Massive star formation by accretion. I. Disc accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haemmerlé, L.; Eggenberger, P.; Meynet, G.; Maeder, A.; Charbonnel, C.

2016-01-01

Context. Massive stars likely form by accretion and the evolutionary track of an accreting forming star corresponds to what is called the birthline in the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram. The shape of this birthline is quite sensitive to the evolution of the entropy in the accreting star. Aims: We first study the reasons why some birthlines published in past years present different behaviours for a given accretion rate. We then revisit the question of the accretion rate, which allows us to understand the distribution of the observed pre-main-sequence (pre-MS) stars in the HR diagram. Finally, we identify the conditions needed to obtain a large inflation of the star along its pre-MS evolution that may push the birthline towards the Hayashi line in the upper part of the HR diagram. Methods: We present new pre-MS models including accretion at various rates and for different initial structures of the accreting core. We compare them with previously published equivalent models. From the observed upper envelope of pre-MS stars in the HR diagram, we deduce the accretion law that best matches the accretion history of most of the intermediate-mass stars. Results: In the numerical computation of the time derivative of the entropy, some treatment leads to an artificial loss of entropy and thus reduces the inflation that the accreting star undergoes along the birthline. In the case of cold disc accretion, the existence of a significant swelling during the accretion phase, which leads to radii ≳ 100 R⊙ and brings the star back to the red part of the HR diagram, depends sensitively on the initial conditions. For an accretion rate of 10-3M⊙ yr-1, only models starting from a core with a significant radiative region evolve back to the red part of the HR diagram. We also obtain that, in order to reproduce the observed upper envelope of pre-MS stars in the HR diagram with an accretion law deduced from the observed mass outflows in ultra-compact HII regions, the fraction of the

Unveiling slim accretion disc in AGN through X-ray and Infrared observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castelló-Mor, Núria; Kaspi, Shai; Netzer, Hagai; Du, Pu; Hu, Chen; Ho, Luis C.; Bai, Jin-Ming; Bian, Wei-Hao; Yuan, Ye-Fei; Wang, Jian-Min

2017-05-01

In this work, which is a continuation of Castelló-Mor et al., we present new X-ray and infrared (IR) data for a sample of active galactic nuclei (AGN) covering a wide range in Eddington ratio over a small luminosity range. In particular, we rigorously explore the dependence of the optical-to-X-ray spectral index αOX and the IR-to-optical spectral index on the dimensionless accretion rate, \\dot{M} = \\dot{m}/η, where \\dot{m} = LAGN/LEdd and η is the mass-to-radiation conversion efficiency, in low- and high-accretion rate sources. We find that the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the faster accreting sources is surprisingly similar to those from the comparison sample of sources with lower accretion rate. In particular: (I) The optical-to-UV AGN SED of slow and fast accreting AGN can be fitted with thin accretion disc (AD) models. (II) The value of αOX is very similar in slow and fast accreting systems up to a dimensionless accretion rate \\dot{M}c ˜ 10. We only find a correlation between αOX and \\dot{M} for sources with \\dot{M} > \\dot{M}c. In such cases, the faster accreting sources appear to have systematically larger αOX values. (III) We also find that the torus in the faster accreting systems seems to be less efficient in reprocessing the primary AGN radiation having lower IR-to-optical spectral slopes. These findings, failing to recover the predicted differences between the SEDs of slim and thin ADs within the observed spectral window, suggest that additional physical processes or very special geometry act to reduce the extreme-UV radiation in fast accreting AGN. This may be related to photon trapping, strong winds and perhaps other yet unknown physical processes.

Accretion Rates for T Tauri Stars Using Nearly Simultaneous Ultraviolet and Optical Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingleby, Laura; Calvet, Nuria; Herczeg, Gregory; Blaty, Alex; Walter, Frederick; Ardila, David; Alexander, Richard; Edwards, Suzan; Espaillat, Catherine; Gregory, Scott G.; Hillenbrand, Lynne; Brown, Alexander

2013-04-01

We analyze the accretion properties of 21 low-mass T Tauri stars using a data set of contemporaneous near-UV (NUV) through optical observations obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and the ground-based Small and Medium Aperture Research Telescope System, a unique data set because of the nearly simultaneous broad wavelength coverage. Our data set includes accreting T Tauri stars in Taurus, Chamaeleon I, η Chamaeleon, and the TW Hydra Association. For each source we calculate the accretion rate (\\dot{M}) by fitting the NUV and optical excesses above the photosphere, produced in the accretion shock, introducing multiple accretion components characterized by a range in energy flux (or density) for the first time. This treatment is motivated by models of the magnetospheric geometry and accretion footprints, which predict that high-density, low filling factor accretion spots coexist with low-density, high filling factor spots. By fitting the UV and optical spectra with multiple accretion components, we can explain excesses which have been observed in the near-IR. Comparing our estimates of \\dot{M} to previous estimates, we find some discrepancies; however, they may be accounted for when considering assumptions for the amount of extinction and variability in optical spectra. Therefore, we confirm many previous estimates of the accretion rate. Finally, we measure emission line luminosities from the same spectra used for the \\dot{M} estimates, to produce correlations between accretion indicators (Hβ, Ca II K, C II], and Mg II) and accretion properties obtained simultaneously.

Measurements of mass accretion rates in Herbig Ae/Be stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donehew, Brian

Herbig Ae/Be stars(HAeBes) are young stellar objects of spectral class F2 through B0, with the central star often surrounded by a circumstellar disk of gas and dust. They are the higher mass analogs to T Tauri stars. The interaction between the star and the disk is not well understood, nor is the disk structure. The central star will often accrete mass from the disk, and the mass accretion rate is an important parameter for modeling the disk structure and evolution. The methods for measuring mass accretion rates of T Tauri stars are generally not applicable to HAeBe stars. As such, reliable measurements of mass accretion rates for HAeBes are rare. Garrison(1978) saw that the Balmer Discontinuity of HAeBes was veiled, and attributed this veiling to accretion luminosity. Building on Garrison(1978) and the work of Muzerolle et al. (2004), I determine the mass accretion rates and accretion luminosities of a large sample of HAeBe stars by measuring the veiling of the Balmer Discontinuity due to the accretion luminosity. Muzerolle et al. (1998) established a strong correlation between the accretion luminosity of T Tauri stars and the luminosity of Br gamma, and this correlation seems to extend to the evolutionary precursors to HAeBes, intermediate T Tauri stars, as well Calvet et al. (2004). I test this correlation for HAeBes and discover that it is valid for HAe stars but not for HBe stars. From examining the HAeBes of my sample from spectral range A3 to B7, there does not seem to be a particular spectral type at which the correlation fails. A few of the late HBe stars are consistent with the correlation, but most of the HBe stars have Br gamma luminosities much larger than what one would expect from the correlation. This suggests that there might be a significant stellar wind component to the Br gamma luminosity for many of the HBe stars. T Tauri stars accrete mass from their disks magnetospherically, in which the strong stellar field of the star truncates the disk at

On the Accretion Rates of SW Sextantis Nova-like Variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballouz, Ronald-Louis; Sion, Edward M.

2009-06-01

We present accretion rates for selected samples of nova-like variables having IUE archival spectra and distances uniformly determined using an infrared method by Knigge. A comparison with accretion rates derived independently with a multiparametric optimization modeling approach by Puebla et al. is carried out. The accretion rates of SW Sextantis nova-like systems are compared with the accretion rates of non-SW Sextantis systems in the Puebla et al. sample and in our sample, which was selected in the orbital period range of three to four and a half hours, with all systems having distances using the method of Knigge. Based upon the two independent modeling approaches, we find no significant difference between the accretion rates of SW Sextantis systems and non-SW Sextantis nova-like systems insofar as optically thick disk models are appropriate. We find little evidence to suggest that the SW Sex stars have higher accretion rates than other nova-like cataclysmic variables (CVs) above the period gap within the same range of orbital periods.

Star-disc interaction in galactic nuclei: orbits and rates of accreted stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennedy, Gareth F.; Meiron, Yohai; Shukirgaliyev, Bekdaulet; Panamarev, Taras; Berczik, Peter; Just, Andreas; Spurzem, Rainer

2016-07-01

We examine the effect of an accretion disc on the orbits of stars in the central star cluster surrounding a central massive black hole by performing a suite of 39 high-accuracy direct N-body simulations using state-of-the art software and accelerator hardware, with particle numbers up to 128k. The primary focus is on the accretion rate of stars by the black hole (equivalent to their tidal disruption rate for black holes in the small to medium mass range) and the eccentricity distribution of these stars. Our simulations vary not only the particle number, but disc model (two models examined), spatial resolution at the centre (characterized by the numerical accretion radius) and softening length. The large parameter range and physically realistic modelling allow us for the first time to confidently extrapolate these results to real galactic centres. While in a real galactic centre both particle number and accretion radius differ by a few orders of magnitude from our models, which are constrained by numerical capability, we find that the stellar accretion rate converges for models with N ≥ 32k. The eccentricity distribution of accreted stars, however, does not converge. We find that there are two competing effects at work when improving the resolution: larger particle number leads to a smaller fraction of stars accreted on nearly circular orbits, while higher spatial resolution increases this fraction. We scale our simulations to some nearby galaxies and find that the expected boost in stellar accretion (or tidal disruption, which could be observed as X-ray flares) in the presence of a gas disc is about a factor of 10. Even with this boost, the accretion of mass from stars is still a factor of ˜100 slower than the accretion of gas from the disc. Thus, it seems accretion of stars is not a major contributor to black hole mass growth.

Corona accretion in active galactic nuclei and the observational test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, E.; Liu, B.; Taam, R.; Yuan, W.

2017-10-01

In this talk, we propose a new accretion model, in which the matter is accreted initially in the form of a vertically extended, hot gas (corona) to the central supermassive black hole by capturing the interstellar medium or the stellar wind in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In this scenario, when the initial mass accretion rate is greater than about 0.01 \\dot M_{Edd}, at a critical radius r_{d}, part of the hot gas begins to condense on to the equatorial disc plane of the black hole, forming an inner cold accretion disc. Then, the matter is accreted in the form of a disc-corona structure extending down to the ISCO of the black hole. We calculate the theoretical structure and the corresponding emergent spectra of the model. It is shown that the model can naturally explain the origin of the X-ray emission in AGNs. Meanwhile the model predicts a new geometry of the accretion flow, which can very well explain some observations, such as the correlation between the hard X-ray slope Γ and the reflection scaling factor R found in AGNs. Finally, we discuss the potential applications of the model to high mass X-ray binaries.

Andromeda's SMBH Projected Accretion Rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, John

2014-03-01

A formula for calculating the half-life of galaxy clusters is proposed. A galactic half-life is the estimated amount of time that the most massive supermassive black hole (SMBH) in the galaxy cluster will have accreted one half of the mass in the cluster. The calculation is based on a projection of the SMBH continuing its exponentially decreasing rate of accretion that it had in its first 13 billion years. The calculated half-life for the Andromeda SMBH is approximately 1.4327e14 years from the Big Bang. Several proposals have suggested that black holes could be significant factors in the formation of new universes. Part of the verification or falsification of this hypothesis could be done by an N-body simulation. These simulations require an enormous amount of computer power and time. Some plausible projection of the growth of the supermassive black hole is needed to prepare an N-body simulation budget proposal. For now, this method provides an estimate for the growth rate of the Andromeda SMBH and deposition of the outcome of most of the galaxy cluster's mass which is either accreted by the SMBH, lost by ejection from the cluster, or lost in the form of energy.

Constraints from Dust Mass and Mass Accretion Rate Measurements on Angular Momentum Transport in Protoplanetary Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulders, Gijs D.; Pascucci, Ilaria; Manara, Carlo F.; Testi, Leonardo; Herczeg, Gregory J.; Henning, Thomas; Mohanty, Subhanjoy; Lodato, Giuseppe

2017-09-01

In this paper, we investigate the relation between disk mass and mass accretion rate to constrain the mechanism of angular momentum transport in protoplanetary disks. We find a correlation between dust disk mass and mass accretion rate in Chamaeleon I with a slope that is close to linear, similar to the one recently identified in Lupus. We investigate the effect of stellar mass and find that the intrinsic scatter around the best-fit {M}{dust}-{M}\\star and {\\dot{M}}{acc}-{M}\\star relations is uncorrelated. We simulate synthetic observations of an ensemble of evolving disks using a Monte Carlo approach and find that disks with a constant α viscosity can fit the observed relations between dust mass, mass accretion rate, and stellar mass but overpredict the strength of the correlation between disk mass and mass accretion rate when using standard initial conditions. We find two possible solutions. In the first one, the observed scatter in {M}{dust} and {\\dot{M}}{acc} is not primordial, but arises from additional physical processes or uncertainties in estimating the disk gas mass. Most likely grain growth and radial drift affect the observable dust mass, while variability on large timescales affects the mass accretion rates. In the second scenario, the observed scatter is primordial, but disks have not evolved substantially at the age of Lupus and Chamaeleon I owing to a low viscosity or a large initial disk radius. More accurate estimates of the disk mass and gas disk sizes in a large sample of protoplanetary disks, through either direct observations of the gas or spatially resolved multiwavelength observations of the dust with ALMA, are needed to discriminate between both scenarios or to constrain alternative angular momentum transport mechanisms such as MHD disk winds.

Early Results from NICER Observations of Accreting Neutron Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakrabarty, Deepto; Ozel, Feryal; Arzoumanian, Zaven; Gendreau, Keith C.; Bult, Peter; Cackett, Ed; Chenevez, Jerome; Fabian, Andy; Guillot, Sebastien; Guver, Tolga; Homan, Jeroen; Keek, Laurens; Lamb, Frederick; Ludlam, Renee; Mahmoodifar, Simin; Markwardt, Craig B.; Miller, Jon M.; Psaltis, Dimitrios; Strohmayer, Tod E.; Wilson-Hodge, Colleen A.; Wolff, Michael T.

2018-01-01

The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) offers significant new capabilities for the study of accreting neuton stars relative to previous X-ray missions including large effective area, low background, and greatly improved low-energy response. The NICER Burst and Accretion Working Group has designed a 2 Ms observation program to study a number of phenomena in accreting neutron stars including type-I X-ray bursts, superbursts, accretion-powered pulsations, quasi-periodic oscillations, and accretion disk reflection spectra. We present some early results from the first six months of the NICER mission.

Probing the Jet Turnover Frequency Dependence on Mass and Mass Accretion Rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammerstein, Erica; Gültekin, Kayhan; King, Ashley

2018-01-01

We have examined a sample of 15 sub-Eddington supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in a variety of galaxy classifications to further understand the proposed fundamental plane of black hole activity and scaling relations between black hole masses and their radio and X-ray luminosities. This plane describes black holes from stellar-mass to supermassive. The physics probed by these sub-Eddington systems is thought to be a radiatively inefficient, jet-dominated accretion flow. By studying black holes in this regime, we can learn important information on the disk-jet connection for accreting black holes.A key factor in studying the fundamental plane is the turnover frequency — the frequency at which emission transitions from optically thick at lower frequencies to optically thin at higher frequencies. This turnover point can be measured by observing the source in both radio and X-ray. Our project aims to test the dependence of the turnover frequency on mass and mass accretion rate.Radio observations of the sample were obtained using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in the range of 5-40 GHz across four different frequency bands in A configuration to give the highest spatial resolution to focus on the core emission. Our carefully chosen sample of SMBHs with dynamically measured masses consists of two sub-samples: those with approximately constant mass accretion rate (LX/LEdd ~ 10‑7) and those with approximately constant mass (MBH ~ 108 Msun). X-ray data were obtained from archival Chandra observations. To find the turnover frequency, we used Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods to fit two power laws to the radio data and the archival X-ray data. The intersection of the radio and X-ray fits is the turnover frequency.We present the results for both subsamples of SMBHs and their relationship between the turnover frequency and X-ray luminosity, which we take to scale with mass accretion rate, and jet power derived from both radio and X-ray properties.

Baseline Assessment of Net Calcium Carbonate Accretion Rates on U.S. Pacific Reefs.

PubMed

Vargas-Ángel, Bernardo; Richards, Cristi L; Vroom, Peter S; Price, Nichole N; Schils, Tom; Young, Charles W; Smith, Jennifer; Johnson, Maggie D; Brainard, Russell E

2015-01-01

This paper presents a comprehensive quantitative baseline assessment of in situ net calcium carbonate accretion rates (g CaCO3 cm(-2) yr(-1)) of early successional recruitment communities on Calcification Accretion Unit (CAU) plates deployed on coral reefs at 78 discrete sites, across 11 islands in the central and south Pacific Oceans. Accretion rates varied substantially within and between islands, reef zones, levels of wave exposure, and island geomorphology. For forereef sites, mean accretion rates were the highest at Rose Atoll, Jarvis, and Swains Islands, and the lowest at Johnston Atoll and Tutuila. A comparison between reef zones showed higher accretion rates on forereefs compared to lagoon sites; mean accretion rates were also higher on windward than leeward sites but only for a subset of islands. High levels of spatial variability in net carbonate accretion rates reported herein draw attention to the heterogeneity of the community assemblages. Percent cover of key early successional taxa on CAU plates did not reflect that of the mature communities present on surrounding benthos, possibly due to the short deployment period (2 years) of the experimental units. Yet, net CaCO3 accretion rates were positively correlated with crustose coralline algae (CCA) percent cover on the surrounding benthos and on the CAU plates, which on average represented >70% of the accreted material. For foreeefs and lagoon sites combined CaCO3 accretion rates were statistically correlated with total alkalinity and Chlorophyll-a; a GAM analysis indicated that SiOH and Halimeda were the best predictor variables of accretion rates on lagoon sites, and total alkalinity and Chlorophyll-a for forereef sites, demonstrating the utility of CAUs as a tool to monitor changes in reef accretion rates as they relate to ocean acidification. This study underscores the pivotal role CCA play as a key benthic component and supporting actively calcifying reefs; high Mg-calcite exoskeletons makes CCA

Baseline Assessment of Net Calcium Carbonate Accretion Rates on U.S. Pacific Reefs

PubMed Central

Vargas-Ángel, Bernardo; Richards, Cristi L.; Vroom, Peter S.; Price, Nichole N.; Schils, Tom; Young, Charles W.; Smith, Jennifer; Johnson, Maggie D.; Brainard, Russell E.

2015-01-01

This paper presents a comprehensive quantitative baseline assessment of in situ net calcium carbonate accretion rates (g CaCO3 cm-2 yr-1) of early successional recruitment communities on Calcification Accretion Unit (CAU) plates deployed on coral reefs at 78 discrete sites, across 11 islands in the central and south Pacific Oceans. Accretion rates varied substantially within and between islands, reef zones, levels of wave exposure, and island geomorphology. For forereef sites, mean accretion rates were the highest at Rose Atoll, Jarvis, and Swains Islands, and the lowest at Johnston Atoll and Tutuila. A comparison between reef zones showed higher accretion rates on forereefs compared to lagoon sites; mean accretion rates were also higher on windward than leeward sites but only for a subset of islands. High levels of spatial variability in net carbonate accretion rates reported herein draw attention to the heterogeneity of the community assemblages. Percent cover of key early successional taxa on CAU plates did not reflect that of the mature communities present on surrounding benthos, possibly due to the short deployment period (2 years) of the experimental units. Yet, net CaCO3 accretion rates were positively correlated with crustose coralline algae (CCA) percent cover on the surrounding benthos and on the CAU plates, which on average represented >70% of the accreted material. For foreeefs and lagoon sites combined CaCO3 accretion rates were statistically correlated with total alkalinity and Chlorophyll-a; a GAM analysis indicated that SiOH and Halimeda were the best predictor variables of accretion rates on lagoon sites, and total alkalinity and Chlorophyll-a for forereef sites, demonstrating the utility of CAUs as a tool to monitor changes in reef accretion rates as they relate to ocean acidification. This study underscores the pivotal role CCA play as a key benthic component and supporting actively calcifying reefs; high Mg-calcite exoskeletons makes CCA

Simulating X-ray bursts during a transient accretion event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnston, Zac; Heger, Alexander; Galloway, Duncan K.

2018-06-01

Modelling of thermonuclear X-ray bursts on accreting neutron stars has to date focused on stable accretion rates. However, bursts are also observed during episodes of transient accretion. During such events, the accretion rate can evolve significantly between bursts, and this regime provides a unique test for burst models. The accretion-powered millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 exhibits accretion outbursts every 2-3 yr. During the well-sampled month-long outburst of 2002 October, four helium-rich X-ray bursts were observed. Using this event as a test case, we present the first multizone simulations of X-ray bursts under a time-dependent accretion rate. We investigate the effect of using a time-dependent accretion rate in comparison to constant, averaged rates. Initial results suggest that using a constant, average accretion rate between bursts may underestimate the recurrence time when the accretion rate is decreasing, and overestimate it when the accretion rate is increasing. Our model, with an accreted hydrogen fraction of X = 0.44 and a CNO metallicity of ZCNO = 0.02, reproduces the observed burst arrival times and fluences with root mean square (rms) errors of 2.8 h, and 0.11× 10^{-6} erg cm^{-2}, respectively. Our results support previous modelling that predicted two unobserved bursts and indicate that additional bursts were also missed by observations.

Infrared observations of white dwarfs and the implications for the accretion of dusty planetary material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonsor, Amy; Farihi, Jay; Wyatt, Mark C.; van Lieshout, Rik

2017-06-01

Infrared excesses around metal-polluted white dwarfs have been associated with the accretion of dusty planetary material. This work analyses the available infrared data for an unbiased sample of white dwarfs and demonstrates that no more than 3.3 per cent can have a wide, flat, opaque dust disc, extending to the Roche radius, with a temperature at the disc inner edge of Tin = 1400 K, the standard model for the observed excesses. This is in stark contrast to the incidence of pollution of about 30 per cent. We present four potential reasons for the absence of an infrared excess in polluted white dwarfs, depending on their stellar properties and inferred accretion rates: (I) their dust discs are opaque, but narrow, thus evading detection if more than 85 per cent of polluted white dwarfs have dust discs narrower than δr < 0.04r, (II) their dust discs have been fully consumed, which only works for the oldest white dwarfs with sinking time-scales longer than hundreds of years, (III) their dust is optically thin, which can supply low accretion rates of <107 gs-1 if dominated by (Poynting-Robertson) PR-drag, and higher accretion rates, if inwards transport of material is enhanced, e.g. due to the presence of gas, (IV) their accretion is supplied by a pure gas disc, which could result from the sublimation of optically thin dust for T* > 20 000 K. Future observations sensitive to faint infrared excesses or the presence of gas can test the scenarios presented here, thereby better constraining the nature of the material fuelling accretion in polluted white dwarfs.

Elliptical Accretion and Low Luminosity from High Accretion Rate Stellar Tidal Disruption Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svirski, Gilad; Piran, Tsvi; Krolik, Julian

2017-05-01

Models for tidal disruption events (TDEs) in which a supermassive black hole disrupts a star commonly assume that the highly eccentric streams of bound stellar debris promptly form a circular accretion disc at the pericentre scale. However, the bolometric peak luminosity of most TDE candidates, ˜ 1044 erg s- 1, implies that we observe only ˜1 per cent of the energy expected from radiatively efficient accretion. Even the energy that must be lost to circularize the returning tidal flow is larger than the observed energy. Recently, Piran et al. suggested that the observed optical TDE emission is powered by shocks at the apocentre between freshly infalling material and earlier arriving matter. This model explains the small radiated energy, the low temperature and the large radius implied by the observations as well as the t-5/3 light curve. However the question of the system's low bolometric efficiency remains unanswered. We suggest that the high orbital energy and low angular momentum of the flow make it possible for magnetic stresses to reduce the matter's already small angular momentum to the point at which it can fall ballistically into the supermassive black hole before circularization. As a result, the efficiency is only ˜1-10 per cent of a standard accretion disc's efficiency. Thus, the intrinsically high eccentricity of the tidal debris naturally explains why most TDE candidates are fainter than expected.

Multi-wavelength Observations of Accreting Compact Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez Santisteban, Juan Venancio

2016-11-01

The study of compact binaries invokes core astrophysical concepts ranging from stellar and sub-stellar atmospheres and interiors, stellar and binary evolution to physics of accretion. All of these systems are hosts to a compact object a white dwarf, neutron star or black hole ???? which produces a wide variety of exotic and energetic phenomena across the full electromagnetic spectrum. In this thesis, I will make use of multi-wavelength observations ranging from far-ultraviolet to nearinfrared in order to investigate two main topics: a) the late evolution of cataclysmic variables, and b) the accreting state of transitional millisecond pulsars. Firstly, I analyse the Very Large Telescope X-Shooter time-resolved spectroscopy of the short orbital period cataclysmic variable, SDSS J1433+1011, in Chapter 2. The wide wavelength coverage allowed me to perform a detailed characterisation of the system, as well as a direct mass measurement of the brown dwarf companion. I show that the donor in SDSS J1433+1011 successfully transitioned from the stellar to sub-stellar regime, as predicted by evolutionary models. Further light-curve modelling allowed me to show that a low albedo as well as a low heat circulation efficiency is present in the atmosphere of the sub-stellar donor. In Chapter 3, I analyse data from large synoptic surveys, such as SDSS and PTF, to search for the predicted population of dead cataclysmic variables. Following the non-detection of dead CVs, I was able to estimate the space density (?0 < 2?10????5 pc????3) of this hidden population via a Monte Carlo simulation of the Galactic CV population. In Chapter 4, I present Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet observations of the transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038, during its latest accretion state. In combination with optical and near-infrared data, I show that a standard accretion disc does not reach the magnetosphere of the neutron star. Instead, the overall spectrum is consistent with a truncated disc

On the Accretion Rates and Radiative Efficiencies of the Highest-redshift Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Volonteri, Marta; Natarajan, Priyamvada

2017-02-01

We estimate the accretion rates onto the supermassive black holes that power 20 of the highest-redshift quasars, at z≳ 5.8, including the quasar with the highest redshift known to date—ULAS J1120 at z = 7.09. The analysis is based on the observed (rest-frame) optical luminosities and reliable “virial” estimates of the BH masses of the quasars, and utilizes scaling relations derived from thin accretion disk theory. The mass accretion rates through the postulated disks cover a wide range, {\\dot{M}}{disk}≃ 4{--}190 {M}⊙ {{yr}}-1, with most of the objects (80%) having {\\dot{M}}{disk}≃ 10{--}65 {M}⊙ {{yr}}-1, confirming the Eddington-limited nature of the accretion flows. By combining our estimates of {\\dot{M}}{disk} with conservative, lower limits on the bolometric luminosities of the quasars, we investigate which alternative values of η best account for all the available data. We find that the vast majority of quasars (˜85%) can be explained with radiative efficiencies in the range η ≃ 0.03{--}0.3, with a median value close to the commonly assumed η = 0.1. Within this range, we obtain conservative estimates of η ≳ 0.14 for ULAS J1120 and SDSS J0100 (at z = 6.3), and of ≳ 0.19 for SDSS J1148 (at z=6.41; assuming their BH masses are accurate). The implied accretion timescales are generally in the range {t}{acc}\\equiv {M}{BH}/{\\dot{M}}{BH}≃ 0.1{--}1 {Gyr}, suggesting that most quasars could have had ˜ 1{--}10 mass e-foldings since BH seed formation. Our analysis therefore demonstrates that the available luminosities and masses for the highest-redshift quasars can be explained self-consistently within the thin, radiatively efficient accretion disk paradigm. Episodes of radiatively inefficient, “super-critical” accretion may have occurred at significantly earlier epochs (I.e., z≳ 10).

ACCRETION ONTO BLACK HOLES FROM LARGE SCALES REGULATED BY RADIATIVE FEEDBACK. II. GROWTH RATE AND DUTY CYCLE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, Kwang Ho; Ricotti, Massimo, E-mail: kpark@astro.umd.edu, E-mail: ricotti@astro.umd.edu

2012-03-01

This paper, the second in a series on radiation-regulated accretion onto black holes (BHs) from galactic scales, focuses on the effects of radiation pressure and angular momentum of the accreting gas. We simulate accretion onto intermediate-mass black holes, but we derive general scaling relationships that are solutions of the Bondi problem with radiation feedback valid for any mass of the BH M{sub bh}. Thermal pressure of the ionized sphere around the BH regulates the accretion rate, producing periodic and short-lived luminosity bursts. We find that for ambient gas densities exceeding n{sup cr}{sub H,{infinity}}{proportional_to}M{sup -1}{sub bh}, the period of the oscillationsmore » decreases rapidly and the duty cycle increases from 6%, in agreement with observations of the fraction of active galactic nuclei at z {approx} 3, to 50%. The mean accretion rate becomes Eddington limited for n{sub H,{infinity}} > n{sup Edd}{sub H,{infinity}} {approx_equal} n{sup cr}{sub H,{infinity}} T{sub {infinity},4}{sup -1} where T{sub {infinity},4} is the gas temperature in units of 10{sup 4} K. In the sub-Eddington regime, the mean accretion rate onto BHs is about 1%T{sup 2.5}{sub {infinity},4} of the Bondi rate, and thus is proportional to the thermal pressure of the ambient medium. The period of the oscillations coincides with the depletion timescale of the gas inside the ionized bubble surrounding the BH. Gas depletion is dominated by a pressure gradient pushing the gas outward if n{sub H,{infinity}} < n{sup cr}{sub H,{infinity}} and by accretion onto the BH otherwise. Generally, for n{sub H,{infinity}} < n{sup cr}{sub H,{infinity}} angular momentum does not significantly affect the accretion rate and period of the oscillations.« less

Simultaneous Spectral and Timing Observations of Accreting Neuron Stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaaret, P.; Oliversen, Ronald J. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The goal of this proposal is to perform simultaneous x-ray spectral and millisecond timing observations of accreting neutron stars to further our understanding of their accretion dynamics and in the hope of using these systems as probes of the physics of strong gravitational fields. NAG5-9104 is the successor grant to NAG5-8408. Observations using the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and BeppoSAX were performed of 4U1702-429, 4U1735-44, and Cyg X-2. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of the approved observing time was obtained for the first two targets and the data are of limited scientific value. Data analysis has been completed on the observations of Cyg X-2. We discovered a correlation between the frequency of the horizontal branch oscillations (HBO) and a soft, thermal component of the x-ray spectrum likely associated with emission from the accretion disk. This correlation may place constraints on models of the oscillations. A paper based on these results appeared in the Astrophysical Journal.

On the Disappearance of Kilohertz Quasi-periodic Oscillations at a High Mass Accretion Rate in Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Wei

2000-05-01

For all sources in which the phenomenon of kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillation (kHz QPO) is observed, the QPOs disappear abruptly when the inferred mass accretion rate exceeds a certain threshold. Although the threshold cannot at present be accurately determined (or even quantified) observationally, it is clearly higher for bright Z sources than for faint atoll sources. Here we propose that the observational manifestation of kHz QPOs requires direct interaction between the neutron star magnetosphere and the Keplerian accretion disk and that the cessation of kHz QPOs at a high accretion rate is due to the lack of such an interaction when the Keplerian disk terminates at the last stable orbit and yet the magnetosphere is pushed farther inward. The threshold is therefore dependent on the magnetic field strength-the stronger the magnetic field, the higher the threshold. This is certainly in agreement with the atoll/Z paradigm, but we argue that it is also generally true, even for individual sources within each (atoll or Z) category. For atoll sources, the kHz QPOs also seem to vanish at a low accretion rate. Perhaps the ``disengagement'' between the magnetosphere and the Keplerian disk also takes place under such circumstances because of, for instance, the presence of quasi-spherical advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) close to the neutron star. Unfortunately, in this case, the estimation of the accretion rate threshold would require a knowledge of the physical mechanisms that cause the disengagement. If the ADAF is responsible, the threshold is likely dependent on the magnetic field of the neutron star.

Upper stellar mass limit by radiative feedback at low-metallicities: metallicity and accretion rate dependence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukushima, Hajime; Omukai, Kazuyuki; Hosokawa, Takashi

2018-02-01

We investigate the upper stellar mass limit set by radiative feedback for a forming star with various accretion rates and metallicities. Thus, we numerically solve the structures of both a protostar and its surrounding accretion envelope assuming a spherical symmetric and steady flow. The optical depth of the dust cocoon, a dusty part of the accretion envelope, differs for direct light from the stellar photosphere and diffuse light re-emitted as dust thermal emission. As a result, varying the metallicity qualitatively changes the way that the radiative feedback suppresses the accretion flow. With a fixed accretion rate of 10-3 M⊙ yr-1, both direct and diffuse light jointly operate to prevent mass accretion at Z ≳ 10-1 Z⊙. At Z ≲ 10-1 Z⊙, the diffuse light is no longer effective and the direct light solely limits the mass accretion. At Z ≲ 10-3 Z⊙, formation of the H II region plays an important role in terminating the accretion. The resultant upper mass limit increases with decreasing metallicity, from a few × 10 M⊙ to ∼103 M⊙ over Z = 1 Z⊙-10-4 Z⊙. We also illustrate how the radiation spectrum of massive star-forming cores changes with decreasing metallicity. First, the peak wavelength of the spectrum, which is located around 30 μm at 1 Z⊙, shifts to < 3 μm at Z ≲ 0.1 Z⊙. Secondly, a characteristic feature at 10 μm due to the amorphous silicate band appears as a dip at 1 Z⊙, but changes to a bump at Z ≲ 0.1 Z⊙. Using these spectral signatures, we can search massive accreting protostars in nearby low-metallicity environments with upcoming observations.

Accretion rates of protoplanets. II - Gaussian distributions of planetesimal velocities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenzweig, Yuval; Lissauer, Jack J.

1992-01-01

In the present growth-rate calculations for a protoplanet that is embedded in a disk of planetesimals with triaxial Gaussian velocity dispersion and uniform surface density, the protoplanet is on a circular orbit. The accretion rate in the two-body approximation is found to be enhanced by a factor of about 3 relative to the case where all planetesimals' eccentricities and inclinations are equal to the rms values of those disk variables having locally Gaussian velocity dispersion. This accretion-rate enhancement should be incorporated by all models that assume a single random velocity for all planetesimals in lieu of a Gaussian distribution.

Observations of Accreting Pulsars with the FERMI-GBM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson-Hodge, Colleen

2012-01-01

The Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on-board Fermi comprises 12 NaI detectors spanning the 8-1000 keV band and 2 BGO detectors spanning the 100 keV to 40 MeV band. These detectors view the entire unocculted sky, providing long (approximately 40 ks/day) observations of accreting pulsars daily, which allow long-term monitoring of spin-frequencies and pulsed uxes via epoch-folded searches plus daily blind searches for new pulsars. Phase averaged uxes can be measured using the Earth occultation technique. In this talk I will present highlights of GBM accretion-powered pulsar monitoring such as the discovery of a torque reversal in 4U1626-67, a high-energy QPO in A0535+26, and evidence for a stable accretion disk in OAO 1657-415.

An Observational Study of Accretion Dynamics in Short-Period Pre-Main Sequence Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tofflemire, Benjamin; Mathieu, Robert; Herczeg, Greg; Johns-Krull, Christopher; Akeson, Rachel; Ciardi, David

2018-01-01

Over the past thirty years, a detailed picture of star formation has emerged that highlights the importance of the interaction between a pre-main sequence (pre-MS) star and its protoplanetary disk. The properties of an emergent star, the lifetime of a protoplanetary disk, and the formation of planets are all, in part, determined by this star-disk interaction. Many stars, however, form in binary or higher-order systems where orbital dynamics are capable of fundamentally altering this star-disk interaction. Orbital resonances, especially in short-period systems, are capable of clearing the central region of a protoplanetary disk, leaving the possibility for three stable accretion disks: a circumstellar disk around each star and a circumbinary disk. In this model, accretion onto the stars is predicted to proceed in periodic streams that form at the inner edge of the circumbinary disk, cross the dynamically cleared gap, and feed circumstellar disks or accrete directly onto the stars themselves. This pulsed-accretion paradigm predicts bursts of accretion that are periodic with the orbital period, where the duration, amplitude, location in orbital phase, and which star if preferentially fed, all depend on the orbital parameters. To test these predictions, we have carried out intensive observational campaigns combining time-series, optical and near-infrared photometry with time-series, optical spectroscopy. These data are capable of monitoring the stellar accretion rate, the properties of warm circumstellar dust, and the kinematics of accretion flows, all as a function of orbital phase. In our sample of 9 pre-MS binaries with diverse orbital parameters, we search for evidence of periodic accretion events and seek to determine the role orbital parameters have on the characteristics of accretion events. Two results from our campaign will be highlighted: 1) the detection of periodic pulsed accretion events in DQ Tau and TWA 3A, and 2) evidence that the TWA 3A primary is the

Quasispherical subsonic accretion in X-ray pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakura, Nikolai I.; Postnov, Konstantin A.; Kochetkova, A. Yu; Hjalmarsdotter, L.

