5 research outputs found
Menus for Feeding Black Holes
Black holes are the ultimate prisons of the Universe, regions of spacetime
where the enormous gravity prohibits matter or even light to escape to
infinity. Yet, matter falling toward the black holes may shine spectacularly,
generating the strongest source of radiation. These sources provide us with
astrophysical laboratories of extreme physical conditions that cannot be
realized on Earth. This chapter offers a review of the basic menus for feeding
matter onto black holes and discusses their observational implications.Comment: 27 pages. Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Also to
appear in hard cover in the Space Sciences Series of ISSI "The Physics of
Accretion onto Black Holes" (Springer Publisher
A catalog of X-ray point sources from two megaseconds of Chandra observations of the Galactic center
Observational Signatures of Particle Acceleration in Supernova Remnants
We evaluate the current status of supernova remnants as the sources of
Galactic cosmic rays. We summarize observations of supernova remnants, covering
the whole electromagnetic spectrum and describe what these obser- vations tell
us about the acceleration processes by high Mach number shock fronts. We
discuss the shock modification by cosmic rays, the shape and maximum energy of
the cosmic-ray spectrum and the total energy budget of cosmic rays in and
surrounding supernova remnants. Additionally, we discuss problems with
supernova remnants as main sources of Galactic cosmic rays, as well as
alternative sources.Comment: Accepted for publication by Space Science Reviews, 81 page