| 1. |
- Vincent, F. H., et al.
(författare)
-
A magnetized torus for modeling Sagittarius A* millimeter images and spectra
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 574
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The supermassive black hole, Sagittarius (Sgr) A*, in the centre of our Galaxy has the largest angular size in the sky among all astrophysical black holes. Its shadow, assuming no rotation, spans similar to 50 mu as. Resolving such dimensions has long been out of reach for astronomical instruments until a new generation of interferometers being operational during this decade. Of particular interest is the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) with resolution similar to 20 mu as in the millimeter- wavelength range 0.87 mm- 1.3 mm. Aims. We investigate the ability of the fully general relativistic Komissarov (2006, MNRAS, 368, 993) analytical magnetized torus model to account for observable constraints at Sgr A* in the centimeter and millimeter domains. The impact of the magnetic field geometry on the observables is also studied. Methods. We calculate ray-traced centimeter- and millimeter-wavelength synchrotron spectra and images of a magnetized accretion torus surrounding the central black hole in Sgr A*. We assume stationarity, axial symmetry, constant specific angular momentum and polytropic equation of state. A hybrid population of thermal and non-thermal electrons is considered. Results. We show that the torus model is capable of reproducing spectral constraints in the millimeter domain, and in particular in the observable domain of the EHT. However, the torus model is not yet able to fit the centimeter spectrum. 1.3 mm images at high inclinations are in agreement with observable constraints. Conclusions. The ability of the torus model to account for observations of Sgr A* in the millimeter domain is interesting in the perspective of the future EHT. Such an analytical model allows very fast computations. It will thus be a suitable test bed for investigating large domains of physical parameters, as well as non-black-hole compact object candidates and alternative theories of gravity.
|
|
| 2. |
- Vincent, F. H., et al.
(författare)
-
Multi-wavelength torus-jet model for Sagittarius A*
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 1432-0746 .- 0004-6361. ; 624
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The properties of the accretion/ejection flow surrounding the supermassive central black hole of the Galaxy Sgr A* will be scrutinized by the new-generation instrument GRAVITY and the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). Developing fast, robust, and simple models of such flows is therefore important and very timely. Aims. We want to model the quiescent emission of Sgr A* from radio to mid-infrared wavelengths, using thermal and nonthermal synchrotron. The radiation is emitted by the overlay of a magnetized compact torus close to the black hole, and a large-scale magnetized jet. We compare model spectra and images to the multi-wavelength observable constraints available to date. We simulate EHT observations at 1.3 mm of the best-fit model for different inclinations. Methods. We use a simple analytic description for the geometry of the torus and jet. We model their emission by thermal synchrotron and kappa-distribution synchrotron, respectively. We use relativistic ray tracing to compute simulated spectra and images, restricting our analysis to the Schwarzschild (zero spin) case. A best-fit is found by adjusting the simulated spectra to the latest observed data, and we check the consistency of our spectral best fits with the radio-image sizes and infrared spectral index constraints. We use the open-source eht-imaging library to generate EHT-reconstructed images. Results. We find perfect spectral fit (chi(2 )(red)approximate to 1)both for nearly face-on and nearly edge-on views. These best fits give parameter values very close to those found by the most recent numerical simulations, which are much more complex than our model. The intrinsic radio size of Sgr A* is found to be in reasonable agreement with the centimetric observed constraints. Our best-fit infrared spectral index is in perfect agreement with the latest constraints. Our emission region at 1.3 mm, although larger than the early-EHT Gaussian best fit, does contain bright features at the less than or similar to 40 mu as scale. EHT-reconstructed images show that torus/jet-specific features persist after the reconstruction procedure, and that these features are sensitive to inclination. Conclusions. The main interest of our model is to provide a simple and fast model of the quiescent state of Sgr A*, which gives extremely similar results to those of state-of-the-art numerical simulations. Our model is easy to use and we publish all the material necessary to reproduce our spectra and images, meaning that anyone interested can use our results relatively straightforwardly. We hope that such a public tool will be useful in the context of the recent and near-future GRAVITY and EHT results.
|
|
| 3. |
- Lančová, D., et al.