2013-04-01

A theoretical model is considered for quasispherical subsonic accretion onto slowly rotating magnetized neutron stars. In this regime, the accreting matter settles down subsonically onto the rotating magnetosphere, forming an extended quasistatic shell. Angular momentum transfer in the shell occurs via large-scale convective motions resulting, for observed pulsars, in an almost iso-angular-momentum \\omega \\sim 1/R^2 rotation law inside the shell. The accretion rate through the shell is determined by the ability of the plasma to enter the magnetosphere due to Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities, with allowance for cooling. A settling accretion regime is possible for moderate accretion rates \\dot M \\lesssim \\dot M_* \\simeq 4\\times 10^{16} g s ^{-1}. At higher accretion rates, a free-fall gap above the neutron star magnetosphere appears due to rapid Compton cooling, and the accretion becomes highly nonstationary. Observations of spin-up/spin-down rates of quasispherically wind accreting equilibrium X-ray pulsars with known orbital periods (e.g., GX 301-2 and Vela X-1) enable us to determine the main dimensionless parameters of the model, as well as to estimate surface magnetic field of the neutron star. For equilibrium pulsars, the independent measurements of the neutron star magnetic field allow for an estimate of the stellar wind velocity of the optical companion without using complicated spectroscopic measurements. For nonequilibrium pulsars, a maximum value is shown to exist for the spin-down rate of the accreting neutron star. From observations of the spin-down rate and the X-ray luminosity in such pulsars (e.g., GX 1+4, SXP 1062, and 4U 2206+54), a lower limit can be put on the neutron star magnetic field, which in all cases turns out to be close to the standard value and which agrees with cyclotron line measurements. Furthermore, both explains the spin-up/spin-down of the pulsar frequency on large time-scales and also accounts for the irregular short

Effects of livestock species and stocking density on accretion rates in grazed salt marshes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nolte, Stefanie; Esselink, Peter; Bakker, Jan P.; Smit, Christian

2015-01-01

Coastal ecosystems, such as salt marshes, are threatened by accelerated sea-level rise (SLR). Salt marshes deliver valuable ecosystem services such as coastal protection and the provision of habitat for a unique flora and fauna. Whether salt marshes in the Wadden Sea area are able to survive accelerated SLR depends on sufficient deposition of sediments which add to vertical marsh accretion. Accretion rate is influenced by a number of factors, and livestock grazing was recently included. Livestock grazing is assumed to reduce accretion rates in two ways: (a) directly by increasing soil compaction through trampling, and (b) indirectly by affecting the vegetation structure, which may lower the sediment deposition. For four years, we studied the impact of two livestock species (horse and cattle) at two stocking densities (0.5 and 1.0 animal ha-1) on accretion in a large-scale grazing experiment using sedimentation plates. We found lower cumulative accretion rates in high stocking densities, probably because more animals cause more compaction and create a lower canopy. Furthermore, a trend towards lower accretion rates in horse-compared to cattle-grazed treatments was found, most likely because (1) horses are more active and thus cause more compaction, and (2) herbage intake by horses is higher than by cattle, which causes a higher biomass removal and shorter canopy. During summer periods, negative accretion rates were found. When the grazing and non-grazing seasons were separated, the impact of grazing differed among years. In summer, we only found an effect of different treatments if soil moisture (precipitation) was relatively low. In winter, a sufficiently high inundation frequency was necessary to create differences between grazing treatments. We conclude that stocking densities, and to a certain extent also livestock species, affect accretion rates in salt marshes. Both stocking densities and livestock species should thus be taken into account in management

SUSTAINING STAR FORMATION RATES IN SPIRAL GALAXIES: SUPERNOVA-DRIVEN TURBULENT ACCRETION DISK MODELS APPLIED TO THINGS GALAXIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vollmer, Bernd; Leroy, Adam K., E-mail: bvollmer@astro.u-strasbg.fr

2011-01-15

Gas disks of spiral galaxies can be described as clumpy accretion disks without a coupling of viscosity to the actual thermal state of the gas. The model description of a turbulent disk consisting of emerging and spreading clumps contains free parameters, which can be constrained by observations of molecular gas, atomic gas, and the star formation rate for individual galaxies. Radial profiles of 18 nearby spiral galaxies from THINGS, HERACLES, SINGS, and GALEX data are used to compare the observed star formation efficiency, molecular fraction, and velocity dispersion to the model. The observed radially decreasing velocity dispersion can be reproducedmore » by the model. In the framework of this model, the decrease in the inner disk is due to the stellar mass distribution which dominates the gravitational potential. Introducing a radial break in the star formation efficiency into the model improves the fits significantly. This change in the star formation regime is realized by replacing the free-fall time in the prescription of the star formation rate with the molecule formation timescale. Depending on the star formation prescription, the break radius is located near the transition region between the molecular-gas-dominated and atomic-gas-dominated parts of the galactic disk or closer to the optical radius. It is found that only less massive galaxies (log M(M{sub sun}) {approx}< 10) can balance gas loss via star formation by radial gas accretion within the disk. These galaxies can thus access their gas reservoirs with large angular momentum. On the other hand, the star formation of massive galaxies is determined by the external gas mass accretion rate from a putative spherical halo of ionized gas or from satellite accretion. In the absence of this external accretion, star formation slowly exhausts the gas within the optical disk within the star formation timescale.« less

Sustaining Star Formation Rates in Spiral Galaxies Supernova-driven Turbulent Accretion Disk Models Applied to THINGS Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vollmer, Bernd; Leroy, Adam K.

2011-01-01

Gas disks of spiral galaxies can be described as clumpy accretion disks without a coupling of viscosity to the actual thermal state of the gas. The model description of a turbulent disk consisting of emerging and spreading clumps contains free parameters, which can be constrained by observations of molecular gas, atomic gas, and the star formation rate for individual galaxies. Radial profiles of 18 nearby spiral galaxies from THINGS, HERACLES, SINGS, and GALEX data are used to compare the observed star formation efficiency, molecular fraction, and velocity dispersion to the model. The observed radially decreasing velocity dispersion can be reproduced by the model. In the framework of this model, the decrease in the inner disk is due to the stellar mass distribution which dominates the gravitational potential. Introducing a radial break in the star formation efficiency into the model improves the fits significantly. This change in the star formation regime is realized by replacing the free-fall time in the prescription of the star formation rate with the molecule formation timescale. Depending on the star formation prescription, the break radius is located near the transition region between the molecular-gas-dominated and atomic-gas-dominated parts of the galactic disk or closer to the optical radius. It is found that only less massive galaxies (log M(M ⊙) <~ 10) can balance gas loss via star formation by radial gas accretion within the disk. These galaxies can thus access their gas reservoirs with large angular momentum. On the other hand, the star formation of massive galaxies is determined by the external gas mass accretion rate from a putative spherical halo of ionized gas or from satellite accretion. In the absence of this external accretion, star formation slowly exhausts the gas within the optical disk within the star formation timescale.

Binarity and Accretion in AGB Stars: HST/STIS Observations of UV Flickering in Y Gem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahai, R.; Sánchez Contreras, C.; Mangan, A. S.; Sanz-Forcada, J.; Muthumariappan, C.; Claussen, M. J.

2018-06-01

Binarity is believed to dramatically affect the history and geometry of mass loss in AGB and post-AGB stars, but observational evidence of binarity is sorely lacking. As part of a project to search for hot binary companions to cool AGB stars using the GALEX archive, we discovered a late-M star, Y Gem, to be a source of strong and variable UV and X-ray emission. Here we report UV spectroscopic observations of Y Gem obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope that show strong flickering in the UV continuum on timescales of ≲20 s, characteristic of an active accretion disk. Several UV lines with P-Cygni-type profiles from species such as Si IV and C IV are also observed, with emission and absorption features that are red- and blueshifted by velocities of ∼500 {km} {{{s}}}-1 from the systemic velocity. Our model for these (and previous) observations is that material from the primary star is gravitationally captured by a companion, producing a hot accretion disk. The latter powers a fast outflow that produces blueshifted features due to the absorption of UV continuum emitted by the disk, whereas the redshifted emission features arise in heated infalling material from the primary. The outflow velocities support a previous inference by Sahai et al. that Y Gem’s companion is a low-mass main-sequence star. Blackbody fitting of the UV continuum implies an accretion luminosity of about 13 L ⊙, and thus a mass-accretion rate >5 × 10‑7 M ⊙ yr‑1 we infer that Roche-lobe overflow is the most likely binary accretion mode for Y Gem.

Identifying a Robust and Practical Quasar Accretion-Rate Indicator Using the Chandra Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shemmer, Ohad

2017-09-01

Understanding the rapid growth of supermassive black holes and the assembly of their host galaxies is severely limited by the lack of reliable estimates of black-hole mass and accretion rate in distant quasars. We propose to utilize the Chandra archive to identify the most reliable and practical Eddington-ratio indicator by investigating diagnostics of quasar accretion power in the hard-X-ray, C IV, and Hbeta spectral bands of a carefully-selected sample of optically-selected sources. We will perform a ``stress test'' to each of these diagnostics, relying critically on the hard-X-ray observable properties, and deliver a prescription for the most robust Eddington-ratio estimate that can be utilized economically at the highest accessible redshifts.

Spin Evolution of Accreting Young Stars. II. Effect of Accretion-powered Stellar Winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matt, Sean P.; Pinzón, Giovanni; Greene, Thomas P.; Pudritz, Ralph E.

2012-01-01

We present a model for the rotational evolution of a young, solar-mass star interacting magnetically with an accretion disk. As in a previous paper (Paper I), the model includes changes in the star's mass and radius as it descends the Hayashi track, a decreasing accretion rate, and a prescription for the angular momentum transfer between the star and disk. Paper I concluded that, for the relatively strong magnetic coupling expected in real systems, additional processes are necessary to explain the existence of slowly rotating pre-main-sequence stars. In the present paper, we extend the stellar spin model to include the effect of a spin-down torque that arises from an accretion-powered stellar wind (APSW). For a range of magnetic field strengths, accretion rates, initial spin rates, and mass outflow rates, the modeled stars exhibit rotation periods within the range of 1-10 days in the age range of 1-3 Myr. This range coincides with the bulk of the observed rotation periods, with the slow rotators corresponding to stars with the lowest accretion rates, strongest magnetic fields, and/or highest stellar wind mass outflow rates. We also make a direct, quantitative comparison between the APSW scenario and the two types of disk-locking models (namely, the X-wind and Ghosh & Lamb type models) and identify some remaining theoretical issues for understanding young star spins.

Accretion flows onto supermassive black holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Begelman, Mitchell C.

1988-01-01

The radiative and hydrodynamic properties of an angular momentum-dominated accretion flow onto a supermassive black hole depend largely on the ratio of the accretion rate to the Eddington accretion rate. High values of this ratio favor optically thick flows which produce largely thermal radiation, while optically thin 'two-temperature' flows may be present in systems with small values of this ratio. Observations of some AGN suggest that thermal and nonthermal sources of radiation may be of comparable importance in the 'central engine'. Consideration is given to the possibilities for coexistence of different modes of accretion in a single flow. One intriguing possibility is that runaway pair production may cause an optically thick 'accretion annulus' to form at the center of a two-temperature inflow.

Consistent Modeling of GS 1826-24 X-Ray Bursts for Multiple Accretion Rates Demonstrates the Possibility of Constraining rp-process Reaction Rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meisel, Zach

2018-06-01

Type-I X-ray burst light curves encode unique information about the structure of accreting neutron stars and the nuclear reaction rates of the rp-process that powers bursts. Using the first model calculations of hydrogen/helium-burning bursts for a large range of astrophysical conditions performed with the code MESA, this work shows that simultaneous model–observation comparisons for bursts from several accretion rates \\dot{M} are required to remove degeneracies in astrophysical conditions that otherwise reproduce bursts for a single \\dot{M} and that such consistent multi-epoch modeling could possibly limit the 15O(α, γ)19Ne reaction rate. Comparisons to the 1998, 2000, and 2007 bursting epochs of the neutron star GS 1826-24 show that \\dot{M} must be larger than previously inferred and that the shallow heating in this source must be below 0.5 MeV/u, providing a new method to constrain the shallow heating mechanism in the outer layers of accreting neutron stars. Features of the light curve rise are used to demonstrate that a lower limit could likely be placed on the 15O(α, γ) reaction rate, demonstrating the possibility of constraining nuclear reaction rates with X-ray burst light curves.

To accrete or not accrete, that is the question

USGS Publications Warehouse

von Huene, Roland E.

1986-01-01

Along modern convergent margins tectonic processes span a spectrum from accretion to erosion. The process of accretion is generally recognized because it leaves a geologic record, whereas the process of erosion is generally hypothetical because it produces a geologic hiatus. Major conditions that determine the dominance of accretion or erosion at modern convergent margins are: 1) rate and direction of plate convergence, 2) sediment supply and type in the trench, and 3) topography of the subducting ocean floor. Most change in structure has been ascribed to plate motion, but both erosion and accretion are observed along the same convergence margin. Thus sediment supply and topography are probably of equivalent importance to plate motion because both erosion and accretion are observed under constant conditions of plate convergence. The dominance of accretion or erosion at a margin varies with the thickness of trench sediment. In a sediment flooded trench, the proportions of subducted and accreted sediment are commonly established by the position of a decollement along a weak horizon in the sediment section. Thus, the vertical variation of sediment strength and the distribution of horizontal stress are important factors. Once deformation begins, the original sediment strength is decreased by sediment remolding and where sediment thickens rapidly, increases in pore fluid pressure can be pronounced. In sediment-starved trenches, where the relief of the subducting ocean floor is not smoothed over, the front of the margin must respond to the topography subducted as well as that accreted. The hypothesized erosion by the drag of positive features against the underside of the upper plate (a high stress environment) may alternate with erosion due to the collapse of a margin front into voids such as graben (a low stress environment). ?? 1986 Ferdinand Enke Verlag Stuttgart.

Accretion rates of protoplanets 2: Gaussian distribution of planestesimal velocities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenzweig, Yuval; Lissauer, Jack J.

1991-01-01

The growth rate of a protoplanet embedded in a uniform surface density disk of planetesimals having a triaxial Gaussian velocity distribution was calculated. The longitudes of the aspses and nodes of the planetesimals are uniformly distributed, and the protoplanet is on a circular orbit. The accretion rate in the two body approximation is enhanced by a factor of approximately 3, compared to the case where all planetesimals have eccentricity and inclination equal to the root mean square (RMS) values of those variables in the Gaussian distribution disk. Numerical three body integrations show comparable enhancements, except when the RMS initial planetesimal eccentricities are extremely small. This enhancement in accretion rate should be incorporated by all models, analytical or numerical, which assume a single random velocity for all planetesimals, in lieu of a Gaussian distribution.

SPIN EVOLUTION OF ACCRETING YOUNG STARS. II. EFFECT OF ACCRETION-POWERED STELLAR WINDS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matt, Sean P.; Pinzon, Giovanni; Greene, Thomas P.

2012-01-20

We present a model for the rotational evolution of a young, solar-mass star interacting magnetically with an accretion disk. As in a previous paper (Paper I), the model includes changes in the star's mass and radius as it descends the Hayashi track, a decreasing accretion rate, and a prescription for the angular momentum transfer between the star and disk. Paper I concluded that, for the relatively strong magnetic coupling expected in real systems, additional processes are necessary to explain the existence of slowly rotating pre-main-sequence stars. In the present paper, we extend the stellar spin model to include the effectmore » of a spin-down torque that arises from an accretion-powered stellar wind (APSW). For a range of magnetic field strengths, accretion rates, initial spin rates, and mass outflow rates, the modeled stars exhibit rotation periods within the range of 1-10 days in the age range of 1-3 Myr. This range coincides with the bulk of the observed rotation periods, with the slow rotators corresponding to stars with the lowest accretion rates, strongest magnetic fields, and/or highest stellar wind mass outflow rates. We also make a direct, quantitative comparison between the APSW scenario and the two types of disk-locking models (namely, the X-wind and Ghosh and Lamb type models) and identify some remaining theoretical issues for understanding young star spins.« less

A magnetic accretion switch in pre-cataclysmic binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drake, Jeremy J.; Garraffo, Cecilia; Takei, Dai; Gaensicke, Boris

2014-02-01

We have investigated the mass accretion rate implied by published surface abundances of Si and C in the white dwarf component of the 3.62 h period pre-cataclysmic binary and planet host candidate QS Vir (DA+M2-4). Diffusion time-scales for gravitational settling imply dot{M} ˜ 10^{-16} M_{odot } yr-1 for the 1999 epoch of the observations, which is three orders of magnitude lower than measured from a 2006 XMM-Newton observation. This is the first time that large accretion rate variations have been seen in a detached pre-cataclysmic variable (pre-CV). A third body in a 14 yr eccentric orbit suggested in a recent eclipse timing study is too distant to perturb the central binary sufficiently to influence accretion. A hypothetical coronal mass ejection just prior to the XMM-Newton observation might explain the higher accretion rate, but the implied size and frequency of such events appear too great. We suggest accretion is most likely modulated by a magnetic cycle on the secondary acting as a wind `accretion switch', a mechanism that can be tested by X-ray and ultraviolet monitoring. If so, QS Vir and similar pre-CVs could provide powerful insights into hitherto inscrutable CV and M dwarf magnetospheres, and mass- and angular-momentum-loss rates.

Blinded by the light: on the relationship between CO first overtone emission and mass accretion rate in massive young stellar objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilee, J. D.; Oudmaijer, R. D.; Wheelwright, H. E.; Pomohaci, R.

2018-07-01

To date, there is no explanation as to why disc-tracing CO first overtone (or `bandhead') emission is not a ubiquitous feature in low- to medium-resolution spectra of massive young stellar objects (MYSOs), but instead is only detected towards approximately 25 per cent of their spectra. In this paper, we investigate the hypothesis that only certain mass accretion rates result in detectable bandhead emission in the near-infrared spectra of MYSOs. Using an analytic disc model combined with an LTE model of the CO emission, we find that high accretion rates (≳10-4 M⊙ yr-1) result in large dust sublimation radii, a larger contribution to the K-band continuum from hot dust at the dust sublimation radius, and therefore correspondingly lower CO emission with respect to the continuum. On the other hand, low accretion rates (≲10-6 M⊙ yr-1) result in smaller dust sublimation radii, a correspondingly smaller emitting area of CO, and thus also lower CO emission with respect to the continuum. In general, moderate accretion rates produce the most prominent, and therefore detectable, CO first overtone emission. We compare our findings to a recent near-infrared spectroscopic survey of MYSOs, finding results consistent with our hypothesis. We conclude that the detection rate of CO bandhead emission in the spectra of MYSOs could be the result of MYSOs exhibiting a range of mass accretion rates, perhaps due to the variable accretion suggested by recent multi-epoch observations of these objects.

Blinded by the light: on the relationship between CO first overtone emission and mass accretion rate in massive young stellar objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilee, J. D.; Oudmaijer, R. D.; Wheelwright, H. E.; Pomohaci, R.

2018-04-01

To date, there is no explanation as to why disc-tracing CO first overtone (or `bandhead') emission is not a ubiquitous feature in low- to medium-resolution spectra of massive young stellar objects, but instead is only detected toward approximately 25 per cent of their spectra. In this paper, we investigate the hypothesis that only certain mass accretion rates result in detectable bandhead emission in the near infrared spectra of MYSOs. Using an analytic disc model combined with an LTE model of the CO emission, we find that high accretion rates (≳ 10-4 M⊙yr-1) result in large dust sublimation radii, a larger contribution to the K-band continuum from hot dust at the dust sublimation radius, and therefore correspondingly lower CO emission with respect to the continuum. On the other hand, low accretion rates (≲ 10-6 M⊙yr-1) result in smaller dust sublimation radii, a correspondingly smaller emitting area of CO, and thus also lower CO emission with respect to the continuum. In general, moderate accretion rates produce the most prominent, and therefore detectable, CO first overtone emission. We compare our findings to a recent near-infrared spectroscopic survey of MYSOs, finding results consistent with our hypothesis. We conclude that the detection rate of CO bandhead emission in the spectra of MYSOs could be the result of MYSOs exhibiting a range of mass accretion rates, perhaps due to the variable accretion suggested by recent multi-epoch observations of these objects.

Consistent Modeling of GS 1826-24 X-Ray Bursts for Multiple Accretion Rates Demonstrates the Possibility of Constraining rp-process Reaction Rates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meisel, Zach

Type-I X-ray burst light curves encode unique information about the structure of accreting neutron stars and the nuclear reaction rates of the rp-process that powers bursts. Using the first model calculations of hydrogen/helium-burning bursts for a large range of astrophysical conditions performed with the code MESA, this work shows that simultaneous model–observation comparisons for bursts from several accretion ratesmore » $$\\dot{M}$$ are required to remove degeneracies in astrophysical conditions that otherwise reproduce bursts for a single $$\\dot{M}$$ and that such consistent multi-epoch modeling could possibly limit the 15O(α, γ) 19Ne reaction rate. Comparisons to the 1998, 2000, and 2007 bursting epochs of the neutron star GS 1826-24 show that $$\\dot{M}$$ must be larger than previously inferred and that the shallow heating in this source must be below 0.5 MeV/u, providing a new method to constrain the shallow heating mechanism in the outer layers of accreting neutron stars. Lastly, features of the light curve rise are used to demonstrate that a lower limit could likely be placed on the 15O(α, γ) reaction rate, demonstrating the possibility of constraining nuclear reaction rates with X-ray burst light curves.« less

Consistent Modeling of GS 1826-24 X-Ray Bursts for Multiple Accretion Rates Demonstrates the Possibility of Constraining rp-process Reaction Rates

DOE PAGES

Meisel, Zach

2018-06-21

Type-I X-ray burst light curves encode unique information about the structure of accreting neutron stars and the nuclear reaction rates of the rp-process that powers bursts. Using the first model calculations of hydrogen/helium-burning bursts for a large range of astrophysical conditions performed with the code MESA, this work shows that simultaneous model–observation comparisons for bursts from several accretion ratesmore » $$\\dot{M}$$ are required to remove degeneracies in astrophysical conditions that otherwise reproduce bursts for a single $$\\dot{M}$$ and that such consistent multi-epoch modeling could possibly limit the 15O(α, γ) 19Ne reaction rate. Comparisons to the 1998, 2000, and 2007 bursting epochs of the neutron star GS 1826-24 show that $$\\dot{M}$$ must be larger than previously inferred and that the shallow heating in this source must be below 0.5 MeV/u, providing a new method to constrain the shallow heating mechanism in the outer layers of accreting neutron stars. Lastly, features of the light curve rise are used to demonstrate that a lower limit could likely be placed on the 15O(α, γ) reaction rate, demonstrating the possibility of constraining nuclear reaction rates with X-ray burst light curves.« less

Net Reaction Rate and Neutrino Cooling Rate for the Urca Process in Departure from Chemical Equilibrium in the Crust of Fast-accreting Neutron Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei-Hua; Huang, Xi; Zheng, Xiao-Ping

We discuss the effect of compression on Urca shells in the ocean and crust of accreting neutron stars, especially in superbursting sources. We find that Urca shells may be deviated from chemical equilibrium in neutron stars which accrete at several tenths of the local Eddington accretion rate. The deviation depends on the energy threshold of the parent and daughter nuclei, the transition strength, the temperature, and the local accretion rate. In a typical crust model of accreting neutron stars, the chemical departures range from a few tenths of kBT to tens of kBT for various Urca pairs. If the Urca shell can exist in crusts of accreting neutron stars, compression may enhance the net neutrino cooling rate by a factor of about 1-2 relative to the neutrino emissivity in chemical equilibrium. For some cases, such as Urca pairs with small energy thresholds and/or weak transition strength, the large chemical departure may result in net heating rather than cooling, although the released heat can be small. Strong Urca pairs in the deep crust are hard to be deviated even in neutron stars accreting at the local Eddington accretion rate.

The Masses and Accretion Rates of White Dwarfs in Classical and Recurrent Novae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shara, Michael M.; Prialnik, Dina; Hillman, Yael; Kovetz, Attay

2018-06-01

Models have long predicted that the frequency-averaged masses of white dwarfs (WDs) in Galactic classical novae are twice as large as those of field WDs. Only a handful of dynamically well-determined nova WDs masses have been published, leaving the theoretical predictions poorly tested. The recurrence time distributions and mass accretion rate distributions of novae are even more poorly known. To address these deficiencies, we have combined our extensive simulations of nova eruptions with the Strope et al. and Schaefer databases of outburst characteristics of Galactic classical and recurrent novae (RNe) to determine the masses of 92 WDs in novae. We find that the mean mass (frequency-averaged mean mass) of 82 Galactic classical novae is 1.06 (1.13) M ⊙, while the mean mass of 10 RNe is 1.31 M ⊙. These masses, and the observed nova outburst amplitude and decline time distributions allow us to determine the long-term mass accretion rate distribution of classical novae. Remarkably, that value is just 1.3 × 10‑10 M ⊙ yr‑1, which is an order of magnitude smaller than that of cataclysmic binaries in the decades before and after classical nova eruptions. This predicts that old novae become low-mass transfer rate systems, and hence dwarf novae, for most of the time between nova eruptions. We determine the mass accretion rates of each of the 10 known Galactic recurrent nova, finding them to be in the range of 10‑7–10‑8 M ⊙ yr‑1. We are able to predict the recurrence time distribution of novae and compare it with the predictions of population synthesis models.

LAMP: the long-term accretion monitoring programme of T Tauri stars in Chamaeleon I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costigan, G.; Scholz, A.; Stelzer, B.; Ray, T.; Vink, J. S.; Mohanty, S.

2012-12-01

We present the results of a variability study of accreting young stellar objects in the Chameleon I star-forming region, based on ˜300 high-resolution optical spectra from the Fibre Large Area Multi-Element Spectrograph (FLAMES) at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT). 25 objects with spectral types from G2-M5.75 were observed 12 times over the course of 15 months. Using the emission lines Hα (6562.81 Å) and Ca II (8662.1 Å) as accretion indicators, we found 10 accreting and 15 non-accreting objects. We derived accretion rates for all accretors in the sample using the Hα equivalent width, Hα 10 per cent width and Ca II (8662.1 Å) equivalent width. We found that the Hα equivalent widths of accretors varied by ˜7-100 Å over the 15-month period. This corresponds to a mean amplitude of variations in the derived accretion rate of ˜0.37 dex. The amplitudes of variations in the derived accretion rate from Ca II equivalent width were ˜0.83 dex and those from Hα 10 per cent width were ˜1.11 dex. Based on the large amplitudes of variations in accretion rate derived from the Hα 10 per cent width with respect to the other diagnostics, we do not consider it to be a reliable accretion rate estimator. Assuming the variations in Hα and Ca II equivalent width accretion rates to be closer to the true value, these suggest that the spread that was found around the accretion rate to stellar-mass relation is not due to the variability of individual objects on time-scales of weeks to ˜1 year. From these variations, we can also infer that the accretion rates are stable within <0.37 dex over time-scales of less than 15 months. A major portion of the accretion variability was found to occur over periods shorter than the shortest time-scales in our observations, 8-25 days, which are comparable with the rotation periods of these young stellar objects. This could be an indication that what we are probing is spatial structure in the accretion flows

A Spatial Analysis of Calcium Carbonate Accretion Rates on South Pacific Reefs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartlett, T.; Misa, P.; Vargas-Angel, B.

2016-02-01

The potential effects of ocean acidification (OA) are of particular concern in the ocean sciences community, predominantly as it pertains to the health and survival of marine calcifying organisms, such as reef corals. As part of NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Coral Reef Ecosystem Division's long-term coral reef ecosystem monitoring, Calcification Accretion Units (CAU) are deployed every 2-3 years in different regions in the US Pacific. The purpose of this project is to examine temporal and spatial variability of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) accretion rates and their potential association with physical and biological drivers. The research presented in this study is based on laboratory work and processing of samples obtained from the last two expeditions to American Samoa and the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA), specifically from CAU retrievals in Tutuila Island and Rose Atoll, from 2 deployments in 2010 and 2012. This study uses in situ net CaCO3 accretion rates (g CaCO3 cm-2 yr-1) of early successional recruitment communities to Calcification Accretion Unit (CAU) plates deployed at 24 discrete sites on Tutuila Island and Rose Atoll to quantify the efficiency of the recruited calcifying organisms. Accretion rates were determined via indirect measurements of CaCO3 on each plate and normalized for surface area and length of deployment time in days. Through statistical analysis it was then determined whether or not there is variability between sites, islands, or over time. The findings of this study will determine whether CAU plates can be used as a viable OA monitoring tool.

ACCRETION RATES OF RED QUASARS FROM THE HYDROGEN Pβ LINE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Dohyeong; Im, Myungshin; Glikman, Eilat

Red quasars are thought to be an intermediate population between merger-driven star-forming galaxies in dust-enshrouded phase and normal quasars. If so, they are expected to have high accretion ratios, but their intrinsic dust extinction hampers reliable determination of Eddington ratios. Here, we compare the accretion rates of 16 red quasars at z ∼ 0.7 to those of normal type 1 quasars at the same redshift range. The red quasars are selected by their red colors in optical through near-infrared (NIR) and radio detection. The accretion rates of the red quasars are derived from the Pβ line in NIR spectra, whichmore » is obtained by the SpeX on the Infrared Telescope Facility in order to avoid the effects of dust extinction. We find that the measured Eddington ratios (L{sub bol}/L{sub Edd} ≃ 0.69) of red quasars are significantly higher than those of normal type 1 quasars, which is consistent with a scenario in which red quasars are the intermediate population and the black holes of red quasars grow very rapidly during such a stage.« less

The impact of feedback and the hot halo on the rates of gas accretion onto galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correa, Camila A.; Schaye, Joop; van de Voort, Freeke; Duffy, Alan R.; Wyithe, J. Stuart B.

2018-04-01

We investigate the physics that drives the gas accretion rates onto galaxies at the centers of dark matter haloes using the EAGLE suite of hydrodynamical cosmological simulations. We find that at redshifts z ≤ 2 the accretion rate onto the galaxy increases with halo mass in the halo mass range 1010 - 1011.7 M⊙, flattens between the halo masses 1011.7 - 1012.7 M⊙, and increases again for higher-mass haloes. However, the galaxy gas accretion does not flatten at intermediate halo masses when AGN feedback is switched off. To better understand these trends, we develop a physically motivated semi-analytic model of galaxy gas accretion. We show that the flattening is produced by the rate of gas cooling from the hot halo. The ratio of the cooling radius and the virial radius does not decrease continuously with increasing halo mass as generally thought. While it decreases up to ˜1013 M⊙ haloes, it increases for higher halo masses, causing an upturn in the galaxy gas accretion rate. This may indicate that in high-mass haloes AGN feedback is not sufficiently efficient. When there is no AGN feedback, the density of the hot halo is higher, the ratio of the cooling and virial radii does not decrease as much and the cooling rate is higher. Changes in the efficiency of stellar feedback can also increase or decrease the accretion rates onto galaxies. The trends can plausibly be explained by the re-accretion of gas ejected by progenitor galaxies and by the suppression of black hole growth, and hence AGN feedback, by stellar feedback.

Estimation of mass outflow rates from viscous relativistic accretion discs around black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chattopadhyay, Indranil; Kumar, Rajiv

2016-07-01

We investigated flow in Schwarzschild metric, around a non-rotating black hole and obtained self-consistent accretion-ejection solution in full general relativity. We covered the whole of parameter space in the advective regime to obtain shocked, as well as, shock-free accretion solution. We computed the jet streamline using von Zeipel surfaces and projected the jet equations of motion on to the streamline and solved them simultaneously with the accretion disc equations of motion. We found that steady shock cannot exist beyond α ≳ 0.06 in the general relativistic prescription, but is lower if mass-loss is considered too. We showed that for fixed outer boundary, the shock moves closer to the horizon with increasing viscosity parameter. The mass outflow rate increases as the shock moves closer to the black hole, but eventually decreases, maximizing at some intermediate value of shock location. The jet terminal speed increases with stronger shocks; quantitatively speaking, the terminal speed of jets vj∞ > 0.1 if rsh < 20rg. The maximum of the outflow rate obtained in the general relativistic regime is less than 6 per cent of the mass accretion rate.

Stable accretion from a cold disc in highly magnetized neutron stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsygankov, S. S.; Mushtukov, A. A.; Suleimanov, V. F.; Doroshenko, V.; Abolmasov, P. K.; Lutovinov, A. A.; Poutanen, J.

2017-11-01

Aims: 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. Methods: 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. Results: The expected transition to the propeller regime was not observed. However, transitions between different regimes of accretion were detected. In particular, after an outburst, the source entered a stable accretion state characterised by an accretion rate of 1014-1015 g s-1. We associate this state with accretion from a cold (low-ionised) disc of temperature below 6500 K. We argue that a transition to this accretion regime should be observed in all X-ray pulsars that have a 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.

Spatial Trends and Variability of Vertical Accretion Rates in the Barataria Basin, Louisiana, U.S.A. using Pb-210 and Cs-137 radiochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrull, S.; Wilson, C.; Snedden, G.; Bentley, S. J.

2017-12-01

Barataria Basin on the south Louisiana coast is experiencing some of the greatest amounts of coastal land loss in the United States with rates as high as 23.1 km2 lost per year. In an attempt to help slow or reverse land loss, millions of dollars are being spent to create sediment diversions to increase the amount of available inorganic sediments to these vulnerable coastal marsh areas. A better understanding of the spatial trends and patterns of background accretion rates needs to be established in order to effectively implement such structures. Core samples from 25 Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) sites spanning inland freshwater to coastal saline areas within the basin were extracted, and using vertical accretion rates from Cs-137 & Pb-210 radionuclide detection, mineral versus organic sediment composition, grain size distribution, and spatial trends of bulk densities, the controls on the accretion rates of the marsh soils will be constrained. Initial rates show a range from 0.31 cm/year to 1.02 cm/year with the average being 0.79 cm/year. Preliminary results suggest that location and proximity to an inorganic sediment source (i.e. river/tributary or open water) have a stronger influence on vertical accretion rates than marsh classification and salinity, with no clear relationship between vertical accretion and salinity. Down-core sediment composition and bulk density analyses observed at a number of the sites likely suggest episodic sedimentation and show different vertical accretion rates through time. Frequency and length of inundation (i.e. hydroperiod), and land/marsh classification from the CRMS data set will be further investigated to constrain the spatial variability in vertical accretion for the basin.

Whole body synthesis rates of DHA from α-linolenic acid are greater than brain DHA accretion and uptake rates in adult rats.

PubMed

Domenichiello, Anthony F; Chen, Chuck T; Trepanier, Marc-Olivier; Stavro, P Mark; Bazinet, Richard P

2014-01-01

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is important for brain function, however, the exact amount required for the brain is not agreed upon. While it is believed that the synthesis rate of DHA from α-linolenic acid (ALA) is low, how this synthesis rate compares with the amount of DHA required to maintain brain DHA levels is unknown. The objective of this work was to assess whether DHA synthesis from ALA is sufficient for the brain. To test this, rats consumed a diet low in n-3 PUFAs, or a diet containing ALA or DHA for 15 weeks. Over the 15 weeks, whole body and brain DHA accretion was measured, while at the end of the study, whole body DHA synthesis rates, brain gene expression, and DHA uptake rates were measured. Despite large differences in body DHA accretion, there was no difference in brain DHA accretion between rats fed ALA and DHA. In rats fed ALA, DHA synthesis and accretion was 100-fold higher than brain DHA accretion of rats fed DHA. Also, ALA-fed rats synthesized approximately 3-fold more DHA than the DHA uptake rate into the brain. This work indicates that DHA synthesis from ALA may be sufficient to supply the brain.

Simultaneous Spectral and Timing Observations of Accreting Neuron Stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaaret, P.; West, Donald K. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The goal of this proposal was to perform simultaneous x-ray spectral and millisecond timing observations of accreting neutron stars to further our understanding of their accretion dynamics and in the hope of using these systems as probes of the physics of strong gravitational fields. Observations of the neutron star binaries 4U0614+091, 4U1728-34, 4U1820-30, and Cyg X-2 were carried out with RXTE and BeppoSAX, ASCA, and Chandra (not all simultaneously). In addition, archival data were analyzed for 4U0614+091 and 4U1820-30. This investigation led to publication of three papers in peer-reviewed journals. These are listed below. In addition, the results were presented at several meetings including the two poster presentations listed below. Dr. Santina Piraino visited SAO for 4 months during 2000 to collaborate on analysis of the data from NAG5-8408 and NAG5-9104.

