9 research outputs found
Hyperaccretion Disks around Neutron Stars
(Abridged) We here study the structure of a hyperaccretion disk around a
neutron star. We consider a steady-state hyperaccretion disk around a neutron
star, and as a reasonable approximation, divide the disk into two regions,
which are called inner and outer disks. The outer disk is similar to that of a
black hole and the inner disk has a self-similar structure. In order to study
physical properties of the entire disk clearly, we first adopt a simple model,
in which some microphysical processes in the disk are simplified, following
Popham et al. and Narayan et al. Based on these simplifications, we
analytically and numerically investigate the size of the inner disk, the
efficiency of neutrino cooling, and the radial distributions of the disk
density, temperature and pressure. We see that, compared with the black-hole
disk, the neutron star disk can cool more efficiently and produce a much higher
neutrino luminosity. Finally, we consider an elaborate model with more physical
considerations about the thermodynamics and microphysics in the neutron star
disk (as recently developed in studying the neutrino-cooled disk of a black
hole), and compare this elaborate model with our simple model. We find that
most of the results from these two models are basically consistent with each
other.Comment: 44 pages, 10 figures, improved version following the referees'
comments, main conclusions unchanged, accepted for publication in Ap
High Energy Afterglow from Gamma-ray Bursts
We calculate the very high energy (sub-GeV to TeV) inverse Compton emission
of GRB afterglows. We argue that this emission provides a powerful test of the
currently accepted afterglow model. We focus on two processes: synchrotron
self-Compton (SSC) emission within the afterglow blast wave, and external
inverse Compton (EIC) emission which occurs when flare photons (produced by an
internal process) pass through the blast wave. We show that if our current
interpretations of the Swift XRT data are correct, there should be a canonical
high energy afterglow emission light curve. Our predictions can be tested with
high energy observatories such as GLAST, Whipple, H.E.S.S. and MAGIC. Under
favorable conditions we expect afterglow detections in all these detectors.Comment: 15 pages, 15 eps figures and 1 table, slightly modified version to
appear in MNRAS. Fig.12 is added to illustrate the difference of the EIC
emission lightcurves with and without the anisotropic correction in the
comoving frame of the blast wav
X-Ray Flares of Gamma-Ray Bursts: Quakes of Solid Quark Stars?
We propose a star-quake model to understand X-ray flares of both long and
short Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in a solid quark star regime. Two kinds of
central engines for GRBs are available if pulsar-like stars are actually
(solid) quark stars, i.e., the SNE-type GRBs and the SGR-type GRBs. It is found
that a quark star could be solidified about 10^3 to 10^6 s later after its
birth if the critical temperature of phase transition is a few MeV, and then a
new source of free energy (i.e., elastic and gravitational ones, rather than
rotational or magnetic energy) could be possible to power GRB X-ray flares.Comment: 8 pages, latex file. 2 figures. To appear in Science in China Series
Gamma-Ray Bursts
Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosions in the Universe, and their
origin and mechanism are the focus of intense research and debate. More than
three decades after their discovery, and after pioneering breakthroughs from
space and ground experiments, their study is entering a new phase with the
recently launched Swift satellite. The interplay between these observations and
theoretical models of the prompt gamma ray burst and its afterglow is reviewed.Comment: To appear in Rep. Prog. Phys., 74 pages, 11 figures, uses iopart.cls
macros; revisions and updated reference
The Formation of the First Massive Black Holes
Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are common in local galactic nuclei, and
SMBHs as massive as several billion solar masses already exist at redshift z=6.
These earliest SMBHs may grow by the combination of radiation-pressure-limited
accretion and mergers of stellar-mass seed BHs, left behind by the first
generation of metal-free stars, or may be formed by more rapid direct collapse
of gas in rare special environments where dense gas can accumulate without
first fragmenting into stars. This chapter offers a review of these two
competing scenarios, as well as some more exotic alternative ideas. It also
briefly discusses how the different models may be distinguished in the future
by observations with JWST, (e)LISA and other instruments.Comment: 47 pages with 306 references; this review is a chapter in "The First
Galaxies - Theoretical Predictions and Observational Clues", Springer
Astrophysics and Space Science Library, Eds. T. Wiklind, V. Bromm & B.
Mobasher, in pres