indication of the primacy of
transonicity.Comment: 18 page
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