Bondi-Hoyle accretion in an isothermal magnetized plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Aaron T.; McKee, Christopher F.; Klein, Richard I.

2014-03-01

In regions of star formation, protostars and newborn stars will accrete mass from their natal clouds. These clouds are threaded by magnetic fields with a strength characterized by the plasma β—the ratio of thermal and magnetic pressures. Observations show that molecular clouds have β ≲ 1, so magnetic fields have the potential to play a significant role in the accretion process. We have carried out a numerical study of the effect of large-scale magnetic fields on the rate of accretion onto a uniformly moving point particle from a uniform, non-self-gravitating, isothermal gas. We consider gas moving with sonic Mach numbersmore » of up to M≈45; magnetic fields that are either parallel, perpendicular, or oriented 45° to the flow; and β as low as 0.01. Our simulations utilize adaptive mesh refinement in order to obtain high spatial resolution where it is needed; this also allows the boundaries to be far from the accreting object to avoid unphysical effects arising from boundary conditions. Additionally, we show that our results are independent of our exact prescription for accreting mass in the sink particle. We give simple expressions for the steady-state accretion rate as a function of β and M for the parallel and perpendicular orientations. Using typical molecular cloud values of M∼5 and β ∼ 0.04 from the literature, our fits suggest that a 0.4 M {sub ☉} star accretes ∼4 × 10{sup –9} M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1}, almost a factor of two less than accretion rates predicted by hydrodynamic models. This disparity can grow to orders of magnitude for stronger fields and lower Mach numbers. We also discuss the applicability of these accretion rates versus accretion rates expected from gravitational collapse, and under what conditions a steady state is possible. The reduction in the accretion rate in a magnetized medium leads to an increase in the time required to form stars in competitive accretion models, making such models less efficient than

The impact of feedback and the hot halo on the rates of gas accretion on to galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correa, Camila A.; Schaye, Joop; van de Voort, Freeke; Duffy, Alan R.; Wyithe, J. Stuart B.

2018-07-01

We investigate the physics that drives the gas accretion rates on to galaxies at the centres of dark matter haloes using the EAGLE suite of hydrodynamical cosmological simulations. We find that at redshifts z ≤ 2, the accretion rate on to the galaxy increases with halo mass in the halo mass range 1010-1011.7 M⊙, flattens between the halo masses 1011.7 and 1012.7 M⊙, and increases again for higher mass haloes. However, the galaxy gas accretion does not flatten at intermediate halo masses when active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback is switched off. To better understand these trends, we develop a physically motivated semi-analytic model of galaxy gas accretion. We show that the flattening is produced by the rate of gas cooling from the hot halo. The ratio of the cooling radius and the virial radius does not decrease continuously with increasing halo mass as generally thought. While it decreases up to ˜1013 M⊙ haloes, it increases for higher halo masses, causing an upturn in the galaxy gas accretion rate. This may indicate that in high-mass haloes, AGN feedback is not sufficiently efficient. When there is no AGN feedback, the density of the hot halo is higher, the ratio of the cooling and virial radii does not decrease as much, and the cooling rate is higher. Changes in the efficiency of stellar feedback can also increase or decrease the accretion rates on to galaxies. The trends can plausibly be explained by the re-accretion of gas ejected by progenitor galaxies and by the suppression of black hole growth, and hence AGN feedback, by stellar feedback.

Whole body synthesis rates of DHA from α-linolenic acid are greater than brain DHA accretion and uptake rates in adult rats[S

PubMed Central

Domenichiello, Anthony F.; Chen, Chuck T.; Trepanier, Marc-Olivier; Stavro, P. Mark; Bazinet, Richard P.

2014-01-01

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is important for brain function, however, the exact amount required for the brain is not agreed upon. While it is believed that the synthesis rate of DHA from α-linolenic acid (ALA) is low, how this synthesis rate compares with the amount of DHA required to maintain brain DHA levels is unknown. The objective of this work was to assess whether DHA synthesis from ALA is sufficient for the brain. To test this, rats consumed a diet low in n-3 PUFAs, or a diet containing ALA or DHA for 15 weeks. Over the 15 weeks, whole body and brain DHA accretion was measured, while at the end of the study, whole body DHA synthesis rates, brain gene expression, and DHA uptake rates were measured. Despite large differences in body DHA accretion, there was no difference in brain DHA accretion between rats fed ALA and DHA. In rats fed ALA, DHA synthesis and accretion was 100-fold higher than brain DHA accretion of rats fed DHA. Also, ALA-fed rats synthesized approximately 3-fold more DHA than the DHA uptake rate into the brain. This work indicates that DHA synthesis from ALA may be sufficient to supply the brain. PMID:24212299

GX 3+1: The Stability of Spectral Index as a Function of Mass Accretion Rate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seifana, Elena; Titarchuk, Lev

2012-01-01

We present an analysis of the spectral and timing properties observed in X-rays from neutron star (NS) binary GX 3+1 (4U 1744-26) during long-term transitions between the faint and bright phases superimposed on short-term transitions between lower banana (LB) and upper banana (UB) branches in terms of its color-color diagram, We analyze all observations of this source obtained with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and BeppoSAX satellites, We find that the X-ray broadband energy spectra during these spectral transitions can be adequately reproduced by a composition of a low-temperature blackbody component, a Comptonized component (COMPTB), and Gaussian component We argue that the electron temperature kTe of the Compton cloud monotonically increases from 2.3 keY to 4.5 keY, when GX 3+1 makes a transition from UB to LB. We also detect an evolution of noise components (a very low frequency noise and a high-frequency noise) during these LB-UB transitions. Using a disk seed photon normalization of COMPTB, which is proportional to the mass accretion rate, we find that the photon power-law index Gamma is almost constant (Gamma = 2.00 +/- 0.02) when mass accretion rate changes by factor four. In addition, we find that the emergent spectrum is dominated by the strong Comptonized component We interpret this quasi-stability of the index Gamma and a particular form of the spectrum in the framework of a model in which the energy release in the transition layer located between the accretion disk and NS surface dominates that in the disk. Moreover, this index stability effect now established for GX 3+ I was previously found in the atoll source 4U 1728-34 and suggested for a number of other low-mass X-ray NS binaries. This intrinsic behavior of NSs, in particular for atoll sources, is fundamentally different from that seen in black hole binary sources where the index monotonically increases during spectral transition from the low state to the high state and then finally saturates at

GX 3+1: The Stability of Spectral Index as a Function of Mass Accretion Rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seifina, Elena; Titarchuk, Lev

2012-03-01

We present an analysis of the spectral and timing properties observed in X-rays from neutron star (NS) binary GX 3+1 (4U 1744-26) during long-term transitions between the faint and bright phases superimposed on short-term transitions between lower banana (LB) and upper banana (UB) branches in terms of its color-color diagram. We analyze all observations of this source obtained with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and Beppo SAX satellites. We find that the X-ray broadband energy spectra during these spectral transitions can be adequately reproduced by a composition of a low-temperature blackbody component, a Comptonized component (COMPTB), and a Gaussian component. We argue that the electron temperature kTe of the Compton cloud monotonically increases from 2.3 keV to 4.5 keV, when GX 3+1 makes a transition from UB to LB. We also detect an evolution of noise components (a very low frequency noise and a high-frequency noise) during these LB-UB transitions. Using a disk seed photon normalization of COMPTB, which is proportional to the mass accretion rate, we find that the photon power-law index Γ is almost constant (Γ = 2.00 ± 0.02) when mass accretion rate changes by a factor of four. In addition, we find that the emergent spectrum is dominated by the strong Comptonized component. We interpret this quasi-stability of the index Γ and a particular form of the spectrum in the framework of a model in which the energy release in the transition layer located between the accretion disk and NS surface dominates that in the disk. Moreover, this index stability effect now established for GX 3+1 was previously found in the atoll source 4U 1728-34 and suggested for a number of other low-mass X-ray NS binaries (see Farinelli & Titarchuk). This intrinsic behavior of NSs, in particular for atoll sources, is fundamentally different from that seen in black hole binary sources where the index monotonically increases during spectral transition from the low state to the high state

GX 3+1: THE STABILITY OF SPECTRAL INDEX AS A FUNCTION OF MASS ACCRETION RATE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seifina, Elena; Titarchuk, Lev, E-mail: seif@sai.msu.ru, E-mail: titarchuk@fe.infn.it, E-mail: lev@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov

2012-03-10

We present an analysis of the spectral and timing properties observed in X-rays from neutron star (NS) binary GX 3+1 (4U 1744-26) during long-term transitions between the faint and bright phases superimposed on short-term transitions between lower banana (LB) and upper banana (UB) branches in terms of its color-color diagram. We analyze all observations of this source obtained with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and Beppo SAX satellites. We find that the X-ray broadband energy spectra during these spectral transitions can be adequately reproduced by a composition of a low-temperature blackbody component, a Comptonized component (COMPTB), and a Gaussian component.more » We argue that the electron temperature kT{sub e} of the Compton cloud monotonically increases from 2.3 keV to 4.5 keV, when GX 3+1 makes a transition from UB to LB. We also detect an evolution of noise components (a very low frequency noise and a high-frequency noise) during these LB-UB transitions. Using a disk seed photon normalization of COMPTB, which is proportional to the mass accretion rate, we find that the photon power-law index {Gamma} is almost constant ({Gamma} = 2.00 {+-} 0.02) when mass accretion rate changes by a factor of four. In addition, we find that the emergent spectrum is dominated by the strong Comptonized component. We interpret this quasi-stability of the index {Gamma} and a particular form of the spectrum in the framework of a model in which the energy release in the transition layer located between the accretion disk and NS surface dominates that in the disk. Moreover, this index stability effect now established for GX 3+1 was previously found in the atoll source 4U 1728-34 and suggested for a number of other low-mass X-ray NS binaries (see Farinelli and Titarchuk). This intrinsic behavior of NSs, in particular for atoll sources, is fundamentally different from that seen in black hole binary sources where the index monotonically increases during spectral transition from

Accretion in Close Pre-Main-Sequence Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardila, David

2010-09-01

We propose to use COS to observe the circumbinary accretion flow in pre-main sequence binaries as a function of orbital phase. These observations will help us understand how the magnetosphere captures circumbinary gas, test model predictions regarding the importance of the mass ratio in directing the accretion flows, and study the kinematics of the gas filling the circumbinary gap. We will observe UZ Tau E {mass ratio q=0.3, e=0.33} and DQ Tau {q=1, e=0.58} in four phases, over three orbital periods, using G160M and G230L. The targets are Classical T Tauri stars for which the circumstellar disks are severely truncated. Our primary observables will be the CIV {1550 A} lines, formed at the footpoints of the accretion flow onto the star. We expect to observe the ebb and flow of the line shape, centroid, and flux as a function of orbital phase. The low-resolution NUV continuum observations will provide an independent measurement of the total accretion rate.

Models of the hard X-ray spectrum of AM Herculis and implications for the accretion rate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swank, J. H.; Fabian, A. C.; Ross, R. R.

1983-01-01

Phenomenological fits to the hard X-ray spectrum of AM Herculis left unexplained the high equivalent width (0.8 + or - 0.1 keV) of Fe K alpha emission. A purely thermal origin implies a much steeper spectrum than was observed. With Monte Carlo calculations, scattering and fluorescent line production in a cold or partially ionized accretion column of hard X-rays emitted at the base were investigated. The strength of the iron emission and the flat spectral continuum can be explained by the effects of fluorescence and absorption within the accretion column and the surface of the white dwarf on a thermal X-ray spectrum. Thomson optical depths across the column in the range 0.2 to 0.7 are acceptable. The accretion rate and gravitational power can be deduced from the optical depth across the column, if the column size is known, and, together with the observed hard X-ray and polarized light luminosities, imply a lower limit for the luminosity in the UV to soft X-ray range, for which the observations give model-dependent values. Estimates of the column size differ by a factor of 40. Small spot sizes and low luminosities would be consistent with the soft component being the expected reprocessed bremsstrahlung and cyclotron radiation, although the constraint of matching the spectrum confines one to solutions with fluxes exceeding 20% the Eddington limits.

X-shooter study of accretion in Chamaeleon I. II. A steeper increase of accretion with stellar mass for very low-mass stars?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manara, C. F.; Testi, L.; Herczeg, G. J.; Pascucci, I.; Alcalá, J. M.; Natta, A.; Antoniucci, S.; Fedele, D.; Mulders, G. D.; Henning, T.; Mohanty, S.; Prusti, T.; Rigliaco, E.

2017-08-01

The dependence of the mass accretion rate on the stellar properties is a key constraint for star formation and disk evolution studies. Here we present a study of a sample of stars in the Chamaeleon I star-forming region carried out using spectra taken with the ESO VLT/X-shooter spectrograph. The sample is nearly complete down to stellar masses (M⋆) 0.1 M⊙ for the young stars still harboring a disk in this region. We derive the stellar and accretion parameters using a self-consistent method to fit the broadband flux-calibrated medium resolution spectrum. The correlation between accretion luminosity to stellar luminosity, and of mass accretion rate to stellar mass in the logarithmic plane yields slopes of 1.9 ± 0.1 and 2.3 ± 0.3, respectively. These slopes and the accretion rates are consistent with previous results in various star-forming regions and with different theoretical frameworks. However, we find that a broken power-law fit, with a steeper slope for stellar luminosity lower than 0.45 L⊙ and for stellar masses lower than 0.3 M⊙ is slightly preferred according to different statistical tests, but the single power-law model is not excluded. The steeper relation for lower mass stars can be interpreted as a faster evolution in the past for accretion in disks around these objects, or as different accretion regimes in different stellar mass ranges. Finally, we find two regions on the mass accretion versus stellar mass plane that are empty of objects: one region at high mass accretion rates and low stellar masses, which is related to the steeper dependence of the two parameters we derived. The second region is located just above the observational limits imposed by chromospheric emission, at M⋆ 0.3 - 0.4 M⊙. These are typical masses where photoevaporation is known to be effective. The mass accretion rates of this region are 10-10M⊙/yr, which is compatible with the value expected for photoevaporation to rapidly dissipate the inner disk. This work is

Kinetic and radiative power from optically thin accretion flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sądowski, Aleksander; Gaspari, Massimo

2017-06-01

We perform a set of general relativistic, radiative, magneto-hydrodynamical simulations (GR-RMHD) to study the transition from radiatively inefficient to efficient state of accretion on a non-rotating black hole. We study ion to electron temperature ratios ranging from TI/Te = 10 to 100, and simulate flows corresponding to accretion rates as low as 10^{-6}\\dot{M}_Edd, and as high as 10^{-2}\\dot{M}_Edd. We have found that the radiative output of accretion flows increases with accretion rate, and that the transition occurs earlier for hotter electrons (lower TI/Te ratio). At the same time, the mechanical efficiency hardly changes and accounts to ≈3 per cent of the accreted rest mass energy flux, even at the highest simulated accretion rates. This is particularly important for the mechanical active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback regulating massive galaxies, groups and clusters. Comparison with recent observations of radiative and mechanical AGN luminosities suggests that the ion to electron temperature ratio in the inner, collisionless accretion flow should fall within 10 < TI/Te < 30, I.e. the electron temperature should be several percent of the ion temperature.

Evaporation of Accretion Disks around Black Holes: The Disk-Corona Transition and the Connection to the Advection-dominated Accretion Flow.

PubMed

Liu; Yuan; Meyer; Meyer-Hofmeister; Xie

1999-12-10

We apply the disk-corona evaporation model (Meyer & Meyer-Hofmeister) originally derived for dwarf novae to black hole systems. This model describes the transition of a thin cool outer disk to a hot coronal flow. The mass accretion rate determines the location of this transition. For a number of well-studied black hole binaries, we take the mass flow rates derived from a fit of the advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) model to the observed spectra (for a review, see Narayan, Mahadevan, & Quataert) and determine where the transition of accretion via a cool disk to a coronal flow/ADAF would be located for these rates. We compare this with the observed location of the inner disk edge, as estimated from the maximum velocity of the Halpha emission line. We find that the transition caused by evaporation agrees with this determination in stellar disks. We also show that the ADAF and the "thin outer disk + corona" are compatible in terms of the physics in the transition region.

OGLE-2014-SN-073 as a fallback accretion powered supernova

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moriya, Takashi J.; Terreran, Giacomo; Blinnikov, Sergei I.

2018-03-01

We investigate the possibility that the energetic Type II supernova OGLE-2014-SN-073 is powered by a fallback accretion following the failed explosion of a massive star. Taking massive hydrogen-rich supernova progenitor models, we estimate the fallback accretion rate and calculate the light-curve evolution of supernovae powered by the fallback accretion. We find that such fallback accretion powered models can reproduce the overall observational properties of OGLE-2014-SN-073. It may imply that some failed explosions could be observed as energetic supernovae like OGLE-2014-SN-073 instead of faint supernovae as previously proposed.

Wind accretion and formation of disk structures in symbiotic binary systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Val-Borro, M.; Karovska, M.; Sasselov, D. D.; Stone, J. M.

2015-05-01

We investigate gravitationally focused wind accretion in binary systems consisting of an evolved star with a gaseous envelope and a compact accreting companion. We study the mass accretion and formation of an accretion disk around the secondary caused by the strong wind from the primary late-type component using global 2D and 3D hydrodynamic numerical simulations. In particular, the dependence of the mass accretion rate on the mass loss rate, wind temperature and orbital parameters of the system is considered. For a typical slow and massive wind from an evolved star the mass transfer through a focused wind results in rapid infall onto the secondary. A stream flow is created between the stars with accretion rates of a 2--10% percent of the mass loss from the primary. This mechanism could be an important method for explaining periodic modulations in the accretion rates for a broad range of interacting binary systems and fueling of a large population of X-ray binary systems. We test the plausibility of these accretion flows indicated by the simulations by comparing with observations of the symbiotic variable system CH Cyg.

Accretion dynamics of EX Lupi in quiescence. The star, the spot, and the accretion column

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sicilia-Aguilar, Aurora; Fang, Min; Roccatagliata, Veronica; Collier Cameron, Andrew; Kóspál, Ágnes; Henning, Thomas; Ábrahám, Peter; Sipos, Nikoletta

2015-08-01

Context. EX Lupi is a young, accreting M0 star and the prototype of EXor variable stars. Its spectrum is very rich in emission lines, including many metallic lines with narrow and broad components. The presence of a close companion has also been proposed, based on radial velocity signatures. Aims: We use the metallic emission lines to study the accretion structures and to test the companion hypothesis. Methods: We analyse 54 spectra obtained during five years of quiescence time. We study the line profile variability and the radial velocity of the narrow and broad metallic emission lines. We use the velocity signatures of different species with various excitation conditions and their time dependency to track the dynamics associated with accretion. Results: We observe periodic velocity variations in the broad and the narrow line components, consistent with rotational modulation. The modulation is stronger for lines with higher excitation potentials (e.g. He II), which are likely produced in a confined area very close to the accretion shock. Conclusions: We propose that the narrow line components are produced in the post-shock region, while the broad components originate in the more extended, pre-shock material in the accretion column. All the emission lines suffer velocity modulation due to the rotation of the star. The broad components are responsible for the line-dependent veiling observed in EX Lupi. We demonstrate that a rotationally modulated line-dependent veiling can explain the radial velocity signature of the photospheric absorption lines, making the close-in companion hypothesis unnecessary. The accretion structure is locked to the star and very stable during the five years of observations. Not all stars with similar spectral types and accretion rates show the same metallic emission lines, which could be related to differences in temperature and density in their accretion structure(s). The contamination of photospheric signatures by accretion

Is Episodic Accretion Necessary to Resolve the Luminosity Problem in Low-Mass Protostars?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sevrinsky, Raymond Andrew; Dunham, Michael

2017-01-01

In this contribution, we compare the results of protostellar accretion simulations for scenarios both containing and lacking episodic accretion activity. We determine synthetic observational signatures for collapsing protostars by taking hydrodynamical simulations predicting highly variable episodic accretion events, filtering out the stochastic behavior by applying power law fits to the mass accretion rates onto the disk and central star, and using the filtered rates as inputs to two-dimensional radiative transfer calculations. The spectral energy distributions generated by these calculations are used to calculate standard observational signatures of Lbol and Tbol, and compared directly to a sample of 230 embedded protostars. We explore the degree to which these continually declining accretion models successfully reproduce the observed spread of protostellar luminosities, and examine their consistency with the prior variable models to investigate the degree to which episodic accretion bursts are necessary in protostellar formation theories to match observations of field protostars. The SAO REU program is funded in part by the National Science Foundation REU and Department of Defense ASSURE programs under NSF Grant no. 1262851, and by the Smithsonian Institution.

An upper limit on the contribution of accreting white dwarfs to the type Ia supernova rate.

PubMed

Gilfanov, Marat; Bogdán, Akos

2010-02-18

There is wide agreement that type Ia supernovae (used as standard candles for cosmology) are associated with the thermonuclear explosions of white dwarf stars. The nuclear runaway that leads to the explosion could start in a white dwarf gradually accumulating matter from a companion star until it reaches the Chandrasekhar limit, or could be triggered by the merger of two white dwarfs in a compact binary system. The X-ray signatures of these two possible paths are very different. Whereas no strong electromagnetic emission is expected in the merger scenario until shortly before the supernova, the white dwarf accreting material from the normal star becomes a source of copious X-rays for about 10(7) years before the explosion. This offers a means of determining which path dominates. Here we report that the observed X-ray flux from six nearby elliptical galaxies and galaxy bulges is a factor of approximately 30-50 less than predicted in the accretion scenario, based upon an estimate of the supernova rate from their K-band luminosities. We conclude that no more than about five per cent of type Ia supernovae in early-type galaxies can be produced by white dwarfs in accreting binary systems, unless their progenitors are much younger than the bulk of the stellar population in these galaxies, or explosions of sub-Chandrasekhar white dwarfs make a significant contribution to the supernova rate.

Accretional Heating by Periodic Dwarf Nova Outburst Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godon, P.; Sion, E. M.

2001-12-01

We carry out simulations of evolutionary models of accreting white dwarfs in dwarf novae to assess the combined effect of boundary layer irradiation and compressional heating on the accreting star. We focus on the behavior of the surface observables of the accreting white dwarf for different value of the mass accretion rate and accretor mass. Outburst of days to weeks are followed by a shut off of the radial infall during quiescences lasting weeks to months. Preliminary results indicate that after a long evolution time of many accretion cycles, the effective surface temperature of the white dwarf will increase substantially. The purpose of this work is to generate a grid of models that will then be used to compared with observations of white dwarf heating and cooling in dwarf nova systems. This work is supported by NASA HST grant GO-8139 and in part by NSF grant AST99-01955 and NASA grant NAG5-8388.

Prehistorical and historical declines in Caribbean coral reef accretion rates driven by loss of parrotfish

PubMed Central

Cramer, Katie L.; O'Dea, Aaron; Clark, Tara R.; Zhao, Jian-xin; Norris, Richard D.

2017-01-01

Caribbean coral reefs have transformed into algal-dominated habitats over recent decades, but the mechanisms of change are unresolved due to a lack of quantitative ecological data before large-scale human impacts. To understand the role of reduced herbivory in recent coral declines, we produce a high-resolution 3,000 year record of reef accretion rate and herbivore (parrotfish and urchin) abundance from the analysis of sediments and fish, coral and urchin subfossils within cores from Caribbean Panama. At each site, declines in accretion rates and parrotfish abundance were initiated in the prehistorical or historical period. Statistical tests of direct cause and effect relationships using convergent cross mapping reveal that accretion rates are driven by parrotfish abundance (but not vice versa) but are not affected by total urchin abundance. These results confirm the critical role of parrotfish in maintaining coral-dominated reef habitat and the urgent need for restoration of parrotfish populations to enable reef persistence. PMID:28112169

X-ray observations of the accreting Be/X-ray binary pulsar A 0535+26 in outburst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caballero, I.

2009-04-01

the cyclotron line energy with the X-ray luminosity are thought to be related to a change in the height of the accretion column as the mass accretion rate varies. A detailed timing analysis has been performed, and we find for the first time the onset of a spin-up, at a phase close to the periastron passage, during a normal outburst, providing evidence for an accretion disk around the neutron star. Energy-dependent pulse profiles of the source have been studied and compared to historical observations. During the rising part of the outburst a series of flares were observed. RXTE observed one of these flares, and we found during the flare the energy of the fundamental cyclotron line shifted to a significantly higher position compared to the rest of the outburst. Also, the energy-dependent pulse profiles during the flare were found to vary significantly from the rest of the outburst. These differences have been interpreted in terms of a theoretical model, based on the presence of magnetospheric instabilities at the onset of the accretion. We applied a decomposition method to A 0535+26 energy-dependent pulse profiles. Basic assumptions of the method are that the asymmetry observed in the pulse profiles is caused by non-antipodal magnetic poles, and that the emission regions have axisymmetric beam patterns. Using pulse profiles obtained from RXTE observations, the contribution of the two emission regions has been disentangled. Constraints on the geometry of the pulsar and a possible solution of the beam pattern are given. The reconstructed beam pattern is interpreted in terms of a geometrical model that includes relativistic light deflection.

Time-dependent Models of Magnetospheric Accretion onto Young Stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robinson, C. E.; Espaillat, C. C.; Owen, J. E.

Accretion onto Classical T Tauri stars is thought to take place through the action of magnetospheric processes, with gas in the inner disk being channeled onto the star’s surface by the stellar magnetic field lines. Young stars are known to accrete material in a time-variable manner, and the source of this variability remains an open problem, particularly on the shortest (∼day) timescales. Using one-dimensional time-dependent numerical simulations that follow the field line geometry, we find that for plausibly realistic young stars, steady-state transonic accretion occurs naturally in the absence of any other source of variability. However, we show that ifmore » the density in the inner disk varies smoothly in time with ∼day-long timescales (e.g., due to turbulence), this complication can lead to the development of shocks in the accretion column. These shocks propagate along the accretion column and ultimately hit the star, leading to rapid, large amplitude changes in the accretion rate. We argue that when these shocks hit the star, the observed time dependence will be a rapid increase in accretion luminosity, followed by a slower decline, and could be an explanation for some of the short-period variability observed in accreting young stars. Our one-dimensional approach bridges previous analytic work to more complicated multi-dimensional simulations and observations.« less

Accretion in Radiative Equipartition (AiRE) Disks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yazdi, Yasaman K.; Afshordi, Niayesh, E-mail: yyazdi@pitp.ca, E-mail: nafshordi@pitp.ca

2017-07-01

Standard accretion disk theory predicts that the total pressure in disks at typical (sub-)Eddington accretion rates becomes radiation pressure dominated. However, radiation pressure dominated disks are thermally unstable. Since these disks are observed in approximate steady state over the instability timescale, our accretion models in the radiation-pressure-dominated regime (i.e., inner disk) need to be modified. Here, we present a modification to the Shakura and Sunyaev model, where the radiation pressure is in equipartition with the gas pressure in the inner region. We call these flows accretion in radiative equipartition (AiRE) disks. We introduce the basic features of AiRE disks andmore » show how they modify disk properties such as the Toomre parameter and the central temperature. We then show that the accretion rate of AiRE disks is limited from above and below, by Toomre and nodal sonic point instabilities, respectively. The former leads to a strict upper limit on the mass of supermassive black holes as a function of cosmic time (and spin), while the latter could explain the transition between hard and soft states of X-ray binaries.« less

Accretion in Radiative Equipartition (AiRE) Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yazdi, Yasaman K.; Afshordi, Niayesh

2017-07-01

Standard accretion disk theory predicts that the total pressure in disks at typical (sub-)Eddington accretion rates becomes radiation pressure dominated. However, radiation pressure dominated disks are thermally unstable. Since these disks are observed in approximate steady state over the instability timescale, our accretion models in the radiation-pressure-dominated regime (I.e., inner disk) need to be modified. Here, we present a modification to the Shakura & Sunyaev model, where the radiation pressure is in equipartition with the gas pressure in the inner region. We call these flows accretion in radiative equipartition (AiRE) disks. We introduce the basic features of AiRE disks and show how they modify disk properties such as the Toomre parameter and the central temperature. We then show that the accretion rate of AiRE disks is limited from above and below, by Toomre and nodal sonic point instabilities, respectively. The former leads to a strict upper limit on the mass of supermassive black holes as a function of cosmic time (and spin), while the latter could explain the transition between hard and soft states of X-ray binaries.

Correlating non-linear properties with spectral states of RXTE data: possible observational evidences for four different accretion modes around compact objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adegoke, Oluwashina; Dhang, Prasun; Mukhopadhyay, Banibrata; Ramadevi, M. C.; Bhattacharya, Debbijoy

2018-05-01

By analysing the time series of RXTE/PCA data, the non-linear variabilities of compact sources have been repeatedly established. Depending on the variation in temporal classes, compact sources exhibit different non-linear features. Sometimes they show low correlation/fractal dimension, but in other classes or intervals of time they exhibit stochastic nature. This could be because the accretion flow around a compact object is a non-linear general relativistic system involving magnetohydrodynamics. However, the more conventional way of addressing a compact source is the analysis of its spectral state. Therefore, the question arises: What is the connection of non-linearity to the underlying spectral properties of the flow when the non-linear properties are related to the associated transport mechanisms describing the geometry of the flow? This work is aimed at addressing this question. Based on the connection between observed spectral and non-linear (time series) properties of two X-ray binaries: GRS 1915+105 and Sco X-1, we attempt to diagnose the underlying accretion modes of the sources in terms of known accretion classes, namely, Keplerian disc, slim disc, advection dominated accretion flow and general advective accretion flow. We explore the possible transition of the sources from one accretion mode to others with time. We further argue that the accretion rate must play an important role in transition between these modes.

Laboratory unraveling of matter accretion in young stars

PubMed Central

Revet, Guilhem; Chen, Sophia N.; Bonito, Rosaria; Khiar, Benjamin; Filippov, Evgeny; Argiroffi, Costanza; Higginson, Drew P.; Orlando, Salvatore; Béard, Jérôme; Blecher, Marius; Borghesi, Marco; Burdonov, Konstantin; Khaghani, Dimitri; Naughton, Kealan; Pépin, Henri; Portugall, Oliver; Riquier, Raphael; Rodriguez, Rafael; Ryazantsev, Sergei N.; Yu. Skobelev, Igor; Soloviev, Alexander; Willi, Oswald; Pikuz, Sergey; Ciardi, Andrea; Fuchs, Julien

2017-01-01

Accretion dynamics in the formation of young stars is still a matter of debate because of limitations in observations and modeling. Through scaled laboratory experiments of collimated plasma accretion onto a solid in the presence of a magnetic field, we open a first window on this phenomenon by tracking, with spatial and temporal resolution, the dynamics of the system and simultaneously measuring multiband emissions. We observe in these experiments that matter, upon impact, is ejected laterally from the solid surface and then refocused by the magnetic field toward the incoming stream. This ejected matter forms a plasma shell that envelops the shocked core, reducing escaped x-ray emission. This finding demonstrates one possible structure reconciling current discrepancies between mass accretion rates derived from x-ray and optical observations, respectively. PMID:29109974

Laboratory unraveling of matter accretion in young stars

DOE PAGES

Revet, Guilhem; Chen, Sophia N.; Bonito, Rosaria; ...

2017-11-01

Accretion dynamics in the formation of young stars is still a matter of debate because of limitations in observations and modeling. Through scaled laboratory experiments of collimated plasma accretion onto a solid in the presence of a magnetic field, we open a first window on this phenomenon by tracking, with spatial and temporal resolution, the dynamics of the system and simultaneously measuring multiband emissions. Here, we observe in these experiments that matter, upon impact, is ejected laterally from the solid surface and then refocused by the magnetic field toward the incoming stream. This ejected matter forms a plasma shell thatmore » envelops the shocked core, reducing escaped x-ray emission. Our finding demonstrates one possible structure reconciling current discrepancies between mass accretion rates derived from x-ray and optical observations, respectively.« less

Laboratory unraveling of matter accretion in young stars.

PubMed

Revet, Guilhem; Chen, Sophia N; Bonito, Rosaria; Khiar, Benjamin; Filippov, Evgeny; Argiroffi, Costanza; Higginson, Drew P; Orlando, Salvatore; Béard, Jérôme; Blecher, Marius; Borghesi, Marco; Burdonov, Konstantin; Khaghani, Dimitri; Naughton, Kealan; Pépin, Henri; Portugall, Oliver; Riquier, Raphael; Rodriguez, Rafael; Ryazantsev, Sergei N; Yu Skobelev, Igor; Soloviev, Alexander; Willi, Oswald; Pikuz, Sergey; Ciardi, Andrea; Fuchs, Julien

2017-11-01

Accretion dynamics in the formation of young stars is still a matter of debate because of limitations in observations and modeling. Through scaled laboratory experiments of collimated plasma accretion onto a solid in the presence of a magnetic field, we open a first window on this phenomenon by tracking, with spatial and temporal resolution, the dynamics of the system and simultaneously measuring multiband emissions. We observe in these experiments that matter, upon impact, is ejected laterally from the solid surface and then refocused by the magnetic field toward the incoming stream. This ejected matter forms a plasma shell that envelops the shocked core, reducing escaped x-ray emission. This finding demonstrates one possible structure reconciling current discrepancies between mass accretion rates derived from x-ray and optical observations, respectively.

Laboratory unraveling of matter accretion in young stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Revet, Guilhem; Chen, Sophia N.; Bonito, Rosaria

Accretion dynamics in the formation of young stars is still a matter of debate because of limitations in observations and modeling. Through scaled laboratory experiments of collimated plasma accretion onto a solid in the presence of a magnetic field, we open a first window on this phenomenon by tracking, with spatial and temporal resolution, the dynamics of the system and simultaneously measuring multiband emissions. Here, we observe in these experiments that matter, upon impact, is ejected laterally from the solid surface and then refocused by the magnetic field toward the incoming stream. This ejected matter forms a plasma shell thatmore » envelops the shocked core, reducing escaped x-ray emission. Our finding demonstrates one possible structure reconciling current discrepancies between mass accretion rates derived from x-ray and optical observations, respectively.« less

X-Shooter study of accretion in Chamaeleon I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manara, C. F.; Fedele, D.; Herczeg, G. J.; Teixeira, P. S.

2016-01-01

We present the analysis of 34 new VLT/X-Shooter spectra of young stellar objects in the Chamaeleon I star-forming region, together with four more spectra of stars in Taurus and two in Chamaeleon II. The broad wavelength coverage and accurate flux calibration of our spectra allow us to estimate stellar and accretion parameters for our targets by fitting the photospheric and accretion continuum emission from the Balmer continuum down to ~700 nm. The dependence of accretion on stellar properties for this sample is consistent with previous results from the literature. The accretion rates for transitional disks are consistent with those of full disks in the same region. The spread of mass accretion rates at any given stellar mass is found to be smaller than in many studies, but is larger than that derived in the Lupus clouds using similar data and techniques. Differences in the stellar mass range and in the environmental conditions between our sample and that of Lupus may account for the discrepancy in scatter between Chamaeleon I and Lupus. Complete samples in Chamaeleon I and Lupus are needed to determine whether the difference in scatter of accretion rates and the lack of evolutionary trends are not influenced by sample selection. This work is based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the Paranal Observatory under programme ID 084.C-1095 and 094.C-0913.

The Loopy Ultraviolet Line Profiles of RU Lupi: Accretion, Outflows, and Fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herczeg, Gregory J.; Walter, Frederick M.; Linsky, Jeffrey L.; Gahm, Gösta F.; Ardila, David R.; Brown, Alexander; Johns-Krull, Christopher M.; Simon, Michal; Valenti, Jeff A.

2005-06-01

We present far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectra of the classical T Tauri star RU Lup covering the 912-1710 Å spectral range, as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope STIS and the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer satellite. We use these spectra, which are rich in emission and absorption lines, to probe both the accreting and outflowing gas. Absorption in the Lyα profile constrains the extinction to AV~0.07 mag, which we confirm with other diagnostics. We estimate a mass accretion rate of (5+/-2)×10-8 Msolar yr-1 using the optical-NUV accretion continuum. The accreting gas is also detected in bright, broad lines of C IV, Si IV, and N V, which all show complex structures across the line profile. Many other emission lines, including those of H2 and Fe II, are pumped by Lyα. RU Lup's spectrum varies significantly in the FUV; our STIS observations occurred when RU Lup was brighter than several other observations in the FUV, possibly because of a high mass accretion rate.

