Foundations of Black Hole Accretion Disk Theory

Abramowicz, Marek A,1945Gothenburg University,Göteborgs universitet,Institutionen för fysik (GU),Department of Physics (GU) (författare)

This review covers the main aspects of black hole accretion disk theory. We begin with the view that one of the main goals of the theory is to better understand the nature of black holes themselves. In this light we discuss how accretion disks might reveal some of the unique signatures of strong gravity: the event horizon, the innermost stable circular orbit, and the ergosphere. We then review, from a first-principles perspective, the physical processes at play in accretion disks. This leads us to the four primary accretion disk models that we review: Polish doughnuts (thick disks), Shakura-Sunyaev (thin) disks, slim disks, and advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAFs). After presenting the models we discuss issues of stability, oscillations, and jets. Following our review of the analytic work, we take a parallel approach in reviewing numerical studies of black hole accretion disks. We finish with a few select applications that highlight particular astrophysical applications: measurements of black hole mass and spin, black hole vs. neutron star accretion disks, black hole accretion disk spectral states, and quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs).

NATURVETENSKAP Fysik Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi hsv//swe
NATURAL SCIENCES Physical Sciences Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology hsv//eng
x-ray binaries
advection-dominated accretion
quasi-periodic
oscillations
relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations
active
galactic nuclei
weakly magnetized disks
local shear instability
sgr
a-asterisk
magnetically driven accretion
angular-momentum distribution

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