89 research outputs found
Optically Thick Outflows of Supercritical Accretion Discs: Radiative Diffusion Approach
Highly supercritical accretion discs are probable sources of dense optically
thick axisymmetric winds. We introduce a new approach based on diffusion
approximation radiative transfer in a funnel geometry and obtain an analytical
solution for the energy density distribution inside the wind assuming that all
the mass, momentum and energy are injected well inside the spherization radius.
This allows to derive the spectrum of emergent emission for various inclination
angles. We show that self-irradiation effects play an important role altering
the temperature of the outcoming radiation by about 20% and the apparent X-ray
luminosity by a factor of 2-3. The model has been successfully applied to two
ULXs. The basic properties of the high ionization HII-regions found around some
ULXs are also easily reproduced in our assumptions.Comment: 32 pages, 9 figures, 1 table; accepted to PAS
Stable accretion from a cold disc in highly magnetized neutron stars
The aim of this paper is to investigate the transition of a strongly
magnetized neutron star into the accretion regime with very low accretion rate.
For this purpose we monitored the Be-transient X-ray pulsar GRO J1008-57
throughout a full orbital cycle. The current observational campaign was
performed with the Swift/XRT telescope in the soft X-ray band (0.5-10 keV)
between two subsequent Type I outbursts in January and September 2016. The
expected transition to the propeller regime was not observed. However, the
transitions between different regimes of accretion were detected. In
particular, after an outburst the source entered a stable accretion state
characterised by the accretion rate of ~10^14-10^15 g/s. We associate this
state with accretion from a cold (low-ionised) disc of temperature below ~6500
K. We argue that a transition to such accretion regime should be observed in
all X-ray pulsars with certain combination of the rotation frequency and
magnetic field strength. The proposed model of accretion from a cold disc is
able to explain several puzzling observational properties of X-ray pulsars.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, accepted by A&
Super-critically accreting stellar-mass black holes as ultraluminous X-ray sources
We derive the luminosity-temperature relation for the super-critically
accreting black holes (BHs) and compare it to the data on ultraluminous X-ray
sources (ULXs). At super-Eddington accretion rates, an outflow forms within the
spherization radius. We construct the accretion disc model accounting for the
advection and the outflow, and compute characteristic disc temperatures. The
bolometric luminosity exceeds the Eddington luminosity L_Edd by a logarithmic
factor 1+0.6 ln mdot (where mdot is the accretion rate in Eddington units) and
the wind kinetic luminosity is close to L_Edd. The apparent luminosity for the
face-on observer is 2-7 times higher because of geometrical beaming. Such an
observer has a direct view of the inner hot accretion disc, which has a peak
temperature T_max of a few keV in stellar-mass BHs. The emitted spectrum
extends as a power-law F_E ~ E**{-1} down to the temperature at the
spherization radius T_sp ~ mdot**(-1/2) keV. We associate T_max with a few keV
spectral components and T_sp with the soft, 0.1-0.2 keV components observed in
ULXs. An edge-on observer sees only the soft emission from the extended
envelope, with the photosphere radius exceeding the spherization radius by
orders of magnitude. The dependence of the photosphere temperature on
luminosity is consistent with that observed in the super-Eddington accreting
BHs SS 433 and V4641 Sgr. Strong outflows combined with the large intrinsic
X-ray luminosity of the central BH explain naturally the presence of the
photoionized nebulae around ULXs. An excellent agreement between the model and
the observational data strongly argues in favour of ULXs being super-critically
accreting, stellar-mass BHs similar to SS 433, but viewed close to the symmetry
axis.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures; heavily revised version; accepted to MNRA
Torrential floods and town and country planning in Serbia
Torrential floods are the most frequent natural catastrophic events in Serbia, causing the loss of human lives and huge material damage, both in urban and rural areas. The analysis of the intra-annual distribution of maximal discharges aided in noticing that torrential floods have a seasonal character. The erosion and torrent control works (ETCWs) in Serbia began at the end of the 19th century. Effective protection from torrential floods encompasses biotechnical works on the slopes in the watershed and technical works on the torrent beds, within a precisely defined administrative and spatial framework in order to achieve maximal safety for people and their property. Cooperation to overcome the conflicts between the sectors of the water resources management, forestry, agriculture, energetics, environmental protection and local economic development groups is indispensable at the following levels: policy, spatial planning, practice, investments and education. The lowest and most effective level is through the Plans for Announcement of Erosive Regions (PAERs) and the Plans for Protection from Torrential Floods (PPTFs), with Hazard Zones (HZs) and Threatened Areas (TAs) mapping on the basis of the hydrologic, hydraulic and spatial analysis of the factors that are important for the formation of torrential floods. Solutions defined through PAERs and PPTFs have to be integrated into Spatial Plans at local and regional levels
Optical Spectroscopy of the environment of a ULX in NGC 7331
Optical photometric and spectroscopic data are presented that show an
association of an ultraluminous X-ray source in NGC 7331 with a young star
cluster of mass 1.1e5 solar masses and age 4.25 Myr. If the ULX is part of the
bright stellar cluster, then the mass of the progenitor of the compact accretor
must have been greater than about 40-50 solar masses in order to already have
evolved through the supernova stage to a compact object. The companion star is
also likely an evolved massive star. The emission line spectrum of the nebula
surrounding the cluster can be interpreted as a result of photoionization by
the cluster OB stars with an additional source of shock excitation producing
strong [SII], [OI] and NII lines. This additional source appears to be as much
as five times more powerful than the supernovae and stellar winds in the
cluster can provide. Additional mechanical energy input associated with the ULX
itself can help explain the residual shock excited line luminosities of the
emission region.Comment: 17 pages, accepted to Ap
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