Accretion disk dynamics in X-ray binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peris, Charith Srian

Accreting X-ray binaries consist of a normal star which orbits a compact object with the former transferring matter onto the later via an accretion disk. These accretion disks emit radiation across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. This thesis exploits two regions of the spectrum, exploring the (1) inner disk regions of an accreting black hole binary, GRS1915+105, using X-ray spectral analysis and (2) the outer accretion disks of a set of neutron star and black hole binaries using Doppler Tomography applied on optical observations. X-ray spectral analysis of black hole binary GRS1915+105: GRS1915+105 stands out as an exceptional black hole primarily due to the wild variability exhibited by about half of its X-ray observations. This study focused on the steady X-ray observations of the source, which were found to exhibit significant curvature in the harder coronal component within the RXTE/PCA band-pass. The roughly constant inner-disk radius seen in a majority of the steady-soft observations is strongly reminiscent of canonical soft state black-hole binaries. Remarkably, the steady-hard observations show the presence of growing truncation in the inner-disk. A majority of the steady observations of GRS1915+105 map to the states observed in canonical black hole binaries which suggests that within the complexity of this source is a simpler underlying basis of states. Optical tomography of X-ray binary systems: Doppler tomography was applied to the strong line features present in the optical spectra of X-ray binaries in order to determine the geometric structure of the systems' emitting regions. The point where the accretion stream hits the disk, also referred to as the "hotspot'', is clearly identified in the neutron star system V691 CrA and the black hole system Nova Muscae 1991. Evidence for stream-disk overflows exist in both systems, consistent with relatively high accretion rates. In contrast, V926 Sco does not show evidence for the presence of a hotspot which

Numerical studies of asymmetric adiabatic accretion flow - The effect of velocity gradients

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taam, Ronald E.; Fryxell, B. A.

1989-01-01

A numerical study of the time variation of the angular momentum and mass capture rates for a central object accreting from a uniform medium with a velocity gradient transverse to the direction of the mean flow is presented, covering a range of velocity asymmetries and Mach numbers in the incident flow. It is found that the mass accretion rate in a given evolutionary sequence varies in an irregular manner, with the matter accreting onto the central object from either a continuously moving accretion wake or from an accretion disk. The implications of the results from the study of short-term fluctuations observed in the pulse period and luminosity of X-ray pulsars are discussed.

Ubiquitous equatorial accretion disc winds in black hole soft states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponti, G.; Fender, R. P.; Begelman, M. C.; Dunn, R. J. H.; Neilsen, J.; Coriat, M.

2012-05-01

High-resolution spectra of Galactic black holes (GBHs) reveal the presence of highly ionized absorbers. In one GBH, accreting close to the Eddington limit for more than a decade, a powerful accretion disc wind is observed to be present in softer X-ray states and it has been suggested that it can carry away enough mass and energy to quench the radio jet. Here we report that these winds, which may have mass outflow rates of the order of the inner accretion rate or higher, are a ubiquitous component of the jet-free soft states of all GBHs. We furthermore demonstrate that these winds have an equatorial geometry with opening angles of few tens of degrees, and so are only observed in sources in which the disc is inclined at a large angle to the line of sight. The decrease in Fe XXV/Fe XXVI line ratio with Compton temperature, observed in the soft state, suggests a link between higher wind ionization and harder spectral shapes. Although the physical interaction between the wind, accretion flow and jet is still not fully understood, the mass flux and power of these winds and their presence ubiquitously during the soft X-ray states suggest they are fundamental components of the accretion phenomenon.

MHD Simulations of Magnetized Stars in the Propeller Regime of Accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lii, Patrick; Romanova, Marina; Lovelace, Richard

2014-01-01

Accreting magnetized stars may be in the propeller regime of disc accretion in which the angular velocity of the stellar magnetosphere exceeds that of the inner disc. In these systems, the stellar magnetosphere acts as a centrifugal barrier and inhibits matter accretion onto the rapidly rotating star. Instead, the matter accreting through the disc accumulates at the disc-magnetosphere interface where it picks up angular momentum and is ejected from the system as a wide-angled outflow which gradually collimates at larger distances from the star. If the ejection rate is lower than the accretion rate, the matter will accumulate at the boundary faster than it can be ejected; in this case, accretion onto the star proceeds through an episodic accretion instability in which the episodes of matter accumulation are followed by a brief episode of simultaneous ejection and accretion of matter onto the star. In addition to the matter dominated wind component, the propeller outflow also exhibits a well-collimated, magnetically-dominated Poynting jet which transports energy and angular momentum away from the star. The propeller mechanism may explain some of the weakly-collimated jets and winds observed around some T Tauri stars as well as the episodic variability present in their light curves. It may also explain some of the quasi-periodic variability observed in cataclysmic variables, millisecond pulsars and other magnetized stars.

Mixed ice accretion on aircraft wings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janjua, Zaid A.; Turnbull, Barbara; Hibberd, Stephen; Choi, Kwing-So

2018-02-01

Ice accretion is a problematic natural phenomenon that affects a wide range of engineering applications including power cables, radio masts, and wind turbines. Accretion on aircraft wings occurs when supercooled water droplets freeze instantaneously on impact to form rime ice or runback as water along the wing to form glaze ice. Most models to date have ignored the accretion of mixed ice, which is a combination of rime and glaze. A parameter we term the "freezing fraction" is defined as the fraction of a supercooled droplet that freezes on impact with the top surface of the accretion ice to explore the concept of mixed ice accretion. Additionally we consider different "packing densities" of rime ice, mimicking the different bulk rime densities observed in nature. Ice accretion is considered in four stages: rime, primary mixed, secondary mixed, and glaze ice. Predictions match with existing models and experimental data in the limiting rime and glaze cases. The mixed ice formulation however provides additional insight into the composition of the overall ice structure, which ultimately influences adhesion and ice thickness, and shows that for similar atmospheric parameter ranges, this simple mixed ice description leads to very different accretion rates. A simple one-dimensional energy balance was solved to show how this freezing fraction parameter increases with decrease in atmospheric temperature, with lower freezing fraction promoting glaze ice accretion.

Low-radiative efficiency accretion: Microphysics and applications to low-luminosity AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quataert, Eliot James Leo

There is growing dynamical evidence that most nearby galaxies contain central ``massive dark objects,'' most likely supermassive black holes. Accretion onto a supermassive black hole may therefore be commonplace, and not just restricted to quasars and active galactic nuclei (AGN). This hypothesis is supported by observational surveys which show that the majority of nearby galaxies have nuclear emission properties reminiscent of AGN. Their emission-line and bolometric luminosities are, however, ~102 - 105 times smaller than typical AGN. In this thesis I explore several issues related to the physics of these low luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGN). In particular, it has been proposed that LLAGN are supermassive black holes accreting mass via a radiatively inefficient advection-dominated accretion flow, in which most of the energy dissipated by turbulence is carried with the gas through the event horizon rather than being radiated. This requires that turbulence dissipate most of its energy into the protons, rather than the electrons. I calculate the heating of electrons and protons by the collisionless dissipation of magneto-hydrodynamic turbulence and argue that preferential proton heating can only be achieved for relatively subthermal magnetic fields (roughly β >~ 10, where β is the average ratio of the gas pressure to the magnetic pressure in the accretion flow). For stronger, near equipartition, magnetic fields (β ~ 1), the electrons receive most of the turbulent energy. I give an independent argument, based on a fluid model for the radial evolution of the magnetic energy density in the accretion flow, that magnetic fields in advection- dominated accretion flows may be somewhat subthermal. An alternative explanation for LLAGN is that they accrete mass at very low rates. This is, however, inconsistent with accretion rate estimates (based on Bondi's method) in nearby massive elliptical galaxies and the center of our Galaxy. I give a detailed discussion of

Observational constraints on black hole accretion disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liang, Edison P.

1994-01-01

We review the empirical constraints on accretion disk models of stellar-mass black holes based on recent multiwavelength observational results. In addition to time-averaged emission spectra, the time evolutions of the intensity and spectrum provide critical information about the structure, stability, and dynamics of the disk. Using the basic thermal Keplerian disk paradigm, we consider in particular generalizations of the standard optically thin disk models needed to accommodate the extremely rich variety of dynamical phenomena exhibited by black hole candidates ranging from flares of electron-positron annihilations and quasiperiodic oscillations in the X-ray intensity to X-ray novae activity. These in turn provide probes of the disk structure and global geometry. The goal is to construct a single unified framework to interpret a large variety of black hole phenomena. This paper will concentrate on the interface between basic theory and observational data modeling.

Three-dimensional hydrodynamical models of wind and outburst-related accretion in symbiotic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Val-Borro, M.; Karovska, M.; Sasselov, D. D.; Stone, J. M.

2017-07-01

Gravitationally focused wind accretion in binary systems consisting of an evolved star with a gaseous envelope and a compact accreting companion is a possible mechanism to explain mass transfer in symbiotic binaries. We study the mass accretion around the secondary caused by the strong wind from the primary late-type component using global three-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical simulations during quiescence and outburst stages. In particular, the dependence of the mass accretion rate on the mass-loss rate, wind parameters and phases of wind outburst development is considered. For a typical wind from an asymptotic giant branch star with a mass-loss rate of 10-6 M⊙ yr-1 and wind speeds of 20-50 km s-1, the mass transfer through a focused wind results in efficient infall on to the secondary. Accretion rates on to the secondary of 5-20 per cent of the mass-loss from the primary are obtained during quiescence and outburst periods where the wind velocity and mass-loss rates are varied, about 20-50 per cent larger than in the standard Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton approximation. This mechanism could be an important method for explaining observed accretion luminosities and periodic modulations in the accretion rates for a broad range of interacting binary systems.

Supermassive Black Holes with High Accretion Rates in Active Galactic Nuclei. VI. Velocity-resolved Reverberation Mapping of the Hβ Line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Pu; Lu, Kai-Xing; Hu, Chen; Qiu, Jie; Li, Yan-Rong; Huang, Ying-Ke; Wang, Fang; Bai, Jin-Ming; Bian, Wei-Hao; Yuan, Ye-Fei; Ho, Luis C.; Wang, Jian-Min; SEAMBH Collaboration

2016-03-01

In the sixth of a series of papers reporting on a large reverberation mapping (RM) campaign of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with high accretion rates, we present velocity-resolved time lags of Hβ emission lines for nine objects observed in the campaign during 2012-2013. In order to correct the line broadening caused by seeing and instruments before analyzing the velocity-resolved RM, we adopt the Richardson-Lucy deconvolution to reconstruct their Hβ profiles. The validity and effectiveness of the deconvolution are checked using Monte Carlo simulation. Five among the nine objects show clear dependence of the time delay on velocity. Mrk 335 and Mrk 486 show signatures of gas inflow whereas the clouds in the broad-line regions (BLRs) of Mrk 142 and MCG +06-26-012 tend to be radial outflowing. Mrk 1044 is consistent with having virialized motions. The lags of the remaining four are not velocity-resolvable. The velocity-resolved RM of super-Eddington accreting massive black holes (SEAMBHs) shows that they have diverse kinematics in their BLRs. Comparing with the AGNs with sub-Eddington accretion rates, we do not find significant differences in the BLR kinematics of SEAMBHs.

SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES WITH HIGH ACCRETION RATES IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI. VI. VELOCITY-RESOLVED REVERBERATION MAPPING OF THE Hβ LINE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Du, Pu; Lu, Kai-Xing; Hu, Chen

In the sixth of a series of papers reporting on a large reverberation mapping (RM) campaign of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with high accretion rates, we present velocity-resolved time lags of Hβ emission lines for nine objects observed in the campaign during 2012–2013. In order to correct the line broadening caused by seeing and instruments before analyzing the velocity-resolved RM, we adopt the Richardson–Lucy deconvolution to reconstruct their Hβ profiles. The validity and effectiveness of the deconvolution are checked using Monte Carlo simulation. Five among the nine objects show clear dependence of the time delay on velocity. Mrk 335 andmore » Mrk 486 show signatures of gas inflow whereas the clouds in the broad-line regions (BLRs) of Mrk 142 and MCG +06-26-012 tend to be radial outflowing. Mrk 1044 is consistent with having virialized motions. The lags of the remaining four are not velocity-resolvable. The velocity-resolved RM of super-Eddington accreting massive black holes (SEAMBHs) shows that they have diverse kinematics in their BLRs. Comparing with the AGNs with sub-Eddington accretion rates, we do not find significant differences in the BLR kinematics of SEAMBHs.« less

Star Formation in Massive Clusters via Bondi Accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, Norman; Chang, Philip

2012-02-01

Essentially all stars form in giant molecular clouds (GMCs). However, inside GMCs, most of the gas does not participate in star formation; rather, denser gas accumulates in clumps in the GMC, with the bulk of the stars in a given GMC forming in a few of the most massive clumps. In the Milky Way, these clumps have masses M cl <~ 5 × 10-2 of the GMC, radii r cl ~ 1 pc, and free-fall times τcl ~ 2 × 105 yr. We show that clumps inside GMCs should accrete at a modified Bondi accretion rate, which depends on clump mass as \\dot{M}_{cl}\\sim M_{cl}^{5/4}. This rate is initially rather slow, usually slower than the initial star formation rate inside the clump (we adopt the common assumption that inside the clump, \\dot{M}_*=\\epsilon _ffM_{cl}/\\tau _{cl}, with epsilonff ≈ 0.017). However, after ~2 GMC free-fall times τGMC, the clump accretion rate accelerates rapidly; formally, the clump can accrete the entire GMC in ~3τGMC. At the same time, the star formation rate accelerates, tracking the Bondi accretion rate. If the GMC is disrupted by feedback from the largest clump, half the stars in that clump form in the final τGMC before the GMC is disrupted. The theory predicts that the distribution of effective star formation rates, measured per GMC free-fall time, is broad, ranging from ~0.001 up to 0.1 or larger and that the mass spectrum of star clusters is flatter than that of clumps, consistent with observations.

Hyper-Eddington accretion flows on to massive black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inayoshi, Kohei; Haiman, Zoltán; Ostriker, Jeremiah P.

2016-07-01

We study very high rate, spherically symmetric accretion flows on to massive black holes (BHs; 102 ≲ MBH ≲ 106 M⊙) embedded in dense metal-poor clouds, performing one-dimensional radiation hydrodynamical simulations. We find solutions from outside the Bondi radius at hyper-Eddington rates, unimpeded by radiation feedback when (n∞/105 cm-3) > (MBH/104 M⊙)-1(T∞/104 K)3/2, where n∞ and T∞ are the density and temperature of ambient gas. Accretion rates in this regime are steady, and larger than 5000LEdd/c2, where LEdd is the Eddington luminosity. At lower Bondi rates, the accretion is episodic due to radiative feedback and the average rate is below the Eddington rate. In the hyper-Eddington case, the solution consists of a radiation-dominated central core, where photon trapping due to electron scattering is important, and an accreting envelope which follows a Bondi profile with T ≃ 8000 K. When the emergent luminosity is limited to ≲ LEdd because of photon trapping, radiation from the central region does not affect the gas dynamics at larger scales. We apply our result to the rapid formation of massive BHs in protogalaxies with a virial temperature of Tvir ≳ 104K. Once a seed BH forms at the centre of the galaxy, it can grow to a maximum ˜105(Tvir/104 K) M⊙ via gas accretion independent of the initial BH mass. Finally, we discuss possible observational signatures of rapidly accreting BHs with/without allowance for dust. We suggest that these systems could explain Lyα emitters without X-rays and nearby luminous infrared sources with hot dust emission, respectively.

THE EFFECT OF TRANSIENT ACCRETION ON THE SPIN-UP OF MILLISECOND PULSARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bhattacharyya, Sudip; Chakrabarty, Deepto, E-mail: sudip@tifr.res.in

A millisecond pulsar is a neutron star that has been substantially spun up by accretion from a binary companion. A previously unrecognized factor governing the spin evolution of such pulsars is the crucial effect of nonsteady or transient accretion. We numerically compute the evolution of accreting neutron stars through a series of outburst and quiescent phases, considering the drastic variation of the accretion rate and the standard disk–magnetosphere interaction. We find that, for the same long-term average accretion rate, X-ray transients can spin up pulsars to rates several times higher than can persistent accretors, even when the spin-down due tomore » electromagnetic radiation during quiescence is included. We also compute an analytical expression for the equilibrium spin frequency in transients, by taking spin equilibrium to mean that no net angular momentum is transferred to the neutron star in each outburst cycle. We find that the equilibrium spin rate for transients, which depends on the peak accretion rate during outbursts, can be much higher than that for persistent sources. This explains our numerical finding. This finding implies that any meaningful study of neutron star spin and magnetic field distributions requires the inclusion of the transient accretion effect, since most accreting neutron star sources are transients. Our finding also implies the existence of a submillisecond pulsar population, which is not observed. This may point to the need for a competing spin-down mechanism for the fastest-rotating accreting pulsars, such as gravitational radiation.« less

Radio Observations as a Tool to Investigate Shocks and Asymmetries in Accreting White Dwarf Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weston, Jennifer Helen Seng; E-Nova Project

2017-01-01

In this dissertation, I use radio observations with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to reveal that colliding flows within the ejecta from nova explosions can lead to shocks that accelerate particles and produce radio synchrotron emission. In both novae V1723 Aql and V5589 Sgr, radio emission within the first one to two months deviated strongly from the classic thermal model for radio emission from novae. Three years of radio observations of V1723 Aql show that multiple outflows from the system collided to create non-thermal shocks with a brightness temperature of >106 K. After these shocks faded, the radio light curve became roughly consistent with an expanding thermal shell. However, resolved images of V1723 Aql show elongated material that apparently rotates its major axis over the course of 15 months. In the case of nova V5589 Sgr, I show that the early radio emission is dominated by a shock-powered non-thermal flare that produces strong (kTx > 33 keV) X-rays. These findings have important implications for understanding how normal novae generate GeV gamma-rays.Additionally, I present VLA observations of the symbiotic star CH Cyg and two small surveys of symbiotic binaries. Radio observations of CH Cyg tie the ejection of a collimated jet to a change of state in the accretion disk, strengthening the link between bipolar outflows from accreting white dwarfs and other types of accreting compact objects. Next, I use a survey of eleven accretion-driven symbiotic binaries to determine that the radio brightness of a symbiotic system could potentially be used as an indicator of whether it is powered predominantly by shell burning on the surface of the white dwarf or by accretion. This survey also produces the first radio detections of seven of the target systems. In the second survey of seventeen symbiotic binaries, I spatially resolve extended radio emission in several systems for the first time. The results from these surveys provide some support for the

Pulsed Accretion in the T Tauri Binary TWA 3A

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tofflemire, Benjamin M.; Mathieu, Robert D.; Herczeg, Gregory J.

TWA 3A is the most recent addition to a small group of young binary systems that both actively accrete from a circumbinary disk and have spectroscopic orbital solutions. As such, it provides a unique opportunity to test binary accretion theory in a well-constrained setting. To examine TWA 3A’s time-variable accretion behavior, we have conducted a two-year, optical photometric monitoring campaign, obtaining dense orbital phase coverage (∼20 observations per orbit) for ∼15 orbital periods. From U -band measurements we derive the time-dependent binary mass accretion rate, finding bursts of accretion near each periastron passage. On average, these enhanced accretion events evolvemore » over orbital phases 0.85 to 1.05, reaching their peak at periastron. The specific accretion rate increases above the quiescent value by a factor of ∼4 on average but the peak can be as high as an order of magnitude in a given orbit. The phase dependence and amplitude of TWA 3A accretion is in good agreement with numerical simulations of binary accretion with similar orbital parameters. In these simulations, periastron accretion bursts are fueled by periodic streams of material from the circumbinary disk that are driven by the binary orbit. We find that TWA 3A’s average accretion behavior is remarkably similar to DQ Tau, another T Tauri binary with similar orbital parameters, but with significantly less variability from orbit to orbit. This is only the second clear case of orbital-phase-dependent accretion in a T Tauri binary.« less

Can accretion disk properties observationally distinguish black holes from naked singularities?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovács, Z.; Harko, T.

2010-12-01

Naked singularities are hypothetical astrophysical objects, characterized by a gravitational singularity without an event horizon. Penrose has proposed a conjecture, according to which there exists a cosmic censor who forbids the occurrence of naked singularities. Distinguishing between astrophysical black holes and naked singularities is a major challenge for present day observational astronomy. In the context of stationary and axially symmetrical geometries, a possibility of differentiating naked singularities from black holes is through the comparative study of thin accretion disks properties around rotating naked singularities and Kerr-type black holes, respectively. In the present paper, we consider accretion disks around axially-symmetric rotating naked singularities, obtained as solutions of the field equations in the Einstein-massless scalar field theory. A first major difference between rotating naked singularities and Kerr black holes is in the frame dragging effect, the angular velocity of a rotating naked singularity being inversely proportional to its spin parameter. Because of the differences in the exterior geometry, the thermodynamic and electromagnetic properties of the disks (energy flux, temperature distribution and equilibrium radiation spectrum) are different for these two classes of compact objects, consequently giving clear observational signatures that could discriminate between black holes and naked singularities. For specific values of the spin parameter and of the scalar charge, the energy flux from the disk around a rotating naked singularity can exceed by several orders of magnitude the flux from the disk of a Kerr black hole. In addition to this, it is also shown that the conversion efficiency of the accreting mass into radiation by rotating naked singularities is always higher than the conversion efficiency for black holes, i.e., naked singularities provide a much more efficient mechanism for converting mass into radiation than black

Theory of quasi-spherical accretion in X-ray pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakura, N.; Postnov, K.; Kochetkova, A.; Hjalmarsdotter, L.

2012-02-01

A theoretical model for quasi-spherical subsonic accretion on to slowly rotating magnetized neutron stars is constructed. In this model, the accreting matter subsonically settles down on to the rotating magnetosphere forming an extended quasi-static shell. This shell mediates the angular momentum removal from the rotating neutron star magnetosphere during spin-down episodes by large-scale convective motions. The accretion rate through the shell is determined by the ability of the plasma to enter the magnetosphere. The settling regime of accretion can be realized for moderate accretion rates ? g s-1. At higher accretion rates, a free-fall gap above the neutron star magnetosphere appears due to rapid Compton cooling, and accretion becomes highly non-stationary. From observations of the spin-up/spin-down rates (the angular rotation frequency derivative ?, and ? near the torque reversal) of X-ray pulsars with known orbital periods, it is possible to determine the main dimensionless parameters of the model, as well as to estimate the magnetic field of the neutron star. We illustrate the model by determining these parameters for three wind-fed X-ray pulsars GX 301-2, Vela X-1 and GX 1+4. The model explains both the spin-up/spin-down of the pulsar frequency on large time-scales and the irregular short-term frequency fluctuations, which can correlate or anticorrelate with the X-ray flux fluctuations in different systems. It is shown that in real pulsars an almost iso-angular-momentum rotation law with ω˜ 1/R2, due to strongly anisotropic radial turbulent motions sustained by large-scale convection, is preferred.

A model for accretion of the terrestrial planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weidenschilling, S. J.

1974-01-01

One possible origin of the terrestrial planets involves their formation by gravitational accretion of particles originally in Keplerian orbits about the sun. Some implications of this theory are considered. A formal expression for the rate of mass accretion by a planet is developed. The formal singularity of the gravitational collision cross section for low relative velocities is shown to be without physical significance when the accreting bodies are in heliocentric orbits. The distribution of particle velocities relative to an accreting planet is considered; the mean velocity increases with time. The internal temperature of an accreting planet is shown to depend simply on the accretion rate. A simple and physically reasonable approximate expression for a planetary accretion rate is proposed.

Accreting CO material onto ONe white dwarfs towards accretion-induced collapse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Cheng-Yuan; Wang, Bo

2018-03-01

The final outcomes of accreting ONe white dwarfs (ONe WDs) have been studied for several decades, but there are still some issues that are not resolved. Recently, some studies suggested that the deflagration of oxygen would occur for accreting ONe WDs with Chandrasekhar masses. In this paper, we aim to investigate whether ONe WDs can experience accretion-induced collapse (AIC) or explosions when their masses approach the Chandrasekhar limit. Employing the stellar evolution code Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA), we simulate the long-term evolution of ONe WDs with accreting CO material. The ONe WDs undergo weak multicycle carbon flashes during the mass-accretion process, leading to mass increase of the WDs. We found that different initial WD masses and mass-accretion rates influence the evolution of central density and temperature. However, the central temperature cannot reach the explosive oxygen ignition temperature due to neutrino cooling. This work implies that the final outcome of accreting ONe WDs is electron-capture induced collapse rather than thermonuclear explosion.

Modelling hard and soft states of Cygnus X-1 with propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapisarda, S.; Ingram, A.; van der Klis, M.

2017-12-01

We present a timing analysis of three Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observations of the black hole binary Cygnus X-1 with the propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations model PROPFLUC. The model simultaneously predicts power spectra, time lags and coherence of the variability as a function of energy. The observations cover the soft and hard states of the source, and the transition between the two. We find good agreement between model predictions and data in the hard and soft states. Our analysis suggests that in the soft state the fluctuations propagate in an optically thin hot flow extending up to large radii above and below a stable optically thick disc. In the hard state, our results are consistent with a truncated disc geometry, where the hot flow extends radially inside the inner radius of the disc. In the transition from soft to hard state, the characteristics of the rapid variability are too complex to be successfully described with PROPFLUC. The surface density profile of the hot flow predicted by our model and the lack of quasi-periodic oscillations in the soft and hard states suggest that the spin of the black hole is aligned with the inner accretion disc and therefore probably with the rotational axis of the binary system.

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: The nature of accretion disks of close binary stars: overreflection instability and developed turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fridman, A. M.; Bisikalo, D. V.

2008-06-01

The current status of the physics of accretion disks in close binary stars is reviewed, with an emphasis on the hydrodynamic overreflection instability, which is a factor leading to the accretion disk turbulence. The estimated turbulent viscosity coefficients are in good agreement with observations and explain the high angular momentum transfer rate and the measured accretion rate. Based on the observations, a power-law spectrum for the developed turbulence is obtained.

Swift observations of V404 Cyg during the 2015 outburst: X-ray outflows from super-Eddington accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motta, S. E.; Kajava, J. J. E.; Sánchez-Fernández, C.; Beardmore, A. P.; Sanna, A.; Page, K. L.; Fender, R.; Altamirano, D.; Charles, P.; Giustini, M.; Knigge, C.; Kuulkers, E.; Oates, S.; Osborne, J. P.

2017-10-01

The black hole (BH) binary V404 Cyg entered the outburst phase in 2015 June after 26 yr of X-ray quiescence, and with its behaviour broke the outburst evolution pattern typical of most BH binaries. We observed the entire outburst with the Swift satellite and performed time-resolved spectroscopy of its most active phase, obtaining over a thousand spectra with exposures from tens to hundreds of seconds. All the spectra can be fitted with an absorbed power-law model, which most of the time required the presence of a partial covering. A blueshifted iron-Kα line appears in 10 per cent of the spectra together with the signature of high column densities, and about 20 per cent of the spectra seem to show signatures of reflection. None of the spectra showed the unambiguous presence of soft disc-blackbody emission, while the observed bolometric flux exceeded the Eddington value in 3 per cent of the spectra. Our results can be explained assuming that the inner part of the accretion flow is inflated into a slim disc that both hides the innermost (and brightest) regions of the flow, and produces a cold, clumpy, high-density outflow that introduces the high absorption and fast spectral variability observed. We argue that the BH in V404 Cyg might have been accreting erratically or even continuously at Eddington/super-Eddington rates - thus sustaining a surrounding slim disc - while being partly or completely obscured by the inflated disc and its outflow. Hence, the largest flares produced by the source might not be accretion-driven events, but instead the effects of the unveiling of the extremely bright source hidden within the system.

Jet launching radius in low-power radio-loud AGNs in advection-dominated accretion flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le, Truong; Newman, William; Edge, Brinkley

2018-06-01

Using our theory for the production of relativistic outflows, we estimate the jet launching radius and the inferred mass accretion rate for 52 low-power radio-loud AGNs based on the observed jet powers. Our analysis indicates that (1) a significant fraction of the accreted energy is required to convert the accreted mass to relativistic energy particles for the production of the jets near the event horizon, (2) the jet's launching radius moves radially towards the horizon as the mass accretion rate or jet's power increases, and (3) no jet/outflow formation is possible beyond 44 gravitational radii.

Quasi-spherical accretion in High Mass X-ray Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Postnov, Konstantin

2016-07-01

Quasi-spherical accreion onto magnetized neutron stars from stellar winds in high-mass X-ray binaries is discussed. Depending on the X-ray luminosity of the neutron star, the accretion can proceed in two regimes (modes): at L_x ≳ 4× 10^{36} erg/s, Compton cooling of accreting matter near magnetosphere leads to a supersonic (Bondi) accretion, while at smaller X-ray luminosity the Compton cooling is ineffective, and subsonic settling accretion regime sets in. In this regime, a hot convective shell is formed around the magnetosphere, and the plasma entry rate into magnetosphere is controlled by less effective radiative plasma cooling. The shell mediates the angular momentum transfer from/to the neutron star magnetosphere. Observational evidences for the different accretion regimes in slowly rotating X-ray pulsars with moderate and low X-ray luminosity, as well as possible manifestations of non-stationary quasi-spherical settling accretion due to the magnetospheric shell instability in Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients will be presented.

Accretion and Magnetic Reconnection in the Classical T Tauri Binary DQ Tau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tofflemire, Benjamin M.; Mathieu, Robert D.; Ardila, David R.; Akeson, Rachel L.; Ciardi, David R.; Johns-Krull, Christopher; Herczeg, Gregory J.; Quijano-Vodniza, Alberto

2017-01-01

The theory of binary star formation predicts that close binaries (a < 100 au) will experience periodic pulsed accretion events as streams of material form at the inner edge of a circumbinary disk (CBD), cross a dynamically cleared gap, and feed circumstellar disks or accrete directly onto the stars. The archetype for the pulsed accretion theory is the eccentric, short-period, classical T Tauri binary DQ Tau. Low-cadence (˜daily) broadband photometry has shown brightening events near most periastron passages, just as numerical simulations would predict for an eccentric binary. Magnetic reconnection events (flares) during the collision of stellar magnetospheres near periastron could, however, produce the same periodic, broadband behavior when observed at a one-day cadence. To reveal the dominant physical mechanism seen in DQ Tau’s low-cadence observations, we have obtained continuous, moderate-cadence, multiband photometry over 10 orbital periods, supplemented with 27 nights of minute-cadence photometry centered on four separate periastron passages. While both accretion and stellar flares are present, the dominant timescale and morphology of brightening events are characteristic of accretion. On average, the mass accretion rate increases by a factor of five near periastron, in good agreement with recent models. Large variability is observed in the morphology and amplitude of accretion events from orbit to orbit. We argue that this is due to the absence of stable circumstellar disks around each star, compounded by inhomogeneities at the inner edge of the CBD and within the accretion streams themselves. Quasiperiodic apastron accretion events are also observed, which are not predicted by binary accretion theory.

Is Black Hole Growth a Universal Process? Exploring Selection Effects in Measurements of AGN Accretion Rates and Host Galaxies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Mackenzie

2018-01-01

At the center of essentially every massive galaxy is a monstrous black hole producing luminous radiation driven by the accretion of gas. By observing these active galactic nuclei (AGN) we may trace the growth of black holes across cosmic time. However, our knowledge of the full underlying AGN population is hindered by complex observational biases. My research aims to untangle these biases by using a novel approach to simulate the impact of selection effects on multiwavelength observations.The most statistically powerful studies of AGN to date come from optical spectroscopic surveys, with some reporting a complex relationship between AGN accretion rates and host galaxy characteristics. However, the optical waveband can be strongly influenced by selection effects and dilution from host galaxy star formation. I have shown that accounting for selection effects, the Eddington ratio distribution for optically-selected AGN is consistent with a broad power-law, as seen in the X-rays (Jones et al. 2016). This suggests that a universal Eddington ratio distribution may be enough to describe the full multiwavelength AGN population.Building on these results, I have expanded a semi-numerical galaxy formation simulation to include this straightforward prescription for AGN accretion and explicitly model selection effects. I have found that a simple model for AGN accretion can broadly reproduce the host galaxies and halos of X-ray AGN, and that different AGN selection techniques yield samples with very different host galaxy properties (Jones et al. 2017). Finally, I will discuss the capabilities of this simulation to build synthetic multiwavelength SEDs in order to explore what AGN populations would be detected with the next generation of observatories. This research is supported by a NASA Jenkins Graduate Fellowship under grant no. NNX15AU32H.

Disk Accretion and the Stellar Birthline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartmann, Lee; Cassen, Patrick; Kenyon, Scott J.

1997-02-01

We present a simplified analysis of some effects of disk accretion on the early evolution of fully convective, low-mass pre-main-sequence stars. Our analysis builds on the previous seminal work of Stahler, but it differs in that the accretion of material occurs over a small area of the stellar surface, such as through a disk or magnetospheric accretion column, so that most of the stellar photosphere is free to radiate to space. This boundary condition is similar to the limiting case considered by Palla & Stahler for intermediate-mass stars. We argue that for a wide variety of disk mass accretion rates, material will be added to the star with relatively small amounts of thermal energy. Protostellar evolution calculated assuming this ``low-temperature'' limit of accretion generally follows the results of Stahler because of the thermostatic nature of deuterium fusion, which prevents protostars from contracting below a ``birthline'' in the H-R diagram. Our calculated protostellar radii tend to fall below Stahler's at higher masses; the additional energy loss from the stellar photosphere in the case of disk accretion tends to make the protostar contract. The low-temperature disk accretion evolutionary tracks never fall below the deuterium-fusion birthline until the internal deuterium is depleted, but protostellar tracks can lie above the birthline in the H-R diagram if the initial radius of the protostellar core is large enough or if rapid disk accretion (such as might occur during FU Ori outbursts) adds significant amounts of thermal energy to the star. These possibilities cannot be ruled out by either theoretical arguments or observational constraints at present, so that individual protostars might evolve along a multiplicity of birthlines with a modest range of luminosity at a given mass. Our results indicate that there are large uncertainties in assigning ages for the youngest stars from H-R diagram positions, given the uncertainty in birthline positions. Our

FRB as products of accretion disc funnels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, J. I.

2017-10-01

The repeating FRB 121102, the only fast radio burst (FRB) with an accurately determined position, is associated with a variable persistent radio source. I suggest that an FRB originates in the accretion disc funnels of black holes. Narrowly collimated radiation is emitted along the wandering instantaneous angular momentum axis of accreted matter. This emission is observed as a fast radio burst when it sweeps across the direction to the observer. In this model, in contrast to neutron star (pulsar, RRAT or SGR) models, repeating FRBs do not have underlying periodicity and are co-located with persistent radio sources resulting from their off-axis emission. The model is analogous, on smaller spatial, lower mass and accretion rate and shorter temporal scales, to an active galactic nucleus (AGN), with FRB corresponding to blazars in which the jets point towards us. The small inferred black hole masses imply that FRBs are not associated with galactic nuclei.

Migration of accreting giant planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crida, A.; Bitsch, B.; Raibaldi, A.

2016-12-01

We present the results of 2D hydro simulations of giant planets in proto-planetary discs, which accrete gas at a more or less high rate. First, starting from a solid core of 20 Earth masses, we show that as soon as the runaway accretion of gas turns on, the planet is saved from type I migration : the gap opening mass is reached before the planet is lost into its host star. Furthermore, gas accretion helps opening the gap in low mass discs. Consequently, if the accretion rate is limited to the disc supply, then the planet is already inside a gap and in type II migration. We further show that the type II migration of a Jupiter mass planet actually depends on its accretion rate. Only when the accretion is high do we retrieve the classical picture where no gas crosses the gap and the planet follows the disc spreading. These results impact our understanding of planet migration and planet population synthesis models. The e-poster presenting these results in French can be found here: L'e-poster présentant ces résultats en français est disponible à cette adresse: http://sf2a.eu/semaine-sf2a/2016/posterpdfs/156_179_49.pdf.

Changes in the metallicity of gas giant planets due to pebble accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humphries, R. J.; Nayakshin, S.

2018-06-01

We run numerical simulations to study the accretion of gas and dust grains on to gas giant planets embedded into massive protoplanetary discs. The outcome is found to depend on the disc cooling rate, planet mass, grain size, and irradiative feedback from the planet. If radiative cooling is efficient, planets accrete both gas and pebbles rapidly, open a gap, and usually become massive brown dwarfs. In the inefficient cooling case, gas is too hot to accrete on to the planet but pebble accretion continues and the planets migrate inward rapidly. Radiative feedback from the planet tends to suppress gas accretion. Our simulations predict that metal enrichment of planets by dust grain accretion inversely correlates with the final planet mass, in accordance with the observed trend in the inferred bulk composition of Solar system and exosolar giant planets. To account for observations, however, as many as ˜30-50 per cent of the dust mass should be in the form of large grains.