(författare)
-
Puffy Accretion Disks: Sub-Eddington, Optically Thick, and Stable
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 884:2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on a new class of solutions of black hole accretion disks that we have found through three-dimensional, global, radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations in general relativity. It combines features of the canonical thin, slim, and thick disk models but differs in crucial respects from each of them. We expect these new solutions to provide a more realistic description of black hole disks than the slim disk model. We are presenting a disk solution for a nonspinning black hole at a sub-Eddington mass accretion rate,. By the density scale-height measure the disk appears to be thin, having a high density core near the equatorial plane of height, but most of the inflow occurs through a highly advective, turbulent, optically thick, Keplerian region that sandwiches the core and has a substantial geometrical thickness comparable to the radius, H ∼ r. The accreting fluid is supported above the midplane in large part by the magnetic field, with the gas and radiation to magnetic pressure ratio β ∼ 1, this makes the disk thermally stable, even though the radiation pressure strongly dominates over gas pressure. A significant part of the radiation emerging from the disk is captured by the black hole, so the disk is less luminous than a thin disk would be at the same accretion rate. © 2019. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..
|
|
| 4. |
- Lasota, J. P., et al.
(författare)
-
The slimming effect of advection on black-hole accretion flows
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 1432-0746 .- 0004-6361. ; 587
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. At super-Eddington rates accretion flows onto black holes have been described as slim (aspect ratio H/R less than or similar to 1) or thick (H/R > 1) discs, also known as tori or (Polish) doughnuts. The relation between the two descriptions has never been established, but it was commonly believed that at sufficiently high accretion rates slim discs inflate, becoming thick. Aims. We wish to establish under what conditions slim accretion flows become thick. Methods. We use analytical equations, numerical 1 + 1 schemes, and numerical radiative MHD codes to describe and compare various accretion flow models at very high accretion rates. Results. We find that the dominant effect of advection at high accretion rates precludes slim discs becoming thick. Conclusions. At super-Eddington rates accretion flows around black holes can always be considered slim rather than thick.
|
|
| 5. |
- Sadowski, A., et al.
(författare)
-
Energy flows in thick accretion discs and their consequences for black hole feedback
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 456:4, s. 3915-3928
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We study energy flows in geometrically thick accretion discs, both optically thick and thin, using general relativistic, three-dimensional simulations of black hole accretion flows. We find that for non-rotating black holes the efficiency of the total feedback from thick accretion discs is 3 per cent - roughly half of the thin disc efficiency. This amount of energy is ultimately distributed between outflow and radiation, the latter scaling weakly with the accretion rate for super-critical accretion rates, and returned to the interstellar medium. Accretion on to rotating black holes is more efficient because of the additional extraction of rotational energy. However, the jet component is collimated and likely to interact only weakly with the environment, whereas the outflow and radiation components cover a wide solid angle.
|
|
| 6. |
- Wielgus, M., et al.
(författare)
-
Stable, levitating, optically thin atmospheres of Eddington-luminosity neutron stars
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 454:4, s. 3766-3770
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In general relativity, static gaseous atmospheres may be in hydrostatic balance in the absence of a supporting stellar surface, provided that the luminosity is close to the Eddington value. We construct analytic models of optically thin, spherically symmetric shells supported by the radiation pressure of a luminous central body in the Schwarzschild metric. Opacity is assumed to be dominated by Thomson scattering. The inner parts of the atmospheres, where the luminosity locally has supercritical values, are characterized by a density and pressure inversion. The atmospheres are convectively and Rayleigh-Taylor stable, and there is no outflow of gas. RAMOWICZ MA, 1990, ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, V361, P470
|
|
| 7. |
- Abramowicz, Marek A, 1945, et al.
(författare)
-
Collisions of Neutron Stars with Primordial Black Holes as Fast Radio Bursts Engines
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 868:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- If primordial black holes (PBH) with masses of 10(25) g greater than or similar to m greater than or similar to 10(17) g constitute a non-negligible fraction of galactic dark-matter halos, their existence should have observable consequences: they necessarily collide with galactic neutron stars (NS), nest in their centers, and accrete the dense matter, eventually converting them to NS-mass black holes while releasing the NS magnetic field energy. Such processes may explain the fast radio bursts (FRB) phenomenology, in particular their millisecond durations, large luminosities similar to 10(43) erg s(-1), high rate of occurrence greater than or similar to 1000 day(-1), as well as high brightness temperatures, polarized emission, and Faraday rotation. Longer than the dynamical timescale of the Bondi-like accretion for light PBH allows for the repeating of FRB. This explanation follows naturally from the (assumed) existence of the dark-matter PBH and requires no additional unusual phenomena, in particular no unacceptably large magnetic fields of NS. In our model, the observed rate of FRB throughout the universe follows from the presently known number of NS in the Galaxy.
|
|
| 8. |
- Bakala, P., et al.