Accretion tori and cones of ionizing radiation in Seyfert galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acosta-Pulido, Jose A.; Perez-Fournon, Ismael; Calvani, Massimo; Wilson, Andrew S.

1990-01-01

The photoionization of extended narrow-line regions in Seyfert galaxies by the radiation produced in a thick accretion disk is studied. The emission-line spectrum is calculated for a range of black hole masses, varying the values of the ionization parameter and the disk size. It is found that models with a million solar masses fit observations of very large accretion disk sizes, while models with 10 million solar masses fit them better with smaller disks. The latter models are preferable since they have lower super-Eddington accretion rates.

Evolution of Pre-Main Sequence Accretion Disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, Lee W.

2004-01-01

The aim of this project is to develop a comprehensive global picture of the physical conditions in, and evolutionary timescales of, pre-main sequence accretion disks. The results of this work will help constrain the initial conditions for planet formation. To this end we are developing much larger samples of 3-10 Myr-old stars to provide better empirical constraints on protoplanetary disk evolution; measuring disk accretion rates in these systems; and constructing detailed model disk structures consistent with observations to infer physical conditions such as grain growth in protoplanetary disks.

Evolution of Pre-Main Sequence Accretion Disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, Lee W.

2003-01-01

The aim of this project is to develop a comprehensive global picture of the physical conditions in, and evolutionary timescales of, pre-main sequence accretion disks. The results of this work will help constrain the initial conditions for planet formation. To this end we are developing much larger samples of 3-10 Myr-old stars to provide better empirical constraints on protoplanetary disk evolution; measuring disk accretion rates in these systems; and constructing detailed model disk structures consistent with observations to infer physical conditions such as grain growth in protoplanetary disks.

Evolution of Pre-Main Sequence Accretion Disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, Lee W.

2005-01-01

The aim of this project was to develop a comprehensive global picture of the physical conditions in, and evolutionary timescales of, premain sequence accretion disks. The results of this work will help constrain the initial conditions for planet formation. To this end we developed much larger samples of 3-10 Myr-old stars to provide better empirical constraints on protoplanetary disk evolution; measured disk accretion rates in these systems; and constructed detailed model disk structures consistent with observations to infer physical conditions such as grain growth in protoplanetary disks.

Mapping accretion and its variability in the young open cluster NGC 2264: a study based on u-band photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venuti, L.; Bouvier, J.; Flaccomio, E.; Alencar, S. H. P.; Irwin, J.; Stauffer, J. R.; Cody, A. M.; Teixeira, P. S.; Sousa, A. P.; Micela, G.; Cuillandre, J.-C.; Peres, G.

2014-10-01

Context. The accretion process has a central role in the formation of stars and planets. Aims: We aim at characterizing the accretion properties of several hundred members of the star-forming cluster NGC 2264 (3 Myr). Methods: We performed a deep ugri mapping as well as a simultaneous u-band+r-band monitoring of the star-forming region with CFHT/MegaCam in order to directly probe the accretion process onto the star from UV excess measurements. Photometric properties and stellar parameters are determined homogeneously for about 750 monitored young objects, spanning the mass range ~0.1-2 M⊙. About 40% of the sample are classical (accreting) T Tauri stars, based on various diagnostics (Hα, UV and IR excesses). The remaining non-accreting members define the (photospheric + chromospheric) reference UV emission level over which flux excess is detected and measured. Results: We revise the membership status of cluster members based on UV accretion signatures, and report a new population of 50 classical T Tauri star (CTTS) candidates. A large range of UV excess is measured for the CTTS population, varying from a few times 0.1 to ~3 mag. We convert these values to accretion luminosities and accretion rates, via a phenomenological description of the accretion shock emission. We thus obtain mass accretion rates ranging from a few 10-10 to ~10-7 M⊙/yr. Taking into account a mass-dependent detection threshold for weakly accreting objects, we find a >6σ correlation between mass accretion rate and stellar mass. A power-law fit, properly accounting for censored data (upper limits), yields Ṁacc ∝ M*1.4±0.3. At any given stellar mass, we find a large spread of accretion rates, extending over about 2 orders of magnitude. The monitoring of the UV excess on a timescale of a couple of weeks indicates that its variability typically amounts to 0.5 dex, i.e., much smaller than the observed spread in accretion rates. We suggest that a non-negligible age spread across the star

Continued Investigations of the Accretion History of Extraterrestrial Matter over Geologic Time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farley, Kenneth

2001-01-01

This grant supported our ongoing project to characterize the accretion rate of interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) to Earth over geologic time using He-3 as a tracer. IDPs are derived from collisions in the asteroid belt and from disaggregation of active comets. Owing to their small size (few to few hundred micrometers diameter) these particles spiral into the sun under Poynting-Robertson drag typically in less than a few tens of kyrs. Thus IDPs must be continually resupplied to the zodiacal cloud, and because the processes of IDP production are likely to be sporadic, time variation in the IDP accretion rate to Earth is likely to be time-varying. For example, major asteroidal collisions and comet showers should greatly enhance the IDP accretion rate. Our ultimate objective (still ongoing) is to document this time variance so as to better understand the history of the solar system, the source of IDPs accreting to Earth, and the details of the mechanism by which particles are captured by Earth. To document variations in IDP accretion rate through time we use He-3 as a tracer. This isotope is in extremely low abundance in terrestrial matter, but IDPs have very high concentrations of He-3 from implantation of solar wind ions. By measuring He-3 in seafloor sediments, we can estimate the IDP accretion rate for at least the last few hundred Myrs. Under an earlier NASA grant we identified the existence of a large increase in He-3 flux in the Late Eocene (35 Myr ago), coincident with the two largest impact craters of the Cenozoic Era. The simplest interpretation of this observation is the occurrence of a shower of long period comets at that time, simultaneously increasing the impact cratering probability and accretion rate of IDPs to Earth (Farley et al., 1998). Comet showers produced by stellar perturbation of the Oort cloud should be fairly common in the geologic record, so this is not an unreasonable interpretation of our observations.

Analyzing the Spectra of Accreting X-Ray Pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolff, Michael

, we will develop the new software module (essentially a computer code representing the theoretical model) necessary to perform the analysis of accretion-powered pulsar X-ray spectra in the XSPEC spectral analysis environment. Also in this first year we will analyze new Suzaku Cycle 6 Target of Opportunity observations of GX 304-1 and 4U 0115+63, two known cyclotron line sources, that we have recently carried out. In the second year of this study we will apply our new XSPEC spectral continuum module to the archival X-ray observational data from a number of accreting X-ray pulsars from the RXTE/PCA/HEXTE and Suzaku/XIS/HXD instruments to extract basic accretion parameters. Our source list contains eight pulsars, seven of which have observed cyclotron scattering lines. These pulsars span a range in magnetic field strength, luminosity, expected accretion rate, expected polar cap size, and Comptonizing temperature. In the second year of this work we also plan to make our new fully tested XSPEC continuum analysis module available to the Goddard Space Flight Center HEASARC for distribution to the astrophysical research community. The development and analysis tasks proposed here will provide for the first time a physical basis for the analysis and interpretation of data on accreting X-ray pulsar spectra.

Transitional millisecond pulsars in the low-level accretion state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaodard, Amruta D.; Hessels, Jason W. T.; Archibald, Anne; Bogdanov, Slavko; Deller, Adam; Hernandez Santisteban, Juan; Patruno, Alessandro; D'Angelo, Caroline; Bassa, Cees; Amruta Jaodand

2018-01-01

In the canonical pulsar recycling scenario, a slowly spinning neutron star can be rejuvenated to rapid spin rates by the transfer of angular momentum and mass from a binary companion star. Over the last decade, the discovery of three transitional millisecond pulsars (tMSPs) has allowed us to study recycling in detail. These systems transition between accretion-powered (X-ray) and rotation-powered (radio) pulsar states within just a few days, raising questions such as: what triggers the state transition, when does the recycling process truly end, and what will the radio pulsar’s final spin rate be? Systematic multi-wavelength campaigns over the last decade have provided critical insights: multi-year-long, low-level accretion states showing coherent X-ray pulsations; extremely stable, bi-modal X-ray light curves; outflows probed by radio continuum emission; a surprising gamma-ray brightening during accretion, etc. In my thesis I am trying to bring these clues together to understand the low-level accretion process that recycles a pulsar. For example, recently we timed PSR J1023+0038 in the accretion state and found it to be spinning down ~26% faster compared to the non-accreting radio pulsar state. We are currently conducting simultaneous multi-wavelength campaigns (XMM, HST, Kepler and VLA) to understand the global variability of the accretion flow, as well as high-energy Fermi-LAT observations to probe the gamma-ray emission mechanism. I will highlight these recent developments, while also presenting a broad overview of tMSPs as exciting new laboratories to test low-level accretion onto magnetized neutron stars.

Magnetically gated accretion in an accreting 'non-magnetic' white dwarf.

PubMed

Scaringi, S; Maccarone, T J; D'Angelo, C; Knigge, C; Groot, P J

2017-12-13

White dwarfs are often found in binary systems with orbital periods ranging from tens of minutes to hours in which they can accrete gas from their companion stars. In about 15 per cent of these binaries, the magnetic field of the white dwarf is strong enough (at 10 6 gauss or more) to channel the accreted matter along field lines onto the magnetic poles. The remaining systems are referred to as 'non-magnetic', because until now there has been no evidence that they have a magnetic field that is strong enough to affect the accretion dynamics. Here we report an analysis of archival optical observations of the 'non-magnetic' accreting white dwarf in the binary system MV Lyrae, whose light curve displays quasi-periodic bursts of about 30 minutes duration roughly every 2 hours. The timescale and amplitude of these bursts indicate the presence of an unstable, magnetically regulated accretion mode, which in turn implies the existence of magnetically gated accretion, in which disk material builds up around the magnetospheric boundary (at the co-rotation radius) and then accretes onto the white dwarf, producing bursts powered by the release of gravitational potential energy. We infer a surface magnetic field strength for the white dwarf in MV Lyrae of between 2 × 10 4 gauss and 1 × 10 5 gauss, too low to be detectable by other current methods. Our discovery provides a new way of studying the strength and evolution of magnetic fields in accreting white dwarfs and extends the connections between accretion onto white dwarfs, young stellar objects and neutron stars, for which similar magnetically gated accretion cycles have been identified.

Modeling the response of a standard accretion disc to stochastic viscous fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Naveel; Misra, Ranjeev; Iqbal, Naseer; Maqbool, Bari; Hamid, Mubashir

2018-01-01

The observed variability of X-ray binaries over a wide range of time-scales can be understood in the framework of a stochastic propagation model, where viscous fluctuations at different radii induce accretion rate variability that propagate inwards to the X-ray producing region. The scenario successfully explains the power spectra, the linear rms-flux relation as well as the time-lag between different energy photons. The predictions of this model have been obtained using approximate analytical solutions or empirically motivated models which take into account the effect of these propagating variability on the radiative process of complex accretion flows. Here, we study the variation of the accretion rate due to such viscous fluctuations using a hydro-dynamical code for the standard geometrically thin, gas pressure dominated α-disc with a zero torque boundary condition. Our results confirm earlier findings that the time-lag between a perturbation and the resultant inner accretion rate variation depends on the frequency (or time-period) of the perturbation. Here we have quantified that the time-lag tlag ∝f-0.54 , for time-periods less than the viscous time-scale of the perturbation radius and is nearly constant otherwise. This, coupled with radiative process would produce the observed frequency dependent time-lag between different energy bands. We also confirm that if there are random Gaussian fluctuations of the α-parameter at different radii, the resultant inner accretion rate has a power spectrum which is a power-law.

Accretion-driven turbulence in filaments - I. Non-gravitational accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heigl, S.; Burkert, A.; Gritschneder, M.

2018-03-01

We study accretion-driven turbulence for different inflow velocities in star-forming filaments using the code RAMSES. Filaments are rarely isolated objects and their gravitational potential will lead to radially dominated accretion. In the non-gravitational case, accretion by itself can already provoke non-isotropic, radially dominated turbulent motions responsible for the complex structure and non-thermal line widths observed in filaments. We find that there is a direct linear relation between the absolute value of the total density-weighted velocity dispersion and the infall velocity. The turbulent velocity dispersion in the filaments is independent of sound speed or any net flow along the filament. We show that the density-weighted velocity dispersion acts as an additional pressure term, supporting the filament in hydrostatic equilibrium. Comparing to observations, we find that the projected non-thermal line width variation is generally subsonic independent of inflow velocity.

Gravitational Waves from Accreting Neutron Stars Undergoing Common-envelope Inspiral

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holgado, A. Miguel; Ricker, Paul M.; Huerta, E. A.

2018-04-01

The common-envelope phase is a likely formation channel for close binary systems containing compact objects. Neutron stars in common envelopes accrete at a fraction of the Bondi–Hoyle–Lyttleton accretion rate, since the stellar envelope is inhomogeneous, but they may still be able to accrete at hypercritical rates (though not enough to become black holes). We show that common-envelope systems consisting of a neutron star with a massive primary may be gravitational-wave (GW) sources detectable in the Advanced LIGO band as far away as the Magellanic Clouds. To characterize their evolution, we perform orbital integrations using 1D models of 12 M ⊙ and 20 M ⊙ primaries, considering the effects of density gradient on the accretion onto the NS and spin evolution. From the range of possible accretion rates relevant to common-envelope evolution, we find that these systems may be louder GW sources than low-mass X-ray binaries like Sco X-1, which are currently the target of directed searches for continuous GWs. We also find that their strain amplitude signal may allow for novel constraints on the orbital separation and inspiral timescale in common envelopes when combined with pre-common-envelope electromagnetic observations.

Coastal erosion and accretion rates in Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foteinis, Spyros; Papadopoulos, Costas; Koutsogiannaki, Irini; Synolakis, Costas

2010-05-01

Erosion threatens many coastal regions of Greece. Anthropogenic changes of landforms such as coastal roads built on even narrow beaches, sand mining for construction, poor design of coastal structures that interfere with sediment, and dams without sediment bypasses have significantly reduced beach widths. We present erosion rates for different beaches, some of which are in sensitive ecosystems, otherwise "protected" by local and EU ordinances. By comparing inferences of beach widths in varying intervals from 1933 to 2006, we infer that the construction of dams in Acheloos river in western Greece, built in a faraonic attempt to partially divert its flows to eastern Greece, this is responsible for up to 20m/year erosion rates observed in certain locales in the Acheloos delta. More characteristic erosion rates in the region are ~ 2m/year. By contrast, there appears rapid accretion of up to 4m/year in the beaches around the Nestos delta in northern Greece (Papadopoulos, 2009). In beaches that are not near large river deltas, erosion rates range from 0.5m/year to 1m/year. While we have not done comprehensive comparisons among coastlines with different levels of coastal development, it does appear that rapid coastal development correlates well with erosion rates. The underlying problem is the complete lack of any semblance of coastal zone management in Greece and substandard design of coastal structures, which are often sited without any measurements of waves and currents offshore (Synolakis et al, 2008). Beach maintenance remains an exotic concept for most local authorities, who invariably prefer to build hard coastal structures to "protect" versus nourish, siting lack of experience with nourishment and "environmental" concerns. In certain cases, choices are dictated by costs, the larger the cost the easier the project gets approved by regulatory authorities, hence the preference for concrete or rubble structures. We conclude that, unless urgent salvage measures are

Hyper-Eddington accretion in GRB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janiuk, A.; Czerny, B.; Perna, R.; Di Matteo, T.

2005-05-01

Popular models of the GRB origin associate this event with a cosmic explosion, birth of a stellar mass black hole and jet ejection. Due to the shock collisions that happen in the jet, the gamma rays are produced and we detect a burst of duration up to several tens of seconds. This burst duration is determined by the lifetime of the central engine, which may be different in various scenarios. Characteristically, the observed bursts have a bimodal distribution and constitute the two classes: short (t < 2s) and long bursts. Theoretical models invoke the mergers of two neutron stars or a neutron star with a black hole, or, on the other hand, a massive star explosion (collapsar). In any of these models we have a phase of disc accretion onto a newly born black hole: the disc is formed from the disrupted neutron star or fed by the material fallback from the ejected collapsar envelope. The disc is extremely hot and dense, and the accretion rate is orders of magnitude higher than the Eddington rate. In such physical conditions the main cooling mechanism is neutrino emission, and one of possible ways of energy extraction from the accretion disc is the neutrino-antineutrino annihilation.

Swings between rotation and accretion power in a binary millisecond pulsar.

PubMed

Papitto, A; Ferrigno, C; Bozzo, E; Rea, N; Pavan, L; Burderi, L; Burgay, M; Campana, S; Di Salvo, T; Falanga, M; Filipović, M D; Freire, P C C; Hessels, J W T; Possenti, A; Ransom, S M; Riggio, A; Romano, P; Sarkissian, J M; Stairs, I H; Stella, L; Torres, D F; Wieringa, M H; Wong, G F

2013-09-26

It is thought that neutron stars in low-mass binary systems can accrete matter and angular momentum from the companion star and be spun-up to millisecond rotational periods. During the accretion stage, the system is called a low-mass X-ray binary, and bright X-ray emission is observed. When the rate of mass transfer decreases in the later evolutionary stages, these binaries host a radio millisecond pulsar whose emission is powered by the neutron star's rotating magnetic field. This evolutionary model is supported by the detection of millisecond X-ray pulsations from several accreting neutron stars and also by the evidence for a past accretion disc in a rotation-powered millisecond pulsar. It has been proposed that a rotation-powered pulsar may temporarily switch on during periods of low mass inflow in some such systems. Only indirect evidence for this transition has hitherto been observed. Here we report observations of accretion-powered, millisecond X-ray pulsations from a neutron star previously seen as a rotation-powered radio pulsar. Within a few days after a month-long X-ray outburst, radio pulses were again detected. This not only shows the evolutionary link between accretion and rotation-powered millisecond pulsars, but also that some systems can swing between the two states on very short timescales.

The Dripping Handrail Model: Transient Chaos in Accretion Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Karl; Scargle, Jeffrey D.; Cuzzi, Jeffrey (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

We define and study a simple dynamical model for accretion systems, the "dripping handrail" (DHR). The time evolution of this spatially extended system is a mixture of periodic and apparently random (but actually deterministic) behavior. The nature of this mixture depends on the values of its physical parameters - the accretion rate, diffusion coefficient, and density threshold. The aperiodic component is a special kind of deterministic chaos called transient chaos. The model can simultaneously exhibit both the quasiperiodic oscillations (QPO) and very low frequency noise (VLFN) that characterize the power spectra of fluctuations of several classes of accretion systems in astronomy. For this reason, our model may be relevant to many such astrophysical systems, including binary stars with accretion onto a compact object - white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole - as well as active galactic nuclei. We describe the systematics of the DHR's temporal behavior, by exploring its physical parameter space using several diagnostics: power spectra, wavelet "scalegrams," and Lyapunov exponents. In addition, we note that for large accretion rates the DHR has periodic modes; the effective pulse shapes for these modes - evaluated by folding the time series at the known period - bear a resemblance to the similarly- determined shapes for some x-ray pulsars. The pulsing observed in some of these systems may be such periodic-mode accretion, and not due to pure rotation as in the standard pulsar model.

Simulations of small solid accretion on to planetesimals in the presence of gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, A. G.; Boley, A. C.

2017-12-01

The growth and migration of planetesimals in a young protoplanetary disc are fundamental to planet formation. In all models of early growth, there are several processes that can inhibit grains from reaching larger sizes. Nevertheless, observations suggest that growth of planetesimals must be rapid. If a small number of 100 km sized planetesimals do manage to form in the disc, then gas drag effects could enable them to efficiently accrete small solids from beyond their gravitationally focused cross-section. This gas-drag-enhanced accretion can allow planetesimals to grow at rapid rates, in principle. We present self-consistent hydrodynamics simulations with direct particle integration and gas-drag coupling to estimate the rate of planetesimal growth due to pebble accretion. Wind tunnel simulations are used to explore a range of particle sizes and disc conditions. We also explore analytic estimates of planetesimal growth and numerically integrate planetesimal drift due to the accretion of small solids. Our results show that, for almost every case that we consider, there is a clearly preferred particle size for accretion that depends on the properties of the accreting planetesimal and the local disc conditions. For solids much smaller than the preferred particle size, accretion rates are significantly reduced as the particles are entrained in the gas and flow around the planetesimal. Solids much larger than the preferred size accrete at rates consistent with gravitational focusing. Our analytic estimates for pebble accretion highlight the time-scales that are needed for the growth of large objects under different disc conditions and initial planetesimal sizes.

The Radiative Efficiency and Spectra of Slowly Accreting Black Holes from Two-temperature GRRMHD Simulations

DOE PAGES

Ryan, Benjamin R.; Ressler, Sean M.; Dolence, Joshua C.; ...

2017-07-31

In this paper, we present axisymmetric numerical simulations of radiatively inefficient accretion flows onto black holes combining general relativity, magnetohydrodynamics, self-consistent electron thermodynamics, and frequency-dependent radiation transport. We investigate a range of accretion rates up tomore » $${10}^{-5}\\,{\\dot{M}}_{\\mathrm{Edd}}$$ onto a $${10}^{8}\\,{M}_{\\odot }$$ black hole with spin $${a}_{\\star }=0.5$$. We report on averaged flow thermodynamics as a function of accretion rate. We present the spectra of outgoing radiation and find that it varies strongly with accretion rate, from synchrotron-dominated in the radio at low $$\\dot{M}$$ to inverse-Compton-dominated at our highest $$\\dot{M}$$. In contrast to canonical analytic models, we find that by $$\\dot{M}\\approx {10}^{-5}\\,{\\dot{M}}_{\\mathrm{Edd}}$$, the flow approaches $$\\sim 1 \\% $$ radiative efficiency, with much of the radiation due to inverse-Compton scattering off Coulomb-heated electrons far from the black hole. Finally, these results have broad implications for modeling of accreting black holes across a large fraction of the accretion rates realized in observed systems.« less

The Radiative Efficiency and Spectra of Slowly Accreting Black Holes from Two-temperature GRRMHD Simulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ryan, Benjamin R.; Ressler, Sean M.; Dolence, Joshua C.

In this paper, we present axisymmetric numerical simulations of radiatively inefficient accretion flows onto black holes combining general relativity, magnetohydrodynamics, self-consistent electron thermodynamics, and frequency-dependent radiation transport. We investigate a range of accretion rates up tomore » $${10}^{-5}\\,{\\dot{M}}_{\\mathrm{Edd}}$$ onto a $${10}^{8}\\,{M}_{\\odot }$$ black hole with spin $${a}_{\\star }=0.5$$. We report on averaged flow thermodynamics as a function of accretion rate. We present the spectra of outgoing radiation and find that it varies strongly with accretion rate, from synchrotron-dominated in the radio at low $$\\dot{M}$$ to inverse-Compton-dominated at our highest $$\\dot{M}$$. In contrast to canonical analytic models, we find that by $$\\dot{M}\\approx {10}^{-5}\\,{\\dot{M}}_{\\mathrm{Edd}}$$, the flow approaches $$\\sim 1 \\% $$ radiative efficiency, with much of the radiation due to inverse-Compton scattering off Coulomb-heated electrons far from the black hole. Finally, these results have broad implications for modeling of accreting black holes across a large fraction of the accretion rates realized in observed systems.« less

IUE observations of long period eclipsing binaries - A study of accretion onto non-degenerate stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plavec, M. J.

1980-01-01

IUE observations made in 1978-1979 recorded a whole class of interacting long-period binaries similar to beta Lyrae, which includes RX Cas, SX Cas, V 367 Cyg, W Cru, beta Lyr, and W Ser, called the W Serpentis stars. These mass-transferring binaries with relatively high mass transfer rate show two prominent features in the far ultraviolet: a continuum with a color temperature higher than the one observed in the optical region (about 12,000 K), and a strong emission line spectrum with the N V doublet at 1240 A, C IV doublet at 1550 A and lines of Si II, Si III, Si IV, C II, Fe III, AI III, etc. These phenomena are discussed on the assumption that they are due to accretion onto non-degenerate stars.

Flares, Magnetic Reconnections and Accretion Disk Viscosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welsh, William

2001-07-01

Accretion disks are invoked to explain a host of astrophysical phenomena, from protostellar objects to AGN. And yet the mechanism allowing accretion disks to operate are completely unknown. This proposal seeks to observe the ``smoking gun'' signature of magnetically-driven viscosity in accretion disks. Magnetically-induced viscosity is a plausible and generally accepted hypothesis {for esthetic reasons}, but it is completely untested. Determining the cause of accretion disk viscosity is of major significance to all accretion-disk powered systems {e.g. CVs, X-ray binaries, AGN and protostellar disks}. These data will also firmly establish the importance of magnetic fields in accretion disks. Because of its known flaring properites, we will observe the accretion disk in EM Cyg simulataneously with STIS/FUV and CHANDRA. The simultaneous X-rays are absolutely necessary for the unambiguous detection of accretion disk magnetic reconnection flares.

Accretion Processes in Cosmic Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2016-10-01

Accretion is a universal phenomenon that takes place in the vast majority of astrophysical objects. The progress of ground-based and space-borne observational facilities has resulted in the great amount of information on various accreting astrophysical objects, collected within the last decades. The accretion is accompanied by the process of extensive energy release that takes place on the surface of an accreting object and in various gaseous envelopes, accretion disk, jets and other elements of the flow pattern. The results of observations inspired the intensive development of accretion theory, which, in turn, enabled us to study unique properties of accreting objects and physical conditions in the surrounding environment. One of the most interesting outcomes of this intensive study is the fact that accretion processes are, in a sense, self-similar on various spatial scales from planetary systems to galaxies. This fact gives us new opportunities to investigate objects that, by various reasons, are not available for direct study. Cataclysmic variable stars are unique natural laboratories where one can conduct the detailed observational study of accretion processes and accretion disks. This is the main reason why several participants and a few members of the Organizing Committee of the conference "The Golden Age of Cataclysmic Variables and Related Objects - III" (September 7-12, 2015, Palermo, Italy) have decided to hold a special conference, focused on accretion processes, as a branch of that series. Main topics: Young Stellar Objects, protoplanetary discs, exoplanets in binary stars Accretion on white dwarfs (Cataclysmic variables and related objects) Accretion on neutron stars (X-ray Binary Systems and related objects) Accretion on black holes (stellar BH and AGN) The workshop will include a few 35-minute general review talks to introduce the current problems, and 20-minute talks to discuss new experimental and theoretical results. A series of 15-minute talks

ACCRETION KINEMATICS THROUGH THE WARPED TRANSITION DISK IN HD 142527 FROM RESOLVED CO(6–5) OBSERVATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casassus, S.; Marino, S.; Pérez, S.

2015-10-01

The finding of residual gas in the large central cavity of the HD 142527 disk motivates questions regarding the origin of its non-Keplerian kinematics and possible connections with planet formation. We aim to understand the physical structure that underlies the intra-cavity gaseous flows, guided by new molecular-line data in CO(6–5) with unprecedented angular resolutions. Given the warped structure inferred from the identification of scattered-light shadows cast on the outer disk, the kinematics are consistent, to first order, with axisymmetric accretion onto the inner disk occurring at all azimuths. A steady-state accretion profile, fixed at the stellar accretion rate, explains themore » depth of the cavity as traced in CO isotopologues. The abrupt warp and evidence for near free-fall radial flows in HD 142527 resemble theoretical models for disk tearing, which could be driven by the reported low-mass companion, whose orbit may be contained in the plane of the inner disk. The companion’s high inclination with respect to the massive outer disk could drive Kozai oscillations over long timescales; high-eccentricity periods may perhaps account for the large cavity. While shadowing by the tilted disk could imprint an azimuthal modulation in the molecular-line maps, further observations are required to ascertain the significance of azimuthal structure in the density field inside the cavity of HD 142527.« less

Spectral and Timing Diagnostics of Accretion in XRBs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowak, M. N.

One of the truly great advantages of the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer has been its flexible scheduling coupled with the presence of the All Sky Monitor. This has allowed mutliple observations of given objects over a wide range of luminosities that, thanks to the ASM, can be placed within the context of the overall behavior of the source. This has begun to allow us to develop theories of how the accretion flow in black hole candidates changes as a function of state and accretion rate. A number of spectral and temporal correlations have been seen, others have merely been suggested as being probably or possible. In this talk I will review some of these suggestions, and outline those correlations that I think are firm and contrast them to those that I believe are still very speculative. I will discuss these observations in the context of suggested models for the structure, size scale, and dynamics of the accretion flow.

Accretion Disk and Dust Emission in Low-Luminosity AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biddle, Lauren I.; Mason, Rachel; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; Colina, Luis; Diaz, Ruben; Flohic, Helene; Gonzalez-Martin, Omaira; Ho, Luis C.; Lira, Paulina; Martins, Lucimara; McDermid, Richard; Perlman, Eric S.; Ramos Almeida, Christina; Riffel, Rogerio; Ardila, Alberto; Ruschel Dutra, Daniel; Schiavon, Ricardo; Thanjavur, Karun; Winge, Claudia

2015-01-01

Observations obtained in the near-infrared (near-IR; 0.8 - 2.5 μm) can assist our understanding of the physical and evolutionary processes of galaxies. Using a set of near-IR spectra of nearby galaxies obtained with the cross-dispersed mode of GNIRS on the Gemini North telescope, we investigate how the accretion disk and hot dust emission depend on the luminosity of the active nucleus. We recover faint AGN emission from the starlight-dominated nuclear regions of the galaxies, and measure properties such as the spectral shape and luminosity of the accretion disk and dust. The aim of this work is to establish whether the standard thin accretion disk may be truncated in low-accretion-rate AGN, as well as evaluate whether the torus of the AGN unified model still exists at low luminosities.

Sediment accretion rates and sediment composition in Prairie Pothole wetlands under varying land use practices, Montana, United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Preston, T.M.; Sojda, R.S.; Gleason, R.A.

2013-01-01

Increased sedimentation and nutrient cycle changes in Prairie Pothole Region wetlands associated with agriculture threaten the permanence and ecological functionality of these important resources. To determine the effects of land use on sedimentation and nutrient cycling, soil cores were analyzed for cesium-137 (137Cs), lead-210 (210Pb), and potassium-40 (40K) activities; textural composition; organic and inorganic carbon (C); and total nitrogen (N) from twelve wetlands surrounded by cropland, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands, or native prairie uplands. Separate soil cores from nine of these wetlands were also analyzed for phosphorus (P), nitrate (NO3), and ammonium (NH4) concentrations. Wetlands surrounded by cropland had significantly greater linear sediment accretion rates than wetlands surrounded by CRP or native prairie. Linear sediment accretion rates from wetlands surrounded by cropland were 2.7 and 6 times greater than wetlands surrounded by native prairie when calculated from the initial and peak occurrence of 137Cs, respectively, and 0.15 cm y−1 (0.06 in yr−1) greater when calculated from 210Pb. Relative to wetlands surrounded by CRP, linear sediment accretion rates for wetlands surrounded by cropland were 4.4 times greater when calculated from the peak occurrence of 137Cs. No significant differences existed between the linear sediment accretion rates between wetlands surrounded by native prairie or CRP uplands. Wetlands surrounded by cropland had increased clay, P, NO3, and NH4, and decreased total C and N concentrations compared to wetlands surrounded by native prairie. Wetlands surrounded by CRP had the lowest P and NO3 concentrations and had clay, NH4, C, and N concentrations between those of cropland and native prairie wetlands. We documented increased linear sediment accretion rates and changes in the textural and chemical properties of sediments in wetlands with cultivated uplands relative to wetlands with native prairie uplands. These

Magnetically gated accretion in an accreting ‘non-magnetic’ white dwarf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scaringi, S.; Maccarone, T. J.; D’Angelo, C.; Knigge, C.; Groot, P. J.

2017-12-01

White dwarfs are often found in binary systems with orbital periods ranging from tens of minutes to hours in which they can accrete gas from their companion stars. In about 15 per cent of these binaries, the magnetic field of the white dwarf is strong enough (at 106 gauss or more) to channel the accreted matter along field lines onto the magnetic poles. The remaining systems are referred to as ‘non-magnetic’, because until now there has been no evidence that they have a magnetic field that is strong enough to affect the accretion dynamics. Here we report an analysis of archival optical observations of the ‘non-magnetic’ accreting white dwarf in the binary system MV Lyrae, whose light curve displays quasi-periodic bursts of about 30 minutes duration roughly every 2 hours. The timescale and amplitude of these bursts indicate the presence of an unstable, magnetically regulated accretion mode, which in turn implies the existence of magnetically gated accretion, in which disk material builds up around the magnetospheric boundary (at the co-rotation radius) and then accretes onto the white dwarf, producing bursts powered by the release of gravitational potential energy. We infer a surface magnetic field strength for the white dwarf in MV Lyrae of between 2 × 104 gauss and 1 × 105 gauss, too low to be detectable by other current methods. Our discovery provides a new way of studying the strength and evolution of magnetic fields in accreting white dwarfs and extends the connections between accretion onto white dwarfs, young stellar objects and neutron stars, for which similar magnetically gated accretion cycles have been identified.

Bondi Accretion and the Problem of the Missing Isolated Neutron Stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perna, Rosalba; Narayan, Ramesh; Rybicki, George; Stella, Luigi; Treves, Aldo

2003-01-01

A large number of neutron stars (NSs), approximately 10(exp 9), populate the Galaxy, but only a tiny fraction of them is observable during the short radio pulsar lifetime. The majority of these isolated NSs, too cold to be detectable by their own thermal emission, should be visible in X-rays as a result of accretion from the interstellar medium. The ROSAT All-Sky Survey has, however, shown that such accreting isolated NSs are very elusive: only a few tentative candidates have been identified, contrary to theoretical predictions that up to several thousand should be seen. We suggest that the fundamental reason for this discrepancy lies in the use of the standard Bondi formula to estimate the accretion rates. We compute the expected source counts using updated estimates of the pulsar velocity distribution, realistic hydrogen atmosphere spectra, and a modified expression for the Bondi accretion rate, as suggested by recent MHD simulations and supported by direct observations in the case of accretion around supermassive black holes in nearby galaxies and in our own. We find that, whereas the inclusion of atmospheric spectra partly compensates for the reduction in the counts due to the higher mean velocities of the new distribution, the modified Bondi formula dramatically suppresses the source counts. The new predictions are consistent with a null detection at the ROSAT sensitivity.

Accretion torques in X-ray pulsars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rappaport, S.; Joss, P. C.

1977-01-01

An analysis of the accretion process in an X-ray pulsar, whereby angular momentum is transferred to the star and its rotation period is changed, is presented, and an expression for the fractional rate of change of the pulse period in terms of X-ray luminosity and other star parameters is derived. It is shown that observed characteristic spin-up time scales for seven X-ray pulsars strongly support the view that in every source (1) the pulse period reflects the rotation period of a compact object, (2) the accretion is mediated by a disk surrounding the compact object and rotating in the same sense, and (3) the compact object is a neutron star rather than a white dwarf.

Accretion onto a charged Kiselev black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbas, G.; Ditta, A.

2018-04-01

Accretion of matter onto a compact is one of the interesting astrophysical processes. Here, we study the accretion of matter onto a charged Kiselev black hole. The problem of static and spherically symmetric accretion of a polytropic fluid is explored for the analytic solution of equations of motion. We have investigated the necessary conditions for existence of the critical flow points and the mass accretion rate. Finally, we discuss the polytropic gas accretion in detail. It has been found that in the accretion process the quintessence and charge parameters play a dominant role.

Steep Hard-X-ray Spectra Indicate Extremely High Accretion Rates in Weak Emission-Line Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marlar, Andrea; Shemmer, Ohad; Anderson, Scott F.; Brandt, W. Niel; Diamond-Stanic, Aleksandar M.; Fan, Xiaohui; Luo, Bin; Plotkin, Richard; Richards, Gordon T.; Schneider, Donald P.; Wu, Jianfeng

2018-06-01

We present XMM-Newton imaging spectroscopy of ten weak emission-line quasars (WLQs) at 0.928 ≤ z ≤ 3.767, six of which are radio quiet and four which are radio intermediate. The new X-ray data enabled us to measure the hard-X-ray power-law photon index (Γ) in each source with relatively high accuracy. These measurements allowed us to confirm previous reports that WLQs have steeper X-ray spectra, therefore indicating higher accretion rates with respect to "typical" quasars. A comparison between the Γ values of our radio-quiet WLQs and those of a carefully-selected, uniform sample of 84 quasars shows that the first are significantly higher, at the ≥ 3σ level. Collectively, the four radio-intermediate WLQs have lower Γ values with respect to the six radio-quiet WLQs, as may be expected if the spectra of the first group are contaminated by X-ray emission from a jet. These results suggest that, in the absence of significant jet emission along our line of sight, WLQs constitute the extreme high end of the accretion rate distribution in quasars. We detect soft excess emission in our lowest-redshift radio-quiet WLQ, in agreement with previous findings suggesting that the prominence of this feature is associated with a high accretion rate. We have not detected signatures of Compton reflection, Fe Kα lines, or strong variability between two X-ray epochs in any of our WLQs.

Accretion onto a higher dimensional black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

John, Anslyn J.; Ghosh, Sushant G.; Maharaj, Sunil D.

2013-11-01

We examine the steady-state spherically symmetric accretion of relativistic fluids, with a polytropic equation of state, onto a higher-dimensional Schwarzschild black hole. The mass accretion rate, critical radius, and flow parameters are determined and compared with results obtained in standard four dimensions. The accretion rate, M˙, is an explicit function of the black hole mass, M, as well as the gas boundary conditions and the dimensionality, D, of the spacetime. We also find the asymptotic compression ratios and temperature profiles below the accretion radius and at the event horizon. This analysis is a generalization of Michel’s solution to higher dimensions and of the Newtonian expressions of Giddings and Mangano, which consider the accretion of TeV black holes.

Rethinking Black Hole Accretion Discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salvesen, Greg

Accretion discs are staples of astrophysics. Tapping into the gravitational potential energy of the accreting material, these discs are highly efficient machines that produce copious radiation and extreme outflows. While interesting in their own right, accretion discs also act as tools to study black holes and directly influence the properties of the Universe. Black hole X-ray binaries are fantastic natural laboratories for studying accretion disc physics and black hole phenomena. Among many of the curious behaviors exhibited by these systems are black hole state transitions -- complicated cycles of dramatic brightening and dimming. Using X-ray observations with high temporal cadence, we show that the evolution of the accretion disc spectrum during black hole state transitions can be described by a variable disc atmospheric structure without invoking a radially truncated disc geometry. The accretion disc spectrum can be a powerful diagnostic for measuring black hole spin if the effects of the disc atmosphere on the emergent spectrum are well-understood; however, properties of the disc atmosphere are largely unconstrained. Using statistical methods, we decompose this black hole spin measurement technique and show that modest uncertainties regarding the disc atmosphere can lead to erroneous spin measurements. The vertical structure of the disc is difficult to constrain due to our ignorance of the contribution to hydrostatic balance by magnetic fields, which are fundamental to the accretion process. Observations of black hole X-ray binaries and the accretion environments near supermassive black holes provide mounting evidence for strong magnetization. Performing numerical simulations of accretion discs in the shearing box approximation, we impose a net vertical magnetic flux that allows us to effectively control the level of disc magnetization. We study how dynamo activity and the properties of turbulence driven by the magnetorotational instability depend on the

Accretion Disks around Young Stars: An Observational Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ménard, F.; Bertout, C.

Accretion disks are pivotal elements in the formation and early evolution of solar-like stars. On top of supplying the raw material, their internal conditions also regulate the formation of planets. Their study therefore holds the key to solve this long standing mystery: how did our Solar System form? This chapter focuses on observational studies of the circumstellar environment, and in particular of circumstellar disks, associated with pre-main sequence solar-like stars. The direct measurement of disk parameters poses an obvious challenge: at the distance of the typical star forming regions ( e.g. 140 pc for Taurus), a planetary system like ours (with diameter simeq50 AU out to Pluto, but excluding the Kuiper belt which could extend much farther out) subtends only 0.35''. Yet its surface brightness is low in comparison to the bright central star and high angular and high contrast imaging techniques are required if one hopes to resolve and measure these protoplanetary disks. Fortunately, capable instruments providing 0.1'' resolution or better and high contrast have been available for just about 10 years now. They are covering a large part of the electromagnetic spectrum, from the UV/Optical with HST and the near-infrared from ground-based adaptive optics systems, to the millimetric range with long-baseline radio interferometers. It is therefore not surprising that our knowledge of the structure of the disks surrounding low-mass stars has made a gigantic leap forward in the last decade. In the following pages we will attempt to describe, in a historical perpective, the road that led to the idea that most solar-like stars are surrounded by an accretion disk at one point in their early life and how, nowadays, their structural and physical parameters can be estimated from direct observations. We will follow by a short discussion of a few of the constraints available regarding the evolution and dissipation of these disks. This last topic is particularly relevant today

Detection of Accretion X-Rays from QS Vir: Cataclysmic or a Lot of Hot Air?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matranga, Marco; Drake, Jeremy J.; Kashyap, Vinay; Steeghs, Danny

2012-03-01

An XMM-Newton observation of the nearby "pre-cataclysmic" short-period (P orb = 3.62 hr) binary QS Vir (EC 13471-1258) revealed regular narrow X-ray eclipses when the white dwarf passed behind its M2-4 dwarf companion. The X-ray emission provides a clear signature of mass transfer and accretion onto the white dwarf. The low-resolution XMM-Newton EPIC spectra are consistent with a cooling flow model and indicate an accretion rate of \\dot{M} = 1.7 \\times 10^{-13} \\,M_\\odot yr-1. At 48 pc distant, QS Vir is then the second nearest accreting cataclysmic variable known, with one of the lowest accretion rates found to date for a non-magnetic system. To feed this accretion through a wind would require a wind mass-loss rate of \\dot{M}\\sim 2\\times 10^{-12}\\,M_\\odot yr-1 if the accretion efficiency is of the order of 10%. Consideration of likely mass-loss rates for M dwarfs suggests this is improbably high and pure wind accretion unlikely. A lack of accretion disk signatures also presents some difficulties for direct Roche lobe overflow. We speculate that QS Vir is on the verge of Roche lobe overflow, and that the observed mass transfer could be supplemented by upward chromospheric flows on the M dwarf, analogous to spicules and mottles on the Sun, that escape the Roche surface to be subsequently swept up into the white dwarf Roche lobe. If so, QS Vir would be in a rare evolutionary phase lasting only a million years. The X-ray luminosity of the M dwarf estimated during primary eclipse is LX = 3 × 1028 erg s-1, which is consistent with that of rapidly rotating "saturated" K and M dwarfs.

Ultra high energy gamma rays, cosmic rays and neutrinos from accreting degenerate stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brecher, K.; Chanmugam, G.

1985-01-01

Super-Eddington accretion for a recently proposed unipolar induction model of cosmic ray acceleration in accreting binary star systems containing magnetic white dwarfs or neutron stars is considered. For sufficiently high accretion rates and low magnetic fields, the model can account for: (1) acceleration of cosmic ray nuclei up to energies of 10 to the 19th power eV; (2) production of more or less normal solar cosmic ray composition; (3) the bulk of cosmic rays observed with energies above 1 TeV, and probably even down to somewhat lower energies as well; and (4) possibly the observed antiproton cosmic ray flux. It can also account for the high ultra high energy (UHE) gamma ray flux observed from several accreting binary systems (including Cygnus X-3), while allowing the possibility of an even higher neutrino flux from these sources, with L sub nu/L sub gamma is approximately 100.

Protostellar accretion traced with chemistry. High-resolution C18O and continuum observations towards deeply embedded protostars in Perseus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frimann, Søren; Jørgensen, Jes K.; Dunham, Michael M.; Bourke, Tyler L.; Kristensen, Lars E.; Offner, Stella S. R.; Stephens, Ian W.; Tobin, John J.; Vorobyov, Eduard I.

2017-06-01

Context. Understanding how accretion proceeds is a key question of star formation, with important implications for both the physical and chemical evolution of young stellar objects. In particular, very little is known about the accretion variability in the earliest stages of star formation. Aims: Our aim is to characterise protostellar accretion histories towards individual sources by utilising sublimation and freeze-out chemistry of CO. Methods: A sample of 24 embedded protostars are observed with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) in context of the large program "Mass Assembly of Stellar Systems and their Evolution with the SMA" (MASSES). The size of the C18O-emitting region, where CO has sublimated into the gas-phase, is measured towards each source and compared to the expected size of the region given the current luminosity. The SMA observations also include 1.3 mm continuum data, which are used to investigate whether or not a link can be established between accretion bursts and massive circumstellar disks. Results: Depending on the adopted sublimation temperature of the CO ice, between 20% and 50% of the sources in the sample show extended C18O emission indicating that the gas was warm enough in the past that CO sublimated and is currently in the process of refreezing; something which we attribute to a recent accretion burst. Given the fraction of sources with extended C18O emission, we estimate an average interval between bursts of 20 000-50 000 yr, which is consistent with previous estimates. No clear link can be established between the presence of circumstellar disks and accretion bursts, however the three closest known binaries in the sample (projected separations <20 AU) all show evidence of a past accretion burst, indicating that close binary interactions may also play a role in inducing accretion variability.

A Simple test for the existence of two accretion modes in active galactic nuclei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jester, Sebastian; /Fermilab

2005-02-01

By analogy to the different accretion states observed in black-hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs), it appears plausible that accretion disks in active galactic nuclei (AGN) undergo a state transition between a radiatively efficient and inefficient accretion flow. If the radiative efficiency changes at some critical accretion rate, there will be a change in the distribution of black hole masses and bolometric luminosities at the corresponding transition luminosity. To test this prediction, the author considers the joint distribution of AGN black hole masses and bolometric luminosities for a sample taken from the literature. The small number of objects with low Eddington-scaled accretionmore » rates m < 0.01 and black hole masses M{sub BH} < 10{sup 9} M{sub {circle_dot}} constitutes tentative evidence for the existence of such a transition in AGN. Selection effects, in particular those associated with flux-limited samples, systematically exclude objects in particular regions of the (M{sub BH}, L{sub bol}) plane. Therefore, they require particular attention in the analysis of distributions of black hole mass, bolometric luminosity, and derived quantities like the accretion rate. The author suggests further observational tests of the BHXB-AGN unification scheme which are based on the jet domination of the energy output of BHXBs in the hard state, and on the possible equivalence of BHXB in the very high (or steep power-law) state showing ejections and efficiently accreting quasars and radio galaxies with powerful radio jets.« less

Spectra of black hole accretion models of ultraluminous X-ray sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayan, Ramesh; Sa̧dowski, Aleksander; Soria, Roberto

2017-08-01

We present general relativistic radiation magnetohydrodynamics simulations of super-Eddington accretion on a 10 M⊙ black hole. We consider a range of mass accretion rates, black hole spins and magnetic field configurations. We compute the spectra and images of the models as a function of viewing angle and compare them with the observed properties of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). The models easily produce apparent luminosities in excess of 1040 erg s-1 for pole-on observers. However, the angle-integrated radiative luminosities rarely exceed 2.5 × 1039 erg s-1 even for mass accretion rates of tens of Eddington. The systems are thus radiatively inefficient, though they are energetically efficient when the energy output in winds and jets is also counted. The simulated models reproduce the main empirical types of spectra - disc-like, supersoft, soft, hard - observed in ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). The magnetic field configuration, whether 'standard and normal evolution' (SANE) or 'magnetically arrested disc' (MAD), has a strong effect on the results. In SANE models, the X-ray spectral hardness is almost independent of accretion rate, but decreases steeply with increasing inclination. MAD models with non-spinning black holes produce significantly softer spectra at higher values of \\dot{M}, even at low inclinations. MAD models with rapidly spinning black holes are unique. They are radiatively efficient (efficiency factor ˜10-20 per cent), superefficient when the mechanical energy output is also included (70 per cent) and produce hard blazar-like spectra. In all models, the emission shows strong geometrical beaming, which disagrees with the more isotropic illumination favoured by observations of ULX bubbles.

Dynamical structure of magnetized dissipative accretion flow around black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, Biplob; Das, Santabrata

2016-09-01

We study the global structure of optically thin, advection dominated, magnetized accretion flow around black holes. We consider the magnetic field to be turbulent in nature and dominated by the toroidal component. With this, we obtain the complete set of accretion solutions for dissipative flows where bremsstrahlung process is regarded as the dominant cooling mechanism. We show that rotating magnetized accretion flow experiences virtual barrier around black hole due to centrifugal repulsion that can trigger the discontinuous transition of the flow variables in the form of shock waves. We examine the properties of the shock waves and find that the dynamics of the post-shock corona (PSC) is controlled by the flow parameters, namely viscosity, cooling rate and strength of the magnetic field, respectively. We separate the effective region of the parameter space for standing shock and observe that shock can form for wide range of flow parameters. We obtain the critical viscosity parameter that allows global accretion solutions including shocks. We estimate the energy dissipation at the PSC from where a part of the accreting matter can deflect as outflows and jets. We compare the maximum energy that could be extracted from the PSC and the observed radio luminosity values for several supermassive black hole sources and the observational implications of our present analysis are discussed.

Modeling and Detection of Ice Particle Accretion in Aircraft Engine Compression Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

May, Ryan D.; Simon, Donald L.; Guo, Ten-Huei

2012-01-01

The accretion of ice particles in the core of commercial aircraft engines has been an ongoing aviation safety challenge. While no accidents have resulted from this phenomenon to date, numerous engine power loss events ranging from uneventful recoveries to forced landings have been recorded. As a first step to enabling mitigation strategies during ice accretion, a detection scheme must be developed that is capable of being implemented on board modern engines. In this paper, a simple detection scheme is developed and tested using a realistic engine simulation with approximate ice accretion models based on data from a compressor design tool. These accretion models are implemented as modified Low Pressure Compressor maps and have the capability to shift engine performance based on a specified level of ice blockage. Based on results from this model, it is possible to detect the accretion of ice in the engine core by observing shifts in the typical sensed engine outputs. Results are presented in which, for a 0.1 percent false positive rate, a true positive detection rate of 98 percent is achieved.

Spatial Variability of Salt Marsh Vertical Accretion and Carbon Burial Rates along the Gulf of Mexico at Local and Regional Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arriola, J.; Cable, J. E.

2017-12-01

Many studies quantifying salt marsh vertical accretion and carbon burial have been conducted along the Gulf of Mexico over the past several decades. These results are often used in conjunction with sea level rise estimates to evaluate the long term storage, and potential release, of carbon as salt marshes are overtaken by rising waters. However, results from these studies are not always comparable because of diverse sampling and analytical methods, which may skew regional averages. In addition, salt marsh vertical accretion and carbon burial rates can be highly variable on local scales depending on sampling locations within the marsh, e.g. levee vs marsh plain, and methods to determine carbon quantity, such as utilizing linear relationships between % organic matter and % carbon from other studies. Anthropogenic impacts on accretion and carbon burial may also influence interpretation of results. Utilizing consistent methods for local and regional marsh research will improve the accuracy of accretion and burial rates which is fundamental to our ability to predict responses to climate change. Our study examined sediment cores extracted from 6 salt marshes - 5 marshes along Texas to Florida coasts and 1 marsh on the Florida Atlantic coast. These marshes were selected for minimal human influence and consistent sampling and analytical methodologies were employed to compare vertical accretion and carbon burial variability on local and regional scales. Total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen were determined via direct measurement and accretion rates were calculated based on 210Pb via 210Po alpha spectrometry. The lowest TOC inventory was found at Mission-Aransas, TX (18.57 g OC), whereas the highest was found at Apalachicola, FL (35.05 g OC). Anahuac, TX, was found to have the highest modern vertical accretion rates of all 6 sites, whereas Guana Tolomato-Matanzas, FL, has the lowest. This research yields regional carbon burial estimates for the Gulf of Mexico using

EARTH, MOON, SUN, AND CV ACCRETION DISKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Montgomery, M. M.

2009-11-01

Net tidal torque by the secondary on a misaligned accretion disk, like the net tidal torque by the Moon and the Sun on the equatorial bulge of the spinning and tilted Earth, is suggested by others to be a source to retrograde precession in non-magnetic, accreting cataclysmic variable (CV) dwarf novae (DN) systems that show negative superhumps in their light curves. We investigate this idea in this work. We generate a generic theoretical expression for retrograde precession in spinning disks that are misaligned with the orbital plane. Our generic theoretical expression matches that which describes the retrograde precession of Earths'more » equinoxes. By making appropriate assumptions, we reduce our generic theoretical expression to those generated by others, or to those used by others, to describe retrograde precession in protostellar, protoplanetary, X-ray binary, non-magnetic CV DN, quasar, and black hole systems. We find that spinning, tilted CV DN systems cannot be described by a precessing ring or by a precessing rigid disk. We find that differential rotation and effects on the disk by the accretion stream must be addressed. Our analysis indicates that the best description of a retrogradely precessing spinning, tilted, CV DN accretion disk is a differentially rotating, tilted disk with an attached rotating, tilted ring located near the innermost disk annuli. In agreement with the observations and numerical simulations by others, we find that our numerically simulated CV DN accretion disks retrogradely precess as a unit. Our final, reduced expression for retrograde precession agrees well with our numerical simulation results and with selective observational systems that seem to have main-sequence secondaries. Our results suggest that a major source to retrograde precession is tidal torques like that by the Moon and the Sun on the Earth. In addition, these tidal torques should be common to a variety of systems where one member is spinning and tilted, regardless

Accretion and Diffusion in the DAZ White Dwarf GALEX J1931+0117

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vennes, Stéphane; Kawka, Adéla; Németh, Péter

2011-03-01

We present an analysis of high-dispersion and high signal-to-noise ratio spectra of the DAZ white dwarf GALEX J1931+0117. The spectra obtained with the VLT-Kueyen/UV-Visual Echelle Spectrograph show several well-resolved Si II spectral lines enabling a study of pressure effects on line profiles. We observed large Stark shifts in silicon lines in agreement with laboratory measurements. A model atmosphere analysis shows that the magnesium, silicon and iron abundances exceed solar abundances, while the oxygen and calcium abundances are below solar. Also, we compared the observed line profiles to synthetic spectra computed with variable accretion rates and vertical abundance distributions assuming diffusion steady-state. The inferred accretion rates vary from Ṁ = 2×106 for calcium to 2×109 g s-1 for oxygen and indicate that the accretion flow is dominated by oxygen, silicon and iron while being deficient in carbon, magnesium and calcium. The lack of radial velocity variations between two measurement epochs suggests that GALEX J1931+0117 is probably not in a close binary and that the source of the accreted material resides in a debris disc.

CSI 2264: Accretion process in classical T Tauri stars in the young cluster NGC 2264

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sousa, A. P.; Alencar, S. H. P.; Bouvier, J.; Stauffer, J.; Venuti, L.; Hillenbrand, L.; Cody, A. M.; Teixeira, P. S.; Guimarães, M. M.; McGinnis, P. T.; Rebull, L.; Flaccomio, E.; Fürész, G.; Micela, G.; Gameiro, J. F.

2016-02-01

Context. NGC 2264 is a young stellar cluster (~3 Myr) with hundreds of low-mass accreting stars that allow a detailed analysis of the accretion process taking place in the pre-main sequence. Aims: Our goal is to relate the photometric and spectroscopic variability of classical T Tauri stars to the physical processes acting in the stellar and circumstellar environment, within a few stellar radii from the star. Methods: NGC 2264 was the target of a multiwavelength observational campaign with CoRoT, MOST, Spitzer, and Chandra satellites and photometric and spectroscopic observations from the ground. We classified the CoRoT light curves of accreting systems according to their morphology and compared our classification to several accretion diagnostics and disk parameters. Results: The morphology of the CoRoT light curve reflects the evolution of the accretion process and of the inner disk region. Accretion burst stars present high mass-accretion rates and optically thick inner disks. AA Tau-like systems, whose light curves are dominated by circumstellar dust obscuration, show intermediate mass-accretion rates and are located in the transition of thick to anemic disks. Classical T Tauri stars with spot-like light curves correspond mostly to systems with a low mass-accretion rate and low mid-IR excess. About 30% of the classical T Tauri stars observed in the 2008 and 2011 CoRoT runs changed their light-curve morphology. Transitions from AA Tau-like and spot-like to aperiodic light curves and vice versa were common. The analysis of the Hα emission line variability of 58 accreting stars showed that 8 presented a periodicity that in a few cases was coincident with the photometric period. The blue and red wings of the Hα line profiles often do not correlate with each other, indicating that they are strongly influenced by different physical processes. Classical T Tauri stars have a dynamic stellar and circumstellar environment that can be explained by magnetospheric

Self-shadowing effects of slim accretion disks in active galactic nuclei: the diverse appearance of the broad-line region

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Jian-Min; Qiu, Jie; Du, Pu

2014-12-10

Supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) undergo a wide range of accretion rates, which lead to diversity of appearance. We consider the effects of anisotropic radiation from accretion disks on the broad-line region (BLR) from the Shakura-Sunyaev regime to slim disks with super-Eddington accretion rates. The geometrically thick funnel of the inner region of slim disks produces strong self-shadowing effects that lead to very strong anisotropy of the radiation field. We demonstrate that the degree of anisotropy of the radiation fields grows with increasing accretion rate. As a result of this anisotropy, BLR clouds receive different spectral energymore » distributions depending on their location relative to the disk, resulting in the diverse observational appearance of the BLR. We show that the self-shadowing of the inner parts of the disk naturally produces two dynamically distinct regions of the BLR, depending on accretion rate. These two regions manifest themselves as kinematically distinct components of the broad Hβ line profile with different line widths and fluxes, which jointly account for the Lorentzian profile generally observed in narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies. In the time domain, these two components are expected to reverberate with different time lags with respect to the varying ionizing continuum, depending on the accretion rate and the viewing angle of the observer. The diverse appearance of the BLR due to the anisotropic ionizing energy source can be tested by reverberation mapping of Hβ and other broad emission lines (e.g., Fe II), providing a new tool to diagnose the structure and dynamics of the BLR. Other observational consequences of our model are also explored.« less

Near-ultraviolet Excess in Slowly Accreting T Tauri Stars: Limits Imposed by Chromospheric Emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingleby, Laura; Calvet, Nuria; Bergin, Edwin; Herczeg, Gregory; Brown, Alexander; Alexander, Richard; Edwards, Suzan; Espaillat, Catherine; France, Kevin; Gregory, Scott G.; Hillenbrand, Lynne; Roueff, Evelyne; Valenti, Jeff; Walter, Frederick; Johns-Krull, Christopher; Brown, Joanna; Linsky, Jeffrey; McClure, Melissa; Ardila, David; Abgrall, Hervé; Bethell, Thomas; Hussain, Gaitee; Yang, Hao

2011-12-01

Young stars surrounded by disks with very low mass accretion rates are likely in the final stages of inner disk evolution and therefore particularly interesting to study. We present ultraviolet (UV) observations of the ~5-9 Myr old stars RECX-1 and RECX-11, obtained with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as optical and near-infrared spectroscopic observations. The two stars have similar levels of near-UV emission, although spectroscopic evidence indicates that RECX-11 is accreting and RECX-1 is not. The line profiles of Hα and He I λ10830 in RECX-11 show both broad and narrow redshifted absorption components that vary with time, revealing the complexity of the accretion flows. We show that accretion indicators commonly used to measure mass accretion rates, e.g., U-band excess luminosity or the Ca II triplet line luminosity, are unreliable for low accretors, at least in the middle K spectral range. Using RECX-1 as a template for the intrinsic level of photospheric and chromospheric emission, we determine an upper limit of 3 × 10-10 M ⊙ yr-1 for RECX-11. At this low accretion rate, recent photoevaporation models predict that an inner hole should have developed in the disk. However, the spectral energy distribution of RECX-11 shows fluxes comparable to the median of Taurus in the near-infrared, indicating that substantial dust remains. Fluorescent H2 emission lines formed in the innermost disk are observed in RECX-11, showing that gas is present in the inner disk, along with the dust. This paper includes data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile.

Misaligned Accretion and Jet Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Andrew; Nixon, Chris

2018-04-01

Disk accretion onto a black hole is often misaligned from its spin axis. If the disk maintains a significant magnetic field normal to its local plane, we show that dipole radiation from Lense–Thirring precessing disk annuli can extract a significant fraction of the accretion energy, sharply peaked toward small disk radii R (as R ‑17/2 for fields with constant equipartition ratio). This low-frequency emission is immediately absorbed by surrounding matter or refracted toward the regions of lowest density. The resultant mechanical pressure, dipole angular pattern, and much lower matter density toward the rotational poles create a strong tendency to drive jets along the black hole spin axis, similar to the spin-axis jets of radio pulsars, also strong dipole emitters. The coherent primary emission may explain the high brightness temperatures seen in jets. The intrinsic disk emission is modulated at Lense–Thirring frequencies near the inner edge, providing a physical mechanism for low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). Dipole emission requires nonzero hole spin, but uses only disk accretion energy. No spin energy is extracted, unlike the Blandford–Znajek process. Magnetohydrodynamic/general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD/GRMHD) formulations do not directly give radiation fields, but can be checked post-process for dipole emission and therefore self-consistency, given sufficient resolution. Jets driven by dipole radiation should be more common in active galactic nuclei (AGN) than in X-ray binaries, and in low accretion-rate states than high, agreeing with observation. In non-black hole accretion, misaligned disk annuli precess because of the accretor’s mass quadrupole moment, similarly producing jets and QPOs.

SDSS-IV MaNGA: A Serendipitous Observation of a Potential Gas Accretion Event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheung, Edmond; Stark, David V.; Huang, Song; Rubin, Kate H. R.; Lin, Lihwai; Tremonti, Christy; Zhang, Kai; Yan, Renbin; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Boquien, Médéric; Brownstein, Joel R.; Drory, Niv; Gelfand, Joseph D.; Knapen, Johan H.; Maiolino, Roberto; Malanushenko, Olena; Masters, Karen L.; Merrifield, Michael R.; Pace, Zach; Pan, Kaike; Riffel, Rogemar A.; Roman-Lopes, Alexandre; Rujopakarn, Wiphu; Schneider, Donald P.; Stott, John P.; Thomas, Daniel; Weijmans, Anne-Marie

2016-12-01

The nature of warm, ionized gas outside of galaxies may illuminate several key galaxy evolutionary processes. A serendipitous observation by the MaNGA survey has revealed a large, asymmetric Hα complex with no optical counterpart that extends ≈8″ (≈6.3 kpc) beyond the effective radius of a dusty, starbursting galaxy. This Hα extension is approximately three times the effective radius of the host galaxy and displays a tail-like morphology. We analyze its gas-phase metallicities, gaseous kinematics, and emission-line ratios and discuss whether this Hα extension could be diffuse ionized gas, a gas accretion event, or something else. We find that this warm, ionized gas structure is most consistent with gas accretion through recycled wind material, which could be an important process that regulates the low-mass end of the galaxy stellar mass function.

Accretion and outflow in the proplyd-like objects near Cygnus OB2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guarcello, M. G.; Drake, J. J.; Wright, N. J.

2014-09-20

Cygnus OB2 is the most massive association within 2 kpc from the Sun, hosting hundreds of massive stars, thousands of young low mass members, and some sights of active star formation in the surrounding cloud. Recently, 10 photoevaporating proplyd-like objects with tadpole-shaped morphology were discovered in the outskirts of the OB association, approximately 6-14 pc away from its center. The classification of these objects is ambiguous, being either evaporating residuals of the parental cloud that are hosting a protostar inside or disk-bearing stars with an evaporating disk, such as the evaporating proplyds observed in the Trapezium Cluster in Orion. Inmore » this paper, we present a study based on low-resolution optical spectroscopic observations made with the Optical System for Imaging and low Resolution Integrated Spectroscopy, mounted on the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS, of two of these protostars. The spectrum of one of the objects shows evidence of accretion but not of outflows. In the latter object, the spectra show several emission lines indicating the presence of an actively accreting disk with outflow. We present estimates of the mass loss rate and the accretion rate from the disk, showing that the former exceeds the latter as observed in other known objects with evaporating disks. We also show evidence of a strong variability in the integrated flux observed in these objects as well as in the accretion and outflow diagnostics.« less

Mass-loss from advective accretion disc around rotating black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aktar, Ramiz; Das, Santabrata; Nandi, Anuj

2015-11-01

We examine the properties of the outflowing matter from an advective accretion disc around a spinning black hole. During accretion, rotating matter experiences centrifugal pressure-supported shock transition that effectively produces a virtual barrier around the black hole in the form of post-shock corona (hereafter PSC). Due to shock compression, PSC becomes hot and dense that eventually deflects a part of the inflowing matter as bipolar outflows because of the presence of extra thermal gradient force. In our approach, we study the outflow properties in terms of the inflow parameters, namely specific energy (E) and specific angular momentum (λ) considering the realistic outflow geometry around the rotating black holes. We find that spin of the black hole (ak) plays an important role in deciding the outflow rate R_{dot{m}} (ratio of mass flux of outflow to inflow); in particular, R_{dot{m}} is directly correlated with ak for the same set of inflow parameters. It is found that a large range of the inflow parameters allows global accretion-ejection solutions, and the effective area of the parameter space (E, λ) with and without outflow decreases with black hole spin (ak). We compute the maximum outflow rate (R^{max}_{dot{m}}) as a function of black hole spin (ak) and observe that R^{max}_{dot{m}} weakly depends on ak that lies in the range ˜10-18 per cent of the inflow rate for the adiabatic index (γ) with 1.5 ≥ γ ≥ 4/3. We present the observational implication of our approach while studying the steady/persistent jet activities based on the accretion states of black holes. We discuss that our formalism seems to have the potential to explain the observed jet kinetic power for several Galactic black hole sources and active galactic nuclei.

Chandra Pinpoints Edge Of Accretion Disk Around Black Hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2001-05-01

Using four NASA space observatories, astronomers have shown that a flaring black hole source has an accretion disk that stops much farther out than some theories predict. This provides a better understanding of how energy is released when matter spirals into a black hole. On April 18, 2000, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer observed ultraviolet radiation from the object known as XTE J1118+480, a black hole roughly seven times the mass of the Sun, locked in a close binary orbit with a Sun-like star. Simultaneously, the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observed high-energy X-rays from matter plunging toward the black hole, while the Chandra X-ray Observatory focused on the critical energy band between the ultraviolet and high-energy X-rays, providing the link that tied all the data together. "By combining the observations of XTE J1118+480 at many different wavelengths, we have found the first clear evidence that the accretion disk can stop farther out," said Jeffrey McClintock of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who led the Chandra observations. "The Chandra data indicate that this accretion disk gets no closer to the event horizon than about 600 miles, a far cry from the 25 miles that some had expected." Scientists theorize that the accretion disk is truncated there because the material erupts into a hot bubble of gas before taking its final plunge into the black hole. Matter stripped from a companion star by a black hole can form a flat, pancake-like structure, called an “accretion disk.” As material spirals toward the inner edge of the accretion disk, it is heated by the immense gravity of the black hole, which causes it to radiate in X-rays. By examining the X-rays, researchers can gauge how far inward the accretion disk extends. Most astronomers agree that when material is transferred onto the black hole at a high rate, then the accretion disk will reach to within about 25 miles of the event horizon -- the surface of �

Evolution of Pre-Main Sequence Accretion Disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, Lee W.

2000-01-01

The aim of this project was to develop a comprehensive global picture of the physical conditions in, and evolutionary timescales of, pre-main sequence accretion disks. The results of this work will help constrain the initial conditions for planet formation. To this end we: (1) Developed detailed calculations of disk structure to study physical conditions and investigate the observational effects of grain growth in T Tauri disks; (2) Studied the dusty emission and accretion rates in older disk systems, with ages closer to the expected epoch of (giant) planet formation at 3-10 Myr, and (3) Began a project to develop much larger samples of 3-10 Myr-old stars to provide better empirical constraints on protoplanetary disk evolution.

A Strong Shallow Heat Source in the Accreting Neutron Star MAXI J0556-332

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deibel, Alex; Cumming, Andrew; Brown, Edward F.; Page, Dany

2015-08-01

An accretion outburst in an X-ray transient deposits material onto the neutron star primary; this accumulation of matter induces reactions in the neutron star’s crust. During the accretion outburst these reactions heat the crust out of thermal equilibrium with the core. When accretion halts, the crust cools to its long-term equilibrium temperature on observable timescales. Here we examine the accreting neutron star transient MAXI J0556-332, which is the hottest transient, at the start of quiescence, observed to date. Models of the quiescent light curve require a large deposition of heat in the shallow outer crust from an unknown source. The additional heat injected is ≈4-10 MeV per accreted nucleon; when the observed decline in accretion rate at the end of the outburst is accounted for, the required heating increases to ≈6-16 MeV. This shallow heating is still required to fit the light curve even after taking into account a second accretion episode, uncertainties in distance, and different surface gravities. The amount of shallow heating is larger than that inferred for other neutron star transients and is larger than can be supplied by nuclear reactions or compositionally driven convection; but it is consistent with stored mechanical energy in the accretion disk. The high crust temperature ({T}b≳ {10}9 {{K}}) makes its cooling behavior in quiescence largely independent of the crust composition and envelope properties, so that future observations will probe the gravity of the source. Fits to the light curve disfavor the presence of Urca cooling pairs in the crust.

Ultraviolet line diagnostics of accretion disk winds in cataclysmic variables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vitello, Peter; Shlosman, Isaac

1993-01-01

The IUE data base is used to analyze the UV line shapes of the cataclysmic variables RW Sex, RW Tri, and V Sge. Observed lines are compared to synthetic line profiles computed using a model of rotating biconical winds from accretion disks. The wind model calculates the wind ionization structure self-consistently including photoionization from the disk and boundary layer and treats 3D line radiation transfer in the Sobolev approximation. It is found that winds from accretion disks provide a good fit for reasonable parameters to the observed UV lines which include the P Cygni profiles for low-inclination systems and pure emission at large inclination. Disk winds are preferable to spherical winds which originate on the white dwarf because they: (1) require a much lower ratio of mass-loss rate to accretion rate and are therefore more plausible energetically; (2) provide a natural source for a biconical distribution of mass outflow which produces strong scattering far above the disk leading to P Cygni profiles for low-inclination systems and pure line emission profiles at high inclination with the absence of eclipses in UV lines; and (3) produce rotation-broadened pure emission lines at high inclination.

UV line diagnostics of accretion disk winds in cataclysmic variables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vitello, Peter; Shlosman, Isaac

1992-01-01

The IUE data base is used to analyze the UV line shapes of cataclysmic variables RW Sex, RW Tri, and V Sge. Observed lines are compared to synthetic line profiles computed using a model of rotating bi-conical winds from accretion disks. The wind model calculates the wind ionization structure self-consistently including photoionization from the disk and boundary layer and treats 3-D line radiation transfer in the Sobolev approximation. It is found that winds from accretion disks provide a good fit for reasonable parameters to the observed UV lines which include the P Cygni profiles for low inclination systems and pure emission at large inclination. Disk winds are preferable to spherical winds which originate on the white dwarf because they (1) require a much lower ratio of mass loss rate to accretion rate and are therefore more plausible energetically, (2) provide a natural source for a bi-conical distribution of mass outflow which produces strong scattering far above the disk leading to P Cygni profiles for low inclination systems, and pure line emission profiles at high inclination with the absence of eclipses in UV lines, and (3) produce rotation broadened pure emission lines at high inclination.

Migration of accreting planets in radiative discs from dynamical torques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierens, A.; Raymond, S. N.

2016-11-01

We present the results of hydrodynamical simulations of the orbital evolution of planets undergoing runaway gas accretion in radiative discs. We consider accreting disc models with constant mass flux through the disc, and where radiative cooling balances the effect of viscous heating and stellar irradiation. We assume that 20-30 M⊕ giant planet cores are formed in the region where viscous heating dominates and migrate outward under the action of a strong entropy-related corotation torque. In the case where gas accretion is neglected and for an α viscous stress parameter α = 2 × 10-3, we find evidence for strong dynamical torques in accreting discs with accretion rates {dot{M}}≳ 7× 10^{-8} M_{⊙} yr{}^{-1}. Their main effect is to increase outward migration rates by a factor of ˜2 typically. In the presence of gas accretion, however, runaway outward migration is observed with the planet passing through the zero-torque radius and the transition between the viscous heating and stellar heating dominated regimes. The ability for an accreting planet to enter a fast migration regime is found to depend strongly on the planet growth rate, but can occur for values of the mass flux through the disc of {dot{M}}≳ 5× 10^{-8} M_{⊙} yr{}^{-1}. We find that an episode of runaway outward migration can cause an accreting planet formed in the 5-10 au region to temporarily orbit at star-planet separations as large as ˜60-70 au. However, increase in the amplitude of the Lindblad torque associated with planet growth plus change in the streamline topology near the planet systematically cause the direction of migration to be reversed. Subsequent evolution corresponds to the planet migrating inward rapidly until it becomes massive enough to open a gap in the disc and migrate in the type II regime. Our results indicate that a planet can reach large orbital distances under the combined effect of dynamical torques and gas accretion, but an alternative mechanism is required to

Accretion onto CO White Dwarfs using MESA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Wanda; Starrfield, Sumner

2018-06-01

The nature of type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) progenitor systems and their underlying mechanism are not well understood. There are two competing progenitor scenarios: the single-degenerate scenario wherein a white dwarf (WD) star accretes material from a companion star, reaching the Chandrasekhar mass limit; and, the double-degenerate scenario wherein two WDs merge. In this study, we investigate the single-degenerate scenario by accretion onto carbon-oxygen (CO) WDs using the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA). We vary the WD mass, composition of the accreting material, and accretion rate in our models. Mixing between the accreted material and the WD core is informed by multidimensional studies that suggest occurance after thermonuclear runaway (TNR) ensues. We compare the accretion of solar composition material onto CO WDs with the accretion of mixed solar and core material after TNR. As many of our models eject less material than accreted, our study supports that accretion onto CO WDs is a feasible channel for SNe I progenitors.