(författare)
-
Twin peak high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations as a spectral imprint of dual oscillation modes of accretion tori
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Astronomy & Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 1432-0746 .- 0004-6361. ; 581
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. High-frequency (millisecond) quasi-periodic oscillations (HF QPOs) are observed in the X-ray power-density spectra of several microquasars and low-mass X-ray binaries. Two distinct QPO peaks, so-called twin peak QPOs, are often detected simultaneously exhibiting their frequency ratio close or equal to 3:2. A widely discussed class of proposed QPOs models is based on oscillations of accretion toroidal structures orbiting in the close vicinity of black holes or neutron stars. Aims. Following the analytic theory and previous studies of observable spectral signatures, we aim to model the twin peak QPOs as a spectral imprint of specific dual oscillation regime defined by a combination of the lowest radial and vertical oscillation mode of slender tori. We consider the model of an optically thick slender accretion torus with constant specific angular momentum. We examined power spectra and fluorescent K alpha iron line profiles for two different simulation setups with the mode frequency relations corresponding to the epicyclic resonance HF QPOs model and modified relativistic precession QPOs model. Methods. We used relativistic ray-tracing implemented in the parallel simulation code LSDplus. In the background of the Kerr spacetime geometry, we analyzed the influence of the distant observer inclination and the spin of the central compact object. Relativistic optical projection of the oscillating slender torus is illustrated by images in false colours related to the frequency shift. Results. We show that performed simulations yield power spectra with the pair of dominant peaks that correspond to the frequencies of radial and vertical oscillation modes and with the peak frequency ratio equal to the proper value 3: 2 on a wide range of inclinations and spin values. We also discuss exceptional cases of a very low and very high inclination, as well as unstable high spin relativistic precession-like configurations that predict a constant frequency ratio equal to 1: 2. We demonstrate a significant dependency of broadened K alpha iron line profiles on the inclination of the distant observer. Conclusions. This study presents a further step towards the proper model of oscillating accretion tori producing HF QPOs. More realistic future simulations should be based on incorporating the resonant coupling of oscillation modes, the influence of torus opacity, and the pressure effects on the mode frequencies and the torus shape.
|
|
| 9. |
- Goluchova, K., et al.
(författare)
-
Horava's quantum gravity illustrated by embedding diagrams of the Kehagias-Sfetsos spacetimes
- 2015
-
Ingår i: General Relativity and Gravitation. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0001-7701 .- 1572-9532. ; 47:11
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Possible astrophysical consequences of the Horava quantum gravity theory have been recently studied by several authors. They usually employ the Kehagias-Sfetsos (KS) spacetime which is a spherically symmetric vacuum solution of a specific version of Horava's gravity. The KS metric has several unusual geometrical properties that in the present article we examine by means of the often used technique of embedding diagrams. We pay particular attention to the transition between naked singularity and black-hole states, which is possible along some particular sequences of the KS metrics.
|
|
| 10. |
- Vieira, R. S. S., et al.
(författare)
-
Curvature dependence of relativistic epicyclic frequencies in static, axially symmetric spacetimes
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Physical Review D. - 1550-7998. ; 95:4
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The sum of squared epicyclic frequencies of nearly circular motion (omega(2)(r) + omega(2)(theta).) in axially symmetric configurations of Newtonian gravity is known to depend both on the matter density and on the angular velocity profile of circular orbits. It was recently found that this sum goes to zero at the photon orbits of Schwarzschild and Kerr spacetimes. However, these are the only relativistic configurations for which such a result exists in the literature. Here, we extend the above formalism in order to describe the analogous relation for geodesic motion in arbitrary static, axially symmetric, asymptotically flat solutions of general relativity. The sum of squared epicyclic frequencies is found to vanish at photon radii of vacuum solutions. In the presence of matter, we obtain that omega(2)(r) +omega(2)(theta) > 0 for perturbed timelike circular geodesics on the equatorial plane if the strong energy condition holds for the matter-energy fluid of spacetime; in vacuum, the allowed region for timelike circular geodesic motion is characterized by the inequality above. The results presented here may be of use to shed light on general issues concerning the stability of circular orbits once they approach photon radii, mainly the ones corresponding to stable photon motion. RAMOWICZ MA, 1990, MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, V245, P733
|
|