Radio Observations as a Tool to Investigate Shocks and Asymmetries in Accreting White Dwarf Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weston, Jennifer H. S.

2016-07-01

This dissertation uses radio observations with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to investigate the mechanisms that power and shape accreting white dwarfs (WD) and their ejecta. We test the predictions of both simple spherical and steady-state radio emission models by examining nova V1723 Aql, nova V5589 Sgr, symbiotic CH Cyg, and two small surveys of symbiotic binaries. First, we highlight classical nova V1723 Aql with three years of radio observations alongside optical and X-ray observations. We use these observations to show that multiple outflows from the system collided to create early non-thermal shocks with a brightness temperature of ≥106 K. While the late-time radio light curve is roughly consistent an expanding thermal shell of mass 2x10-4 M⊙ solar masses, resolved images of V1723 Aql show elongated material that apparently rotates its major axis over the course of 15 months, much like what is seen in gamma-ray producing nova V959 Mon, suggesting similar structures in the two systems. Next, we examine nova V5589 Sgr, where we find that the early radio emission is dominated by a shock-powered non-thermal flare that produces strong (kTx > 33 keV) X-rays. We additionally find roughly 10-5 M⊙ solar masses of thermal bremsstrahlung emitting material, all at a distance of ~4 kpc. The similarities in the evolution of both V1723 Aql and V5589 Sgr to that of nova V959 Mon suggest that these systems may all have dense equatorial tori shaping faster flows at their poles. Turning our focus to symbiotic binaries, we first use our radio observations of CH Cyg to link the ejection of a collimated jet to a change of state in the accretion disk. We additionally estimate the amount of mass ejected during this period (10-7 M⊙ masses), and improve measurements of the period of jet precession (P=12013 ± 74 days). We then use our survey of eleven accretion-driven symbiotic systems to determine that the radio brightness of a symbiotic system could potentially

Simulating a Thin Accretion Disk Using PLUTO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillipson, Rebecca; Vogeley, Michael S.; Boyd, Patricia T.

2017-08-01

Accreting black hole systems such as X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei exhibit variability in their luminosity on many timescales ranging from milliseconds to tens of days, and even hundreds of days. The mechanism(s) driving this variability and the relationship between short- and long-term variability is poorly understood. Current studies on accretion disks seek to determine how the changes in black hole mass, the rate at which mass accretes onto the central black hole, and the external environment affect the variability on scales ranging from stellar-mass black holes to supermassive black holes. Traditionally, the fluid mechanics equations governing accretion disks have been simplified by considering only the kinematics of the disk, and perhaps magnetic fields, in order for their phenomenological behavior to be predicted analytically. We seek to employ numerical techniques to study accretion disks including more complicated physics traditionally ignored in order to more accurately understand their behavior over time. We present a proof-of-concept three dimensional, global simulation using the astrophysical hydrodynamic code PLUTO of a simplified thin disk model about a central black hole which will serve as the basis for development of more complicated models including external effects such as radiation and magnetic fields. We also develop a tool to generate a synthetic light curve that displays the variability in luminosity of the simulation over time. The preliminary simulation and accompanying synthetic light curve demonstrate that PLUTO is a reliable code to perform sophisticated simulations of accretion disk systems which can then be compared to observational results.

Formation and pre-MS Evolution of Massive Stars with Growing Accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeder, A.; Behrend, R.

2002-10-01

We briefly describe the three existing scenarios for forming massive stars and emphasize that the arguments often used to reject the accretion scenario for massive stars are misleading. It is usually not accounted for the fact that the turbulent pressure associated to large turbulent velocities in clouds necessarily imply relatively high accretion rates for massive stars. We show the basic difference between the formation of low and high mass stars based on the values of the free fall time and of the Kelvin-Helmholtz timescale, and define the concept of birthline for massive stars. Due to D-burning, the radius and location of the birthline in the HR diagram, as well as the lifetimes are very sensitive to the accretion rate dM/dt(accr). If a form dM/dt(accr) propto A(M/Msun)phi is adopted, the observations in the HR diagram and the lifetimes support a value of A approx 10-5 Msun/yr and a value of phi > 1. Remarkably, such a law is consistent with the relation found by Churchwell and Henning et al. between the outflow rates and the luminosities of ultracompact HII regions, if we assume that a fraction 0.15 to 0.3 of the global inflow is accreted. The above relation implies high dM/dt(accr) approx 10-3 Msun/yr for the most massive stars. The physical possibility of such high dM/dt(accr) is supported by current numerical models. Finally, we give simple analytical arguments in favour of the growth of dM/dt(accr) with the already accreted mass. We also suggest that due to Bondi-Hoyle accretion, the formation of binary stars is largely favoured among massive stars in the accretion scenario.

Counter-rotating accretion discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dyda, S.; Lovelace, R. V. E.; Ustyugova, G. V.; Romanova, M. M.; Koldoba, A. V.

2015-01-01

Counter-rotating discs can arise from the accretion of a counter-rotating gas cloud on to the surface of an existing corotating disc or from the counter-rotating gas moving radially inwards to the outer edge of an existing disc. At the interface, the two components mix to produce gas or plasma with zero net angular momentum which tends to free-fall towards the disc centre. We discuss high-resolution axisymmetric hydrodynamic simulations of viscous counter-rotating discs for the cases where the two components are vertically separated and radially separated. The viscosity is described by an isotropic α-viscosity including all terms in the viscous stress tensor. For the vertically separated components, a shear layer forms between them and the middle part of this layer free-falls to the disc centre. The accretion rates are increased by factors of ˜102-104 over that for a conventional disc rotating in one direction with the same viscosity. The vertical width of the shear layer and the accretion rate are strongly dependent on the viscosity and the mass fraction of the counter-rotating gas. In the case of radially separated components where the inner disc corotates and the outer disc rotates in the opposite direction, a gap between the two components opens and closes quasi-periodically. The accretion rates are ≳25 times larger than those for a disc rotating in one direction with the same viscosity.

Signs of magnetic accretion in the young Be/X-ray pulsar SXP 1062

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikhsanov, N. R.

2012-07-01

The spin behaviour of the neutron star in the newly discovered young Be/X-ray long-period pulsar SXP 1062 is discussed. The star is observed to rotate with the period of 1062 s, and spin down at the rate ˜-2.6 × 10-12 Hz s-1. I show that all of the conventional accretion scenarios encounter major difficulties in explaining the rapid spin-down of the pulsar. These difficulties can be, however, avoided within the magnetic accretion scenario in which the neutron star is assumed to accrete from a magnetized wind. The spin-down rate of the pulsar can be explained within this scenario provided the surface magnetic field of the neutron star is B*˜ 4 × 1013 G. I show that the age of the pulsar in this case lies in the range (2-4) × 104 yr, which is consistent with observations. The spin evolution of the pulsar is briefly discussed.

Hot accretion flow with anisotropic viscosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Mao-Chun; Bu, De-Fu; Gan, Zhao-Ming; Yuan, Ye-Fei

2017-12-01

In extremely low accretion rate systems, the ion mean-free path can be much larger than the gyroradius. Therefore, gas pressure is anisotropic with respect to magnetic field lines. The effects of pressure anisotropy can be modeled by an anisotropic viscosity with respect to magnetic field lines. Angular momentum can be transferred by anisotropic viscosity. In this paper, we investigate hot accretion flow with anisotropic viscosity. We consider the case that anisotropic viscous stress is much larger than Maxwell stress. We find that the flow is convectively unstable. We also find that the mass inflow rate decreases towards a black hole. Wind is very weak; its mass flux is 10-15% of the mass inflow rate. The inward decrease of inflow rate is mainly due to convective motions. This result may be useful to understand the accretion flow in the Galactic Center Sgr A* and M 87 galaxy.

SDSS-IV MaNGA: A SERENDIPITOUS OBSERVATION OF A POTENTIAL GAS ACCRETION EVENT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cheung, Edmond; Stark, David V.; Huang, Song

The nature of warm, ionized gas outside of galaxies may illuminate several key galaxy evolutionary processes. A serendipitous observation by the MaNGA survey has revealed a large, asymmetric H α complex with no optical counterpart that extends ≈8″ (≈6.3 kpc) beyond the effective radius of a dusty, starbursting galaxy. This H α extension is approximately three times the effective radius of the host galaxy and displays a tail-like morphology. We analyze its gas-phase metallicities, gaseous kinematics, and emission-line ratios and discuss whether this H α extension could be diffuse ionized gas, a gas accretion event, or something else. We findmore » that this warm, ionized gas structure is most consistent with gas accretion through recycled wind material, which could be an important process that regulates the low-mass end of the galaxy stellar mass function.« less

Constraining Accreting Binary Populations in Normal Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmer, Bret; Hornschemeier, A.; Basu-Zych, A.; Fragos, T.; Jenkins, L.; Kalogera, V.; Ptak, A.; Tzanavaris, P.; Zezas, A.

2011-01-01

X-ray emission from accreting binary systems (X-ray binaries) uniquely probe the binary phase of stellar evolution and the formation of compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes. A detailed understanding of X-ray binary systems is needed to provide physical insight into the formation and evolution of the stars involved, as well as the demographics of interesting binary remnants, such as millisecond pulsars and gravitational wave sources. Our program makes wide use of Chandra observations and complementary multiwavelength data sets (through, e.g., the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey [SINGS] and the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey [GOODS]), as well as super-computing facilities, to provide: (1) improved calibrations for correlations between X-ray binary emission and physical properties (e.g., star-formation rate and stellar mass) for galaxies in the local Universe; (2) new physical constraints on accreting binary processes (e.g., common-envelope phase and mass transfer) through the fitting of X-ray binary synthesis models to observed local galaxy X-ray binary luminosity functions; (3) observational and model constraints on the X-ray evolution of normal galaxies over the last 90% of cosmic history (since z 4) from the Chandra Deep Field surveys and accreting binary synthesis models; and (4) predictions for deeper observations from forthcoming generations of X-ray telesopes (e.g., IXO, WFXT, and Gen-X) to provide a science driver for these missions. In this talk, we highlight the details of our program and discuss recent results.

The Importance of Rotational Time-scales in Accretion Variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costigan, Gráinne; Vink, Joirck; Scholz, Aleks; Testi, Leonardo; Ray, Tom

2013-07-01

For the first few million years, one of the dominant sources of emission from a low mass young stellar object is from accretion. This process regulates the flow of material and angular moments from the surroundings to the central object, and is thought to play an important role in the definition of the long term stellar properties. Variability is a well documented attribute of accretion, and has been observed on time-scales of from days to years. However, where these variations come from is not clear. Th current model for accretion is magnetospheric accretion, where the stellar magnetic field truncates the disc, allowing the matter to flow from the disc onto the surface of the star. This model allows for variations in the accretion rate to come from many different sources, such as the magnetic field, the circumstellar disc and the interaction of the different parts of the system. We have been studying unbiased samples of accretors in order to identify the dominant time-scales and typical magnitudes of variations. In this way different sources of variations can be excluded and any missing physics in these systems identified. Through our previous work with the Long-term Accretion Monitoring Program (LAMP), we found 10 accretors in the ChaI region, whose variability is dominated by short term variations of 2 weeks. This was the shortest time period between spectroscopic observations which spanned 15 months, and rules out large scale processes in the disk as origins of this variability. On the basis of this study we have gone further to study the accretion signature H-alpha, over the time-scales of minutes and days in a set of Herbig Ae and T Tauri stars. Using the same methods as we used in LAMP we found the dominant time-scales of variations to be days. These samples both point towards rotation period of these objects as being an important time-scale for accretion variations. This allows us to indicate which are the most likely sources of these variations.

Accretion signatures in the X-shooter spectrum of the substellar companion to SR12

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santamaría-Miranda, Alejandro; Cáceres, Claudio; Schreiber, Matthias R.; Hardy, Adam; Bayo, Amelia; Parsons, Steven G.; Gromadzki, Mariusz; Aguayo Villegas, Aurora Belén

2018-04-01

About a dozen substellar companions orbiting young stellar objects or pre-main sequence stars at several hundred au have been identified in the last decade. These objects are interesting both due to the uncertainties surrounding their formation, and because their large separation from the host star offers the potential to study the atmospheres of young giant planets and brown dwarfs. Here, we present X-shooter spectroscopy of SR 12 C, a ˜2 Myr young brown dwarf orbiting SR 12 at an orbital separation of 1083 au. We determine the spectral type, gravity, and effective temperature via comparison with models and observational templates of young brown dwarfs. In addition, we detect and characterize accretion using several accretion tracers. We find SR 12 C to be a brown dwarf of spectral type L0 ± 1, log g = 4 ± 0.5, an effective temperature of 2600 ± 100 K. Our spectra provide clear evidence for accretion at a rate of ˜10-10 M⊙ yr-1. This makes SR 12 one of the few sub-stellar companions with a reliable estimate for its accretion rate. A comparison of the ages and accretion rates of sub-stellar companions with young isolated brown dwarfs does not reveal any significant differences. If further accretion rate measurements of a large number of substellar companions can confirm this trend, this would hint towards a similar formation mechanism for substellar companions at large separations and isolated brown dwarfs.

Accretion rate of extraterrestrial matter: Iridium deposited over the last 70 million years

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kyte, Frank T.

1988-01-01

In order to quantify the accretion rate of extraterrestrial matter during the Cenozoic, Ir concentrations were measured in a continuous series of 450 samples across most of the length of piston core LL44-GPC3. LL44-GPC3 is a 25-meter-long, large-diameter piston core of abyssal clay from the central North Pacific. This core contains a nearly continuous record of sedimentation over the last 70 Ma, as this site migrated from a region near the Equator in the late Cretaceous to its present position north of Hawaii. The first-cut survey across the core is nearing completion, and all of the conclusions of the earlier study, in which was reported the concentrations of Ir, Co, and Sb across 9 meters of this core, remain unchanged. The only strongly enhanced Ir concentrations occur at the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary and outside the K-T boundary Ir correlates well with Co, a terrestrial element which is largely present in hydrogenous ferromanganese oxide precipitates from seawater. Concentrations of both elements appear to be inversely correlated with the sedimentation rate. Although the K-T Ir anomaly is unique in magnitude in this core, there are several small bumps in the Ir profile which may reflect smaller accretionary events. The most promising Ir enhancement was observed in a 30 cm section approximately 1 m below the K-T boundary. Preliminary data suggest deposition of an excess across this interval at a time estimate to be approximate 1 Ma before the K-T impact event, but there is insufficient evidence at present to prove that this reflects enhanced accretion of extraterrestrial matter. A detailed model is being prepared of the chemical record of sedimentation in this core using a combined database of 39 elements in approximately 450 samples across the Cenozoic. Preliminary working model indicates that the only sedimentary sources which contribute significantly to the Ir budget in this core are the hydrogenous precipitates and extraterrestrial particulates.

Evolution of Pre-Main Sequence Accretion Disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, Lee W.

2002-01-01

The aim of this project is to develop a comprehensive global picture of the physical conditions in, and evolutionary timescales of, pre-main sequence accretion disks. The results of this work will help constrain the initial conditions for planet formation. To this end we plan to: (1) Develop much larger samples of 3-10 Myr-old stars to provide better empirical constraints on protoplanetary disk evolution; (2) Study the dusty emission and accretion rates in these systems, with ages closer to the expected epoch of (giant) planet formation at 3-10 Myr; and (3) Develop detailed model disk structures consistent with observations to infer physical conditions in protoplanetary disks and to constrain possible grain growth as the first stage of planetesimal formation.

New methods to benchmark simulations of accreting black holes systems against observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markoff, Sera; Chatterjee, Koushik; Liska, Matthew; Tchekhovskoy, Alexander; Hesp, Casper; Ceccobello, Chiara; Russell, Thomas

2017-08-01

The field of black hole accretion has been significantly advanced by the use of complex ideal general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) codes, now capable of simulating scales from the event horizon out to ~10^5 gravitational radii at high resolution. The challenge remains how to test these simulations against data, because the self-consistent treatment of radiation is still in its early days, and is complicated by dependence on non-ideal/microphysical processes not yet included in the codes. On the other extreme, a variety of phenomenological models (disk, corona, jet, wind) can well-describe spectra or variability signatures in a particular waveband, although often not both. To bring these two methodologies together, we need robust observational “benchmarks” that can be identified and studied in simulations. I will focus on one example of such a benchmark, from recent observational campaigns on black holes across the mass scale: the jet break. I will describe new work attempting to understand what drives this feature by searching for regions that share similar trends in terms of dependence on accretion power or magnetisation. Such methods can allow early tests of simulation assumptions and help pinpoint which regions will dominate the light production, well before full radiative processes are incorporated, and will help guide the interpretation of, e.g. Event Horizon Telescope data.

On the Observability of Individual Population III Stars and Their Stellar-mass Black Hole Accretion Disks through Cluster Caustic Transits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Windhorst, Rogier A.; Timmes, F. X.; Wyithe, J. Stuart B.; Alpaslan, Mehmet; Andrews, Stephen K.; Coe, Daniel; Diego, Jose M.; Dijkstra, Mark; Driver, Simon P.; Kelly, Patrick L.; Kim, Duho

2018-02-01

We summarize panchromatic Extragalactic Background Light data to place upper limits on the integrated near-infrared surface brightness (SB) that may come from Population III stars and possible accretion disks around their stellar-mass black holes (BHs) in the epoch of First Light, broadly taken from z ≃ 7–17. Theoretical predictions and recent near-infrared power spectra provide tighter constraints on their sky signal. We outline the physical properties of zero-metallicity Population III stars from MESA stellar evolution models through helium depletion and of BH accretion disks at z≳ 7. We assume that second-generation non-zero-metallicity stars can form at higher multiplicity, so that BH accretion disks may be fed by Roche-lobe overflow from lower-mass companions. We use these near-infrared SB constraints to calculate the number of caustic transits behind lensing clusters that the James Webb Space Telescope and the next-generation ground-based telescopes may observe for both Population III stars and their BH accretion disks. Typical caustic magnifications can be μ ≃ {10}4{--}{10}5, with rise times of hours and decline times of ≲ 1 year for cluster transverse velocities of {v}T≲ 1000 km s‑1. Microlensing by intracluster-medium objects can modify transit magnifications but lengthen visibility times. Depending on BH masses, accretion-disk radii, and feeding efficiencies, stellar-mass BH accretion-disk caustic transits could outnumber those from Population III stars. To observe Population III caustic transits directly may require monitoring 3–30 lensing clusters to {AB}≲ 29 mag over a decade.

Episodic accretion in binary protostars emerging from self-gravitating solar mass cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riaz, R.; Vanaverbeke, S.; Schleicher, D. R. G.

2018-06-01

Observations show a large spread in the luminosities of young protostars, which are frequently explained in the context of episodic accretion. We tested this scenario with numerical simulations that follow the collapse of a solar mass molecular cloud using the GRADSPH code, thereby varying the strength of the initial perturbations and temperature of the cores. A specific emphasis of this paper is to investigate the role of binaries and multiple systems in the context of episodic accretion and to compare their evolution to the evolution in isolated fragments. Our models form a variety of low-mass protostellar objects including single, binary, and triple systems in which binaries are more active in exhibiting episodic accretion than isolated protostars. We also find a general decreasing trend in the average mass accretion rate over time, suggesting that the majority of the protostellar mass is accreted within the first 105 years. This result can potentially help to explain the surprisingly low average luminosities in the majority of the protostellar population.

An Accretion Model for the Growth of Black Hole in Quasars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, Ye; Cheng, K. S.; Zhang, S. N.

2003-01-01

A possible accretion model associated with the ionization instability of quasar disks is proposed to address the growth of the central black hole harbored in the host galaxy. The evolution of quasars in cosmic time is assumed to change from a highly active state to a quiescent state triggered by the S-shaped ionization instability of the quasar accretion disk. For a given external mass transfer rate ionization instability can modify accretion rate in the disk and separates the accretion flows of the disk into three different phases like a S-shape. We suggest that the bright quasars observed today are those quasars with disks in the upper branch of S-shaped instability and the dormant quasars are the system in the lower branch. The disk is assumed to evolve as ADIOS configuration in the lower branch. The mass ratio between black hole and its host galactic bulge is a nature consequence of ADIOS. Our model also demonstrates that a seed black hole 2 x 10(exp 6) solar masses similar to those found in spiral galaxies today is needed to produce a black hole with a final mass 2 x 10(exp 8) solar masses.

Rates and mechanics of rapid frontal accretion along the very obliquely convergent southern Hikurangi margin, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnes, Philip M.; de Lépinay, Bernard Mercier

1997-11-01

Analysis of seismic reflection profiles, swath bathymetry, side-scan sonar imagery, and sediment samples reveal the three-dimensional structure, morphology, and stratigraphic evolution of the central to southern Hikurangi margin accretionary wedge, which is developing in response to thick trench fill sediment and oblique convergence between the Australian and Pacific plates. A seismic stratigraphy of the trench fill turbidites and frontal part of the wedge is constrained by seismic correlations to an already established stratigraphic succession nearby, by coccolith and foraminifera biostratigraphy of three core and dredge samples, and by estimates of stratigraphic thicknesses and rates of accumulation of compacted sediment. Structural and stratigraphic analyses of the frontal part of the wedge yield quantitative data on the timing of inception of thrust faults and folds, on the growth and mechanics of frontal accretion under variable convergence obliquity, and on the amounts and rates of horizontal shortening. The data place constraints on the partitioning of geological strain across the entire southern Hikurangi margin. The principal deformation front at the toe of the wedge is discontinuous and represented by right-stepping thrust faulted and folded ridges up to 1 km high, which develop initially from discontinuous protothrusts. In the central part of the margin near 41°S, where the convergence obliquity is 50°, orthogonal convergence rate is slow (27 mm/yr), and about 75% of the total 4 km of sediment on the Pacific Plate is accreted frontally, the seismically resolvable structures within 30 km of the deformation front accommodate about 6 km of horizontal shortening. At least 80% of this shortening has occurred within the last 0.4±0.1 m.y. at an average rate of 12±3 mm/yr. This rate indicates that the frontal 30 km of the wedge accounts for about 33-55% of the predicted orthogonal contraction across the entire plate boundary zone. Despite plate convergence

Numerical Simulations of Wind Accretion in Symbiotic Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Val-Borro, M.; Karovska, M.; Sasselov, D.

2009-08-01

About half of the binary systems are close enough to each other for mass to be exchanged between them at some point in their evolution, yet the accretion mechanism in wind accreting binaries is not well understood. We study the dynamical effects of gravitational focusing by a binary companion on winds from late-type stars. In particular, we investigate the mass transfer and formation of accretion disks around the secondary in detached systems consisting of an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) mass-losing star and an accreting companion. The presence of mass outflows is studied as a function of mass-loss rate, wind temperature, and binary orbital parameters. A two-dimensional hydrodynamical model is used to study the stability of mass transfer in wind accreting symbiotic binary systems. In our simulations we use an adiabatic equation of state and a modified version of the isothermal approximation, where the temperature depends on the distance from the mass losing star and its companion. The code uses a block-structured adaptive mesh refinement method that allows us to have high resolution at the position of the secondary and resolve the formation of bow shocks and accretion disks. We explore the accretion flow between the components and formation of accretion disks for a range of orbital separations and wind parameters. Our results show the formation of stream flow between the stars and accretion disks of various sizes for certain orbital configurations. For a typical slow and massive wind from an AGB star the flow pattern is similar to a Roche lobe overflow with accretion rates of 10% of the mass loss from the primary. Stable disks with exponentially decreasing density profiles and masses of the order 10-4 solar masses are formed when wind acceleration occurs at several stellar radii. The disks are geometrically thin with eccentric streamlines and close to Keplerian velocity profiles. The formation of tidal streams and accretion disks is found to be weakly dependent on

Probing thermonuclear burning on accreting neutron stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keek, L.

2008-12-01

Neutron stars are the most compact stars that can be directly observed, which makes them ideal laboratories to study physics at extreme densities. Neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries accrete hydrogen and helium from a lower-mass companion star through Roche lobe overflow. This matter undergoes thermonuclear burning in the neutron star envelope, creating carbon and heavier elements. The fusion process may proceed in an unstable manner, resulting in a thermonuclear runaway. Within one second the entire surface is burned, which is observable as a sharp rise in the emitted X-ray flux: a type I X-ray burst. Afterwards the neutron star surface cools down on a timescale of ten to one hundred seconds. During these bursts the surface of an accreting neutron star can be observed directly, which makes them instrumental for studying this type of stars. We have studied rare kinds of X-ray bursts. One such rare burst is the superburst, which lasts a thousand times longer than an ordinary burst. Superbursts are thought to result from the explosive burning of a thick carbon layer, which lies deeper inside the neutron star, close to a layer known as the crust. A prerequisite for the occurrence of a superburst is a high enough temperature, which is set by the temperature of the crust and the heat conductivity of the envelope. The latter is lowered by the presence of heavy elements that are produced during normal X-ray bursts. Using a large set of observations from the Wide Field Camera's onboard the BeppoSAX satellite, we find that, at high accretion rate, sources which do not exhibit normal bursts likely have a longer superburst recurrence time, than the observed superburst recurrence time of one burster. We analyze in detail the first superburst from a transient source, which went into outburst only 55 days before the superburst. Recent models of the neutron star crust predict that this is too small a time to heat the crust sufficiently for superburst ignition, indicating

Cooling of Accretion-Heated Neutron Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijnands, Rudy; Degenaar, Nathalie; Page, Dany

2017-09-01

We present a brief, observational review about the study of the cooling behaviour of accretion-heated neutron stars and the inferences about the neutron-star crust and core that have been obtained from these studies. Accretion of matter during outbursts can heat the crust out of thermal equilibrium with the core and after the accretion episodes are over, the crust will cool down until crust-core equilibrium is restored. We discuss the observed properties of the crust cooling sources and what has been learned about the physics of neutron-star crusts. We also briefly discuss those systems that have been observed long after their outbursts were over, i.e, during times when the crust and core are expected to be in thermal equilibrium. The surface temperature is then a direct probe for the core temperature. By comparing the expected temperatures based on estimates of the accretion history of the targets with the observed ones, the physics of neutron-star cores can be investigated. Finally, we discuss similar studies performed for strongly magnetized neutron stars in which the magnetic field might play an important role in the heating and cooling of the neutron stars.

Centrifugally driven winds from protostellar accretion discs - I. Formulation and initial results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nolan, C. A.; Salmeron, R.; Federrath, C.; Bicknell, G. V.; Sutherland, R. S.

2017-10-01

Protostellar discs play an important role in star formation, acting as the primary mass reservoir for accretion on to young stars and regulating the extent to which angular momentum and gas is released back into stellar nurseries through the launching of powerful disc winds. In this study, we explore how disc structure relates to the properties of the wind-launching region, mapping out the regions of protostellar discs where wind launching could be viable. We combine a series of 1.5D semi-analytic, steady-state, vertical disc-wind solutions into a radially extended 1+1.5D model, incorporating all three diffusion mechanisms (Ohm, Hall and ambipolar). We observe that the majority of mass outflow via disc winds occurs over a radial width of a fraction of an astronomical unit, with outflow rates attenuating rapidly on either side. We also find that the mass accretion rate, magnetic field strength and surface density profile each have significant effects on both the location of the wind-launching region and the ejection/accretion ratio \\dot{M}_out/\\dot{M}_in. Increasing either the accretion rate or the magnetic field strength corresponds to a shift of the wind-launching region to smaller radii and a decrease in \\dot{M}_out/\\dot{M}_in, while increasing the surface density corresponds to launching regions at larger radii with increased \\dot{M}_out/\\dot{M}_in. Finally, we discover a class of disc winds containing an ineffective launching configuration at intermediate radii, leading to two radially separated regions of wind launching and diminished \\dot{M}_out/\\dot{M}_in. We find that the wind locations and ejection/accretion ratio are consistent with current observational and theoretical estimates.

Stunted accretion growth of black holes by combined effect of the flow angular momentum and radiation feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugimura, Kazuyuki; Hosokawa, Takashi; Yajima, Hidenobu; Inayoshi, Kohei; Omukai, Kazuyuki

2018-05-01

Accretion on to seed black holes (BHs) is believed to play a crucial role in formation of supermassive BHs observed at high-redshift (z > 6). Here, we investigate the combined effect of gas angular momentum and radiation feedback on the accretion flow, by performing 2D axially symmetric radiation hydrodynamics simulations that solve the flow structure across the Bondi radius and the outer part of the accretion disc simultaneously. The accreting gas with finite angular momentum forms a rotationally-supported disc inside the Bondi radius, where the accretion proceeds by the angular momentum transport due to assumed α-type viscosity. We find that the interplay of radiation and angular momentum significantly suppresses accretion even if the radiative feedback is weakened in an equatorial shadowing region. The accretion rate is O(α) ˜ O(0.01 - 0.1) times the Bondi value, where α is the viscosity parameter. By developing an analytical model, we show that such a great reduction of the accretion rate persists unless the angular momentum is so small that the corresponding centrifugal radius is ≲ 0.04 times the Bondi radius. We argue that BHs are hard to grow quickly via rapid mass accretion considering the angular momentum barrier presented in this paper.

Investigation of surface water behavior during glaze ice accretion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansman, R. John, Jr.; Turnock, Stephen R.

1988-01-01

Microvideo observations of glaze ice accretions on 1-in-diameter cylinders in a closed-loop refrigerated wind tunnel were obtained to study factors controlling the behavior of unfrozen surface water during glaze ice accretion. Three zones of surface water behavior were noted, each with a characteristic roughness. The effect of substrate thermal and roughness properties on ice accretions was also studied. The contact angle and hysteresis were found to increase sharply at temperatures just below 0 C, explaining the high resistance to motion of water beads observed on accreting glaze ice surfaces. Based on the results, a simple multizone modification to the current glaze ice accretion model is proposed.

Low-density, radiatively inefficient rotating-accretion flow on to a black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inayoshi, Kohei; Ostriker, Jeremiah P.; Haiman, Zoltán; Kuiper, Rolf

2018-05-01

We study low-density axisymmetric accretion flows on to black holes (BHs) with two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations, adopting the α-viscosity prescription. When the gas angular momentum is low enough to form a rotationally supported disc within the Bondi radius (RB), we find a global steady accretion solution. The solution consists of a rotational equilibrium distribution around r ˜ RB, where the density follows ρ ∝ (1 + RB/r)3/2, surrounding a geometrically thick and optically thin accretion disc at the centrifugal radius RC(accretion flows (ρ ∝ r-1/2). In the inner solution, the gas inflow rate decreases towards the centre due to convection (\\dot{M}∝ r), and the net accretion rate (including both inflows and outflows) is strongly suppressed by several orders of magnitude from the Bondi accretion rate \\dot{M}_B. The net accretion rate depends on the viscous strength, following \\dot{M}/\\dot{M}_B∝ (α /0.01)^{0.6}. This solution holds for low accretion rates of \\dot{M}_B/\\dot{M}_Edd≲ 10^{-3} having minimal radiation cooling, where \\dot{M}_Edd is the Eddington accretion rate. In a hot plasma at the bottom (r < 10-3 RB), thermal conduction would dominate the convective energy flux. Since suppression of the accretion by convection ceases, the final BH feeding rate is found to be \\dot{M}/\\dot{M}_B˜ 10^{-3}-10-2. This rate is as low as \\dot{M}/\\dot{M}_Edd˜ 10^{-7}-10-6 inferred for SgrA* and the nuclear BHs in M31 and M87, and can explain their low luminosities, without invoking any feedback mechanism.

Accretion and Magnetic Reconnection in the Pre-Main Sequence Binary DQ Tau as Revealed through High-Cadence Optical Photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tofflemire, Benjamin M.; Mathieu, Robert D.; Ardila, David R.; Akeson, Rachel L.; Ciardi, David R.; Herczeg, Gregory; Johns-Krull, Christopher M.; Vodniza, Alberto

2016-01-01

Protostellar disks are integral to the formation and evolution of low-mass stars and planets. A paradigm for the star-disk interaction has been extensively developed through theory and observation in the case of single stars. Most stars, however, form in binaries or higher order systems where the distribution of disk material and mass flows are more complex. Pre-main sequence (PMS) binary stars can have up to three accretion disks: two circumstellar disks and a circumbinary disk separated by a dynamically cleared gap. Theory suggests that mass may periodically flow in an accretion stream from a circumbinary disk across the gap onto circumstellar disks or stellar surfaces.The archetype for this theory is the eccentric, PMS binary DQ Tau. Moderate-cadence broadband photometry (~10 observations per orbital period) has shown pulsed brightening events near most periastron passages, just as numerical simulations would predict for a binary of similar orbital parameters. While this observed behavior supports the accretion stream theory, it is not exclusive to variable accretion rates. Magnetic reconnection events (flares) during the collision of stellar magnetospheres at periastron (when separated by 8 stellar radii) could produce the same periodic, broadband behavior when observed at a one-day cadence. Further evidence for magnetic activity comes from gyrosynchrotron, radio flares (typical of stellar flares) observed near multiple periastron passages. To reveal the physical mechanism seen in DQ Tau's moderate-cadence observations, we have obtained continuous, moderate-cadence, multi-band photometry over 10 orbital periods (LCOGT 1m network), supplemented with 32 nights of minute-cadence photometry centered on 4 separate periastron passages (WIYN 0.9m; APO ARCSAT). With detailed lightcurve morphologies we distinguish between the gradual rise and fall on multi-day time-scales predicted by the accretion stream theory and the hour time-scale, rapid-rise and exponential

The accretion of migrating giant planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dürmann, Christoph; Kley, Wilhelm

2017-02-01

Aims: Most studies concerning the growth and evolution of massive planets focus either on their accretion or their migration only. In this work we study both processes concurrently to investigate how they might mutually affect one another. Methods: We modeled a two-dimensional disk with a steady accretion flow onto the central star and embedded a Jupiter mass planet at 5.2 au. The disk is locally isothermal and viscosity is modeled using a constant α. The planet is held on a fixed orbit for a few hundred orbits to allow the disk to adapt and carve a gap. After this period, the planet is released and free to move according to the gravitational interaction with the gas disk. The mass accretion onto the planet is modeled by removing a fraction of gas from the inner Hill sphere, and the removed mass and momentum can be added to the planet. Results: Our results show that a fast migrating planet is able to accrete more gas than a slower migrating planet. Utilizing a tracer fluid we analyzed the origin of the accreted gas originating predominantly from the inner disk for a fast migrating planet. In the case of slower migration, the fraction of gas from the outer disk increases. We also found that even for very high accretion rates, in some cases gas crosses the planetary gap from the inner to the outer disk. Our simulations show that the crossing of gas changes during the migration process as the migration rate slows down. Therefore, classical type II migration where the planet migrates with the viscous drift rate and no gas crosses the gap is no general process but may only occur for special parameters and at a certain time during the orbital evolution of the planet.

Relativistic particle transport in hot accretion disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Becker, Peter A.; Kafatos, Menas; Maisack, Michael

1994-01-01

Accretion disks around rapidly rotating black holes provide one of the few plausible models for the production of intense radiation in Acitve Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) above energies of several hundred MeV. The rapid rotation of the hole increases the binding energy per nucleon in the last stable orbit relative to the Schwarzschild case, and naturally leads to ion temperatures in the range 10(exp 12) - 10(exp 13) K for sub-Eddington accretion rates. The protons in the hot inner region of a steady, two-temperature disk form a reservoir of energy that is sufficient to power the observed Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) outbursts if the black hole mass is 10(exp 10) solar mass. Moreover, the accretion timescale for the inner region is comparable to the observed transient timescale of approximately 1 week. Hence EGRET outbursts may be driven by instabilities in hot, two-temperature disks around supermassive black holes. In this paper we discuss turbulent (stochastic) acceleration in hot disks as a possible source of GeV particles and radiation. We constrain the model by assuming the turbulence is powered by a collective instability that drains energy from the hot protons. We also provide some ideas concerning new, high-energy Penrose processes that produce GeV emission be directly tapping the rotational energy of Kerr black holes.

You’re Cut Off: HD and MHD Simulations of Truncated Accretion Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogg, J. Drew; Reynolds, Christopher S.

2017-01-01

Truncated accretion disks are commonly invoked to explain the spectro-temporal variability from accreting black holes in both small systems, i.e. state transitions in galactic black hole binaries (GBHBs), and large systems, i.e. low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs). In the canonical truncated disk model of moderately low accretion rate systems, gas in the inner region of the accretion disk occupies a hot, radiatively inefficient phase, which leads to a geometrically thick disk, while the gas in the outer region occupies a cooler, radiatively efficient phase that resides in the standard geometrically thin disk. Observationally, there is strong empirical evidence to support this phenomenological model, but a detailed understanding of the disk behavior is lacking. We present well-resolved hydrodynamic (HD) and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical models that use a toy cooling prescription to produce the first sustained truncated accretion disks. Using these simulations, we study the dynamics, angular momentum transport, and energetics of a truncated disk in the two different regimes. We compare the behaviors of the HD and MHD disks and emphasize the need to incorporate a full MHD treatment in any discussion of truncated accretion disk evolution.

A Continuum of Accretion Burst Behavior in Young Stars Observed by K2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cody, Ann Marie; Hillenbrand, Lynne A.; David, Trevor J.; Carpenter, John M.; Everett, Mark E.; Howell, Steve B.

2017-02-01

We present 29 likely members of the young ρ Oph or Upper Sco regions of recent star formation that exhibit “accretion burst” type light curves in K2 time series photometry. The bursters were identified by visual examination of their ˜80-day light curves, though all satisfy the M< -0.25 flux asymmetry criterion for burst behavior defined by Cody et al. The burst sources represent ≈9% of cluster members with strong infrared excess indicative of circumstellar material. Higher amplitude burster behavior is correlated with larger inner disk infrared excesses, as inferred from WISE W1-W2 color. The burst sources are also outliers in their large Hα emission equivalent widths. No distinction between bursters and non-bursters is seen in stellar properties such as multiplicity or spectral type. The frequency of bursters is similar between the younger, more compact ρ Oph region, and the older, more dispersed Upper Sco region. The bursts exhibit a range of shapes, amplitudes (˜10%-700%), durations (˜1-10 days), repeat timescales (˜3-80 days), and duty cycles (˜10%-100%). Our results provide important input to models of magnetospheric accretion, in particular, by elucidating the properties of accretion-related variability in the low state between major longer duration events such as EX Lup and FU Ori type accretion outbursts. We demonstrate the broad continuum of accretion burst behavior in young stars—extending the phenomenon to lower amplitudes and shorter timescales than traditionally considered in the theory of pre-main sequence accretion history.

Shocks in the relativistic transonic accretion with low angular momentum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suková, P.; Charzyński, S.; Janiuk, A.

2017-12-01

We perform 1D/2D/3D relativistic hydrodynamical simulations of accretion flows with low angular momentum, filling the gap between spherically symmetric Bondi accretion and disc-like accretion flows. Scenarios with different directional distributions of angular momentum of falling matter and varying values of key parameters such as spin of central black hole, energy and angular momentum of matter are considered. In some of the scenarios the shock front is formed. We identify ranges of parameters for which the shock after formation moves towards or outwards the central black hole or the long-lasting oscillating shock is observed. The frequencies of oscillations of shock positions which can cause flaring in mass accretion rate are extracted. The results are scalable with mass of central black hole and can be compared to the quasi-periodic oscillations of selected microquasars (such as GRS 1915+105, XTE J1550-564 or IGR J17091-3624), as well as to the supermassive black holes in the centres of weakly active galaxies, such as Sgr A*.

Propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations in black hole X-ray binaries: quantitative tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapisarda, S.; Ingram, A.; van der Klis, M.

2017-10-01

Over the past 20 years, a consistent phenomenology has been established to describe the variability properties of Black Hole X-ray Binaries (BHBs). However, the physics behind the observational data is still poorly understood. The recently proposed model PROPFLUC assumes a truncated disc/hot inner flow geometry, with mass accretion rate fluctuations propagating through a precessing inner flow. These two processes give rise respectively to broad band variability and QPO. Because of propagation, the emission from different regions of the disc/hot flow geometry is correlated. In our study we applied the model PROPFLUC on different BHBs (including XTE J1550-564 and Cygnus X-1) in different spectral states, fitting jointly the power spectra in two energy bands and the cross-spectrum between these two bands. This represents the first study to utilize quantitive fitting of a physical model simultaneously to observed power and cross-spectra. For the case of XTE J1550-564, which displays a strong QPO, we found quantitative and qualitative discrepancies between model predictions and data, whereas we find a good fit for the Cygnus X-1 data, which does not display a QPO. We conclude that the discrepancies are generic to the propagating fluctuations paradigm, and may be related to the mechanism originating the QPO.

Stochastic events lead to accretion in Saturn's rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Larry W.

2010-05-01

UVIS occultations indicate accretion is triggered at the B ring edge, in strong density waves in ring A and in the F ring. Moons may trigger accretion by streamline crowding (Lewis & Stewart); which enhances collisions, leading to accretion; increasing random velocities; leading to more collisions and more accretion. Cassini occultations of these strongly perturbed locations show not only accretion but also disaggregation, with time scales of hours to weeks. The collisions may lead to temporary aggregations via stochastic events: collisions can compress unconsolidated objects, trigger adhesion or bring small pieces into contact with larger or higher-density seeds. Disaggregation then can follow from disruptive collisions or tidal shedding. In the accretion/disruption balance, increased random motions could eventually give the upper hand to disruption… just as ‘irrational exuberance' can lead to financial panic in the economy; or the overpopulation of hares can lead to boom-and-bust in the population of foxes. This unstable equilibrium can similarly give rise to episodic cycles in accretion: explaining why the observable ring features that indicate embedded objects have been increasing since the beginning of Cassini's observations of Saturn in 2004.

Gamma-burst emission from neutron-star accretion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colgate, S. A.; Petschek, A. G.; Sarracino, R.

1983-01-01

A model for emission of the hard photons of gamma bursts is presented. The model assumes accretion at nearly the Eddington limited rate onto a neutron star without a magnetic field. Initially soft photons are heated as they are compressed between the accreting matter and the star. A large electric field due to relatively small charge separation is required to drag electrons into the star with the nuclei against the flux of photons leaking out through the accreting matter. The photon number is not increased substantially by Bremsstrahlung or any other process. It is suggested that instability in an accretion disc might provide the infalling matter required.

Black Hole Accretion and Feedback Driven by Thermal Instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaspari, M.; Ruszkowski, M.; Oh, S. P.; Churazov, E.; Brighenti, F.; Ettori, S.; Sharma, P.; Temi, P.

2013-03-01

Multiwavelength data indicate that the cores of several galaxy clusters are moderately cooling, though not catastrophically, showing signs of filamentary extended multiphase gas. Through 3D AMR hydrodynamic simulations, we study the impact of thermal instability in the evolution of the intracluster medium. Common moderate turbulence of just over 100 km/s leads to the growth of nonlinear thermal instability within the central few tens kpc. In the presence of a global counterbalancing heating, the condensation of extended filamentary cold gas is violent, occurring when the cooling time falls below 10 times the free-fall time. The frequent stochastic collisions, fragmentations and shearing motions between the cold clouds, filaments and the central torus, efficiently reduce angular momentum. Tracking the accreting gas with a dynamical range of 10 million, we find that the accretion rate is boosted up to 100 times with respect to the Bondi rate. In a commonly turbulent and quasi-stable atmosphere, the mode of black accretion is cold and chaotic, substantially different from the classic idealized scenario. Only in the transonic regime, turbulent dissipation starts to inhibit thermal instability. On sub-parsec scales the cold phase is channeled via a funnel, triggering the black hole feedback likely linked to mechanical jets/outflows. As shown by long-term self-regulated simulations, the interplay of chaotic cold accretion and AGN feedback is crucial in order to avoid the cooling catastrophe and to reproduce the key thermodynamical features of observed clusters.

Interpreting MAD within multiple accretion regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mocz, Philip; Guo, Xinyi

2015-02-01

General relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of accreting black holes in the radiatively inefficient regime show that systems with sufficient magnetic poloidal flux become magnetically arrested disc (MAD) systems, with a well-defined relationship between the magnetic flux and the mass accretion rate. Recently, Zamaninasab et al. report that the jet magnetic flux and accretion disc luminosity are tightly correlated over 7 orders of magnitude for a sample of 76 radio-loud active galaxies, concluding that the data are explained by the MAD mode of accretion. Their analysis assumes radiatively efficient accretion, and their sample consists primarily of radiatively efficient sources, while GRMHD simulations of MAD thus far have been carried out in the radiatively inefficient regime. We propose a model to interpret MAD systems in the context of multiple accretion regimes, and apply it to the sample in Zamaninasab et al., along with additional radiatively inefficient sources from archival data. We show that most of the radiatively inefficient radio-loud galaxies are consistent with being MAD systems. Assuming the MAD relationship found in radiatively inefficient simulations holds at other accretion regimes, a significant fraction of our sample can be candidates for MAD systems. Future GRMHD simulations have yet to verify the validity of this assumption.

HYPERCRITICAL ACCRETION, INDUCED GRAVITATIONAL COLLAPSE, AND BINARY-DRIVEN HYPERNOVAE

DOE PAGES

Fryer, Chris L.; Rueda, Jorge A.; Ruffini, Remo

2014-09-16

We successfully, applied the induced gravitational collapse (IGC) paradigm to the explanation of GRB-SNe. The progenitor is a tight binary system composed of a CO core and a NS companion. Furthermore, the explosion of the SN leads to hypercritical accretion onto the NS companion, which reaches the critical mass, gravitationally collapsing to a BH with consequent emission of the GRB. The first estimates of this process were based on a simplified model of the binary parameters and the Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion rate. We present the first full numerical simulations of the IGC process. We simulate the core-collapse, the SN explosion, andmore » the hydrodynamic evolution of the accreting material falling into the Bondi-Hoyle surface of the NS. For appropriate binary parameters, the IGC occurs in short timescale 102–103 s due to the combined action of photon trapping and neutrino cooling near the NS surface. We also address the observational features of this process.« less

X-Ray Spectra from MHD Simulations of Accreting Black Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schnittman, Jeremy D.; Krolik, Julian H.; Noble, Scott C.

2012-01-01

We present the results of a new global radiation transport code coupled to a general relativistic magneto-hydrodynamic simulation of an accreting, nonrotating black hole. For the first time, we are able to explain from first principles in a self-consistent way the X-ray spectra observed from stellar-mass black holes, including a thermal peak, Compton reflection hump, power-law tail, and broad iron line. Varying only the mass accretion rate, we are able to reproduce the low/hard, steep power-law, and thermal-dominant states seen in most galactic black hole sources. The temperature in the corona is T(sub e) 10 keV in a boundary layer near the disk and rises smoothly to T(sub e) greater than or approximately 100 keV in low-density regions far above the disk. Even as the disk's reflection edge varies from the horizon out to approximately equal to 6M as the accretion rate decreases, we find that the shape of the Fe Ka line is remarkably constant. This is because photons emitted from the plunging region are strongly beamed into the horizon and never reach the observer. We have also carried out a basic timing analysis of the spectra and find that the fractional variability increases with photon energy and viewer inclination angle, consistent with the coronal hot spot model for X-ray fluctuations.

Accreting transition discs with large cavities created by X-ray photoevaporation in C and O depleted discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ercolano, Barbara; Weber, Michael L.; Owen, James E.

2018-01-01

Circumstellar discs with large dust depleted cavities and vigorous accretion on to the central star are often considered signposts for (multiple) giant planet formation. In this Letter, we show that X-ray photoevaporation operating in discs with modest (factors 3-10) gas-phase depletion of carbon and oxygen at large radii ( > 15 au) yields the inner radius and accretion rates for most of the observed discs, without the need to invoke giant planet formation. We present one-dimensional viscous evolution models of discs affected by X-ray photoevaporation assuming moderate gas-phase depletion of carbon and oxygen, well within the range reported by recent observations. Our models use a simplified prescription for scaling the X-ray photoevaporation rates and profiles at different metallicity, and our quantitative result depends on this scaling. While more rigorous hydrodynamical modelling of mass-loss profiles at low metallicities is required to constrain the observational parameter space that can be explained by our models, the general conclusion that metal sequestering at large radii may be responsible for the observed diversity of transition discs is shown to be robust. Gap opening by giant planet formation may still be responsible for a number of observed transition discs with large cavities and very high accretion rate.

Planet population synthesis driven by pebble accretion in cluster environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ndugu, N.; Bitsch, B.; Jurua, E.

2018-02-01

The evolution of protoplanetary discs embedded in stellar clusters depends on the age and the stellar density in which they are embedded. Stellar clusters of young age and high stellar surface density destroy protoplanetary discs by external photoevaporation and stellar encounters. Here, we consider the effect of background heating from newly formed stellar clusters on the structure of protoplanetary discs and how it affects the formation of planets in these discs. Our planet formation model is built on the core accretion scenario, where we take the reduction of the core growth time-scale due to pebble accretion into account. We synthesize planet populations that we compare to observations obtained by radial velocity measurements. The giant planets in our simulations migrate over large distances due to the fast type-II migration regime induced by a high disc viscosity (α = 5.4 × 10-3). Cold Jupiters (rp > 1 au) originate preferably from the outer disc, due to the large-scale planetary migration, while hot Jupiters (rp < 0.1 au) preferably form in the inner disc. We find that the formation of gas giants via pebble accretion is in agreement with the metallicity correlation, meaning that more gas giants are formed at larger metallicity. However, our synthetic population of isolated stars host a significant amount of giant planets even at low metallicity, in contradiction to observations where giant planets are preferably found around high metallicity stars, indicating that pebble accretion is very efficient in the standard pebble accretion framework. On the other hand, discs around stars embedded in cluster environments hardly form any giant planets at low metallicity in agreement with observations, where these changes originate from the increased temperature in the outer parts of the disc, which prolongs the core accretion time-scale of the planet. We therefore conclude that the outer disc structure and the planet's formation location determines the giant planet

Black Hole Event Horizons and Advection-Dominated Accretion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McClintock, Jeffrey; Mushotzky, Richard F. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The work supported in part by this grant is part of a larger program on the detection of black hole event horizons, which is also partially supported by NASA grant GO0-1105A. This work has been carried out primarily in collaboration with Dr. M. Garcia and Prof. R. Narayan at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and with D. Barret and J. Hameury at Centre d'Etude Spoliate des Rayonnements, France. Our purpose is to confirm the existence of black-hole event horizons by comparing accreting black holes to secreting neutron stars in quiescent X-ray novae. Such a comparison is feasible because black holes and neutron stars are both present in similar environments in X-ray novae. Our second purpose is to assess the nature of accretion flows onto black holes at very low mass transfer rates. Observations of some XMM targets are still pending, whereas most of the Chandra observations have been completed. We anticipate further publications on this work in the future.

Chandra Survey of Nearby Galaxies: Testing the Accretion Model for Low-luminosity AGNs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

She, Rui; Ho, Luis C.; Feng, Hua; Cui, Can

2018-06-01

From a Chandra sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in nearby galaxies, we find that for low-luminosity AGNs, either the intrinsic absorption column density, or the fraction of absorbed AGNs, positively scales with the Eddington ratio for L bol/L Edd ≲ 10‑2. Such a behavior, along with the softness of the X-ray spectrum at low luminosities, is in good agreement with the picture that they are powered by hot accretion flows surrounding supermassive black holes. Numerical simulations find that outflows are inevitable with hot accretion flows, and the outflow rate is correlated with the innermost accretion rate in the low-luminosity regime. This agrees well with our results, suggesting that the X-ray absorption originates from, or is associated with, the outflow material. Gas and dust on larger scales may also produce the observed correlation. Future correlation analyses may help differentiate the two scenarios.

Feeding supermassive black holes through supersonic turbulence and ballistic accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hobbs, Alexander; Nayakshin, Sergei; Power, Chris; King, Andrew

2011-06-01

It has long been recognized that the main obstacle to the accretion of gas on to supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is a large specific angular momentum. It is feared that the gas settles in a large-scale disc, and that accretion would then proceed too inefficiently to explain the masses of the observed SMBHs. Here we point out that, while the mean angular momentum in the bulge is very likely to be large, the deviations from the mean can also be significant. Indeed, cosmological simulations show that velocity and angular momentum fields of gas flows on to galaxies are very complex. Furthermore, inside bulges the gas velocity distribution can be further randomized by the velocity kicks due to feedback from star formation. We perform hydrodynamical simulations of gaseous rotating shells infalling on to an SMBH, attempting to quantify the importance of velocity dispersion in the gas at relatively large distances from the black hole. We implement this dispersion by means of a supersonic turbulent velocity spectrum. We find that, while in the purely rotating case the circularization process leads to efficient mixing of gases with different angular momenta, resulting in a low accretion rate, the inclusion of turbulence increases this accretion rate by up to several orders of magnitude. We show that this can be understood based on the notion of 'ballistic' accretion, whereby dense filaments, created by convergent turbulent flows, travel through the ambient gas largely unaffected by hydrodynamical drag. This prevents the efficient gas mixing that was found in the simulations without turbulence, and allows a fraction of gas to impact the innermost boundary of the simulations directly. Using the ballistic approximation, we derive a simple analytical formula that captures the numerical results to within a factor of a few. Rescaling our results to astrophysical bulges, we argue that this 'ballistic' mode of accretion could provide the SMBHs with sufficient fuel without the need

Classical Accreting Pulsars with NICER

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson-Hodge, Colleen A.

2014-01-01

Soft excesses are very common center dot Lx > 1038 erg/s - reprocessing by optically thick material at the inner edge of the accretion disk center dot Lx < 1036 erg/s - photoionized or collisionally heated diffuse gas or thermal emission from the NS surface center dot Lx 1037 erg/s - either or both types of emission center dot NICER observations of soft excesses in bright X-ray pulsars combined with reflection modeling will constrain the ionization state, metalicity and dynamics of the inner edge of the magnetically truncated accretion disk Reflection models of an accretion disk for a hard power law - Strong soft excess below 3 keV from hot X-ray heated disk - For weakly ionized case: strong recombination lines - Are we seeing changes in the disk ionization in 4U1626-26? 13 years of weekly monitoring with RXTE PCA center dot Revealed an unexpectedly large population of Be/X-ray binaries compared to the Milky Way center dot Plotted luminosities are typical of "normal" outbursts (once per orbit) center dot The SMC provides an excellent opportunity to study a homogenous population of HMXBs with low interstellar absorption for accretion disk studies. Monitoring with NICER will enable studies of accretion disk physics in X-ray pulsars center dot The SMC provides a potential homogeneous low-absorption population for this study center dot NICER monitoring and TOO observations will also provide measurements of spinfrequencies, QPOs, pulsed fluxes, and energy spectra.

X-Ray Spectra from MHD Simulations of Accreting Black Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schnittman, Jeremy D.; Noble, Scott C.; Krolik, Julian H.

2011-01-01

We present new global calculations of X-ray spectra from fully relativistic magneto-hydrodynamic (MHO) simulations of black hole (BH) accretion disks. With a self consistent radiative transfer code including Compton scattering and returning radiation, we can reproduce the predominant spectral features seen in decades of X-ray observations of stellar-mass BHs: a broad thermal peak around 1 keV, power-law continuum up to >100 keV, and a relativistically broadened iron fluorescent line. By varying the mass accretion rate, different spectral states naturally emerge: thermal-dominant, steep power-law, and low/hard. In addition to the spectral features, we briefly discuss applications to X-ray timing and polarization.

On the Dramatic Spin-up/Spin-Down Torque Reversals in Accreting Pulsars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Robert W.; Bildsten, Lars; Chakrabarty, Deepto; Finger, Mark H.; Koh, Danny T.; Prince, Thomas A.; Rubin, Bradley C.; Scott, D. Mathew; Vaughan, Brian A.; Wilson, Robert B.

1997-01-01

Dramatic torque reversals between spin-up and spin-down have been observed in half of the persistent X-ray pulsars monitored by the Burst and Transient Space Experiment (BATSE) all-sky monitor on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Theoretical models developed to explain early pulsar timing data can explain spin-down torques via a disk-magnetosphere interaction if the star nearly corotates with the inner accretion disk. To produce the observed BATSE torque reversals, however, these equilibrium models require the disk to alternate between two mass accretion rates, with M+/- producing accretion torques of similar magnitude but always of opposite sign. Moreover, in at least one pulsar (GX 1+4) undergoing secular spin-down, the neutron star spins down faster during brief (approximately 20 day) hard X-ray flares-this is opposite the correlation expected from standard theory, assuming that BATSE pulsed flux increases with mass accretion rate. The 10 day to 10 yr intervals between torque reversals in these systems are much longer than any characteristic magnetic or viscous timescale near the inner disk boundary and are more suggestive of a global disk phenomenon. We discuss possible explanations of the observed torque behavior. Despite the preferred sense of rotation defined by the binary orbit, the BATSE observations are surprisingly consistent with an earlier suggestion for GX 1+4: the disks in these systems somehow alternate between episodes of prograde and retrograde rotation. We are unaware of any mechanism that could produce a stable retrograde disk in a binary undergoing Roche lobe overflow, but such flip-flop behavior does occur in numerical simulations of wind-fed systems. One possibility is that the disks in some of these binaries are fed by an X-ray-excited wind.

General-relativistic Simulations of Four States of Accretion onto Millisecond Pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parfrey, Kyle; Tchekhovskoy, Alexander

2017-12-01

Accreting neutron stars can power a wide range of astrophysical phenomena including short- and long-duration gamma-ray bursts, ultra-luminous X-ray sources, and X-ray binaries. Numerical simulations are a valuable tool for studying the accretion-disk–magnetosphere interaction that is central to these problems, most clearly for the recently discovered transitional millisecond pulsars. However, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) methods, widely used for simulating accretion, have difficulty in highly magnetized stellar magnetospheres, while force-free methods, suitable for such regions, cannot include the accreting gas. We present an MHD method that can stably evolve essentially force-free, highly magnetized regions, and describe the first time-dependent relativistic simulations of magnetized accretion onto millisecond pulsars. Our axisymmetric general-relativistic MHD simulations for the first time demonstrate how the interaction of a turbulent accretion flow with a pulsar’s electromagnetic wind can lead to the transition of an isolated pulsar to the accreting state. This transition naturally leads to the formation of relativistic jets, whose power can greatly exceed the power of the isolated pulsar’s wind. If the accretion rate is below a critical value, the pulsar instead expels the accretion stream. More generally, our simulations produce for the first time the four possible accretion regimes, in order of decreasing mass accretion rate: (a) crushed magnetosphere and direct accretion; (b) magnetically channeled accretion onto the stellar poles; (c) the propeller state, where material enters through the light cylinder but is prevented from accreting by the centrifugal barrier; (d) almost perfect exclusion of the accretion flow from the light cylinder by the pulsar wind.

Forming supermassive black holes by accreting dark and baryon matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Jian; Shen, Yue; Lou, Yu-Qing; Zhang, Shuangnan

2006-01-01

Given a large-scale mixture of self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) particles and baryon matter distributed in the early Universe, we advance here a two-phase accretion scenario for forming supermassive black holes (SMBHs) with masses around ~109Msolar at high redshifts z(>~6). The first phase is conceived to involve a rapid quasi-spherical and quasi-steady Bondi accretion of mainly SIDM particles embedded with baryon matter on to seed black holes (BHs) created at redshifts z<~ 30 by the first generation of massive Population III stars; this earlier phase rapidly gives birth to significantly enlarged seed BH masses of during z~ 20-15, where σ0 is the cross-section per unit mass of SIDM particles and Cs is the velocity dispersion in the SIDM halo referred to as an effective `sound speed'. The second phase of BH mass growth is envisaged to proceed primarily via baryon accretion, eventually leading to SMBH masses of MBH~ 109Msolar such SMBHs may form either by z~ 6 for a sustained accretion at the Eddington limit or later at lower z for sub-Eddington mean accretion rates. In between these two phases, there is a transitional yet sustained diffusively limited accretion of SIDM particles which in an eventual steady state would be much lower than the accretion rates of the two main phases. We intend to account for the reported detections of a few SMBHs at early epochs, e.g. Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) 1148+5251 and so forth, without necessarily resorting to either super-Eddington baryon accretion or very frequent BH merging processes. Only extremely massive dark SIDM haloes associated with rare peaks of density fluctuations in the early Universe may harbour such early SMBHs or quasars. Observational consequences are discussed. During the final stage of accumulating a SMBH mass, violent feedback in circumnuclear environs of a galactic nucleus leads to the central bulge formation and gives rise to the familiar empirical MBH-σb correlation inferred for nearby normal

DIBS independent of accretion in T Tauri stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ghandour, Louma; Jenniskens, Peter; Hartigan, P.

1994-01-01

The examination of high resolution spectra (5200 - 7000 Angstroms) of 36 T Tauri stars ranging in accretion rates was performed. Only the lambda lambda 5780, 5797, and 6613 bands were found detectable to within an equivalent width of 10 micro Angstroms. They are strongest in DG Tau, DR Tau, Dl Tau, and AS 353A. DR Tau was monitored over the course of four years; during this time, the accretion rate varied by a factor of five, but the equivalent widths of the DIB's (Diffuse Interstellar Bands) remained constant. The lack of correlation of the strength of the bands with the accretion rates implies that the bands are not directly produced by UV radiation from the accretion process. The bands have line strengths and ratios characteristic of the diffuse interstellar medium, from which we conclude that the diffuse interstellar bands seen in the spectra of T Tauri stars do not originate in the stars' immediate environment. Instead, they are part of a foreground extinction, probably due to the parent molecular cloud.

Dissipative advective accretion disc solutions with variable adiabatic index around black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Rajiv; Chattopadhyay, Indranil

2014-10-01

We investigated accretion on to black holes in presence of viscosity and cooling, by employing an equation of state with variable adiabatic index and multispecies fluid. We obtained the expression of generalized Bernoulli parameter which is a constant of motion for an accretion flow in presence of viscosity and cooling. We obtained all possible transonic solutions for a variety of boundary conditions, viscosity parameters and accretion rates. We identified the solutions with their positions in the parameter space of generalized Bernoulli parameter and the angular momentum on the horizon. We showed that a shocked solution is more luminous than a shock-free one. For particular energies and viscosity parameters, we obtained accretion disc luminosities in the range of 10- 4 - 1.2 times Eddington luminosity, and the radiative efficiency seemed to increase with the mass accretion rate too. We found steady state shock solutions even for high-viscosity parameters, high accretion rates and for wide range of composition of the flow, starting from purely electron-proton to lepton-dominated accretion flow. However, similar to earlier studies of inviscid flow, accretion shock was not obtained for electron-positron pair plasma.

Implosive accretion and outbursts of active galactic nuclei

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lovelace, R. V. E.; Romanova, M. M.; Newman, W. I.

1994-01-01

A model and simulation code have been developed for time-dependent axisymmetric disk accretion onto a compact object including for the first time the influence of an ordered magnetic field. The accretion rate and radiative luminosity of the disk are naturally coupled to the rate of outflow of energy and angular momentum in magnetically driven (+/- z) winds. The magnetic field of the wind is treated in a phenomenological way suggested by self-consistent wind solutions. The radial accretion speed u(r, t) of the disk matter is shown to be the sum of the usual viscous contribution and a magnetic contribution proportional to r(exp 3/2)(B(sub p exp 2))/sigma, where B(sub p)(r,t) is the poloidal field threading the disk and sigma(r,t) is the disk's surface mass density. An enhancement or variation in B(sub p) at a large radial distance leads to the formation of a soliton-like structure in the disk density, temperature, and B-field which propagates implosively inward. The implosion gives a burst in the power output in winds or jets and a simultaneous burst in the disk radiation. The model is pertinent to the formation of discrete fast-moving components in jets observed by very long baseline interferometry. These components appear to originate at times of optical outbursts of the active galactic nucleus.

Quasistationary solutions of scalar fields around accreting black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchis-Gual, Nicolas; Degollado, Juan Carlos; Izquierdo, Paula; Font, José A.; Montero, Pedro J.

2016-08-01

Massive scalar fields can form long-lived configurations around black holes. These configurations, dubbed quasibound states, have been studied both in the linear and nonlinear regimes. In this paper, we show that quasibound states can form in a dynamical scenario in which the mass of the black hole grows significantly due to the capture of infalling matter. We solve the Klein-Gordon equation numerically in spherical symmetry, mimicking the evolution of the spacetime through a sequence of analytic Schwarzschild black hole solutions of increasing mass. It is found that the frequency of oscillation of the quasibound states decreases as the mass of the black hole increases. In addition, accretion leads to an increase of the exponential decay of the scalar field energy. We compare the black hole mass growth rates used in our study with estimates from observational surveys and extrapolate our results to values of the scalar field masses consistent with models that propose scalar fields as dark matter in the universe. We show that, even for unrealistically large mass accretion rates, quasibound states around accreting black holes can survive for cosmological time scales. Our results provide further support to the intriguing possibility of the existence of dark matter halos based on (ultralight) scalar fields surrounding supermassive black holes in galactic centers.

Imaging accretion sources and circumbinary disks in young brown dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reiners, Ansgar

2010-09-01

We propose to obtain deep WFC3/UVIS imaging observations of two accreting, nearby, young brown dwarf binaries. The first, 2M1207, is a brown dwarf with a planetary mass companion that became a benchmark in low-mass star formation and low-mass evolutionary models. The second, 2M0041, is a nearby young brown dwarf with clear evidence for accretion, but its space motion suggests a slightly higher age than the canonical accretion lifetime of 5-10 Myr. It has recently been discovered to be a binary and is likely to become a second benchmark object in this field. With narrow band images centered on the Halpha line that is indicative of accretion, we aim to determine the accretion ratio between the two components in each system. Halpha was observed in both systems but so far not spatially resolved. In particular, we want to search for accretion in the planetary mass companion of 2M1207. The evidence for accretion in 2M0041 and the possibility that it is in fact older than 10Myr suggests that the accretion lifetime is longer in brown dwarfs than in stars, and in particular that it is longer in brown dwarf binaries. Accretion could be sustained for a longer time if the accreting material is replenished by a circumbinary disk that might exist in both systems. We propose deep WFC/UVIS observations in the optical to search for circumbinary disks, similar to the famous disk around the binary TTauri system GG Tau.

TESTING THE PROPAGATING FLUCTUATIONS MODEL WITH A LONG, GLOBAL ACCRETION DISK SIMULATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hogg, J Drew; Reynolds, Christopher S.

2016-07-20

The broadband variability of many accreting systems displays characteristic structures; log-normal flux distributions, root-mean square (rms)-flux relations, and long inter-band lags. These characteristics are usually interpreted as inward propagating fluctuations of the mass accretion rate in an accretion disk driven by stochasticity of the angular momentum transport mechanism. We present the first analysis of propagating fluctuations in a long-duration, high-resolution, global three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation of a geometrically thin ( h / r ≈ 0.1) accretion disk around a black hole. While the dynamical-timescale turbulent fluctuations in the Maxwell stresses are too rapid to drive radially coherent fluctuations in themore » accretion rate, we find that the low-frequency quasi-periodic dynamo action introduces low-frequency fluctuations in the Maxwell stresses, which then drive the propagating fluctuations. Examining both the mass accretion rate and emission proxies, we recover log-normality, linear rms-flux relations, and radial coherence that would produce inter-band lags. Hence, we successfully relate and connect the phenomenology of propagating fluctuations to modern MHD accretion disk theory.« less

Pebble Accretion in Turbulent Protoplanetary Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Ziyan; Bai, Xue-Ning; Murray-Clay, Ruth A.

2017-09-01

It has been realized in recent years that the accretion of pebble-sized dust particles onto planetary cores is an important mode of core growth, which enables the formation of giant planets at large distances and assists planet formation in general. The pebble accretion theory is built upon the orbit theory of dust particles in a laminar protoplanetary disk (PPD). For sufficiently large core mass (in the “Hill regime”), essentially all particles of appropriate sizes entering the Hill sphere can be captured. However, the outer regions of PPDs are expected to be weakly turbulent due to the magnetorotational instability (MRI), where turbulent stirring of particle orbits may affect the efficiency of pebble accretion. We conduct shearing-box simulations of pebble accretion with different levels of MRI turbulence (strongly turbulent assuming ideal magnetohydrodynamics, weakly turbulent in the presence of ambipolar diffusion, and laminar) and different core masses to test the efficiency of pebble accretion at a microphysical level. We find that accretion remains efficient for marginally coupled particles (dimensionless stopping time {τ }s˜ 0.1{--}1) even in the presence of strong MRI turbulence. Though more dust particles are brought toward the core by the turbulence, this effect is largely canceled by a reduction in accretion probability. As a result, the overall effect of turbulence on the accretion rate is mainly reflected in the changes in the thickness of the dust layer. On the other hand, we find that the efficiency of pebble accretion for strongly coupled particles (down to {τ }s˜ 0.01) can be modestly reduced by strong turbulence for low-mass cores.

Roto-chemical heating in a neutron star with fall-back disc accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Wei; Liu, Xi-Wei; Zheng, Xiao-Ping

2018-07-01

Recent research on the classical pulsar B0950+08 demonstrates that the explanation of its high surface temperature by roto-chemical heating encounters some difficulties. We assume that there is a fall-back disc around the newborn neutron star, which originates from the supernova ejecta and influences the spin and magnetic evolution of the star. By taking into account disc accretion and magnetic field evolution simultaneously, the effect of the fall-back disc accretion process on the roto-chemical heating in the neutron star is studied. The results show that there are two roto-chemical deviation phases (spin-up deviation and spin-down deviation), but that only the spin-down deviation leads to heating. The specific cooling curve depends on the accretion disc mass, the initial magnetic field and the magnetic field decay rate. Most importantly, the observations of surface temperature, magnetic field strength and spin period of the classical pulsar B0950+08 are well explained by the accretion roto-chemical heating model. The fall-back accretion process is important in roto-chemical heating for explanations of classical pulsars with high temperature. Given the absence of any evidence of fall-back accretion on to B0950+08, our study is purely hypothetical.

Sediment accretion rates for natural levee and backswamp riparian forests in the Mobile-Tensaw Bottomlands, Alabama

Treesearch

Kathryn R. Kidd; Carolyn A. Copenheaver; W. Michael Aust

2016-01-01

Several methods to quantify sediment deposition patterns in riparian forested wetlands have been used during recent decades. In this study, we used a dendrogeomorphic technique with green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) to estimate sediment accretion rates for two time periods (1881 to 2012 and 1987 to 2012) along a natural levee (35 m from river) and...

Accretion states in X-ray binaries and their connection to GeV emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koerding, Elmar

Accretion onto compact objects is intrinsically a multi-wavelength phenomenon: it shows emis-sion components visible from the radio to GeV bands. In X-ray binaries one can well observe the evolution of a single source under changes of the accretion rate and thus study the interplay between the different emission components.I will introduce the phenomenology of X-ray bina-ries and their accretion states and present our current understanding of the interplay between the optically thin and optically thick part of the accretion flow and the jet.The recent detection of the Fermi Large Area Telescope of a variable high-energy source coinciding with the position of the x-ray binary Cygnus X-3 will be presented. Its identification with Cygnus X-3 has been secured by the detection of its orbital period in gamma rays, as well as the correlation of the LAT flux with radio emission from the relativistic jets of Cygnus X-3. This will be interpreted in the context of the accretion states of the X-ray binary.

Stochastic events lead to accretion in Saturn’s rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, L. W.

2009-12-01

UVIS occultations indicate accretion is triggered at the B ring edge, in strong density waves in ring A and in the F ring. Moons may trigger accretion by streamline crowding (Lewis & Stewart); which enhances collisions, leading to accretion; increasing random velocities; leading to more collisions and more accretion. Cassini occultations of these strongly perturbed locations show not only accretion but also disaggregation, with time scales of hours to weeks. The collisions may lead to temporary aggregations via stochastic events: they can compress unconsolidated objects, trigger adhesion or bring small pieces into contact with larger or higher-density seeds. Disaggregation then can follow from disruptive collisions or tidal shedding. In the accretion/disruption balance, increased random motions could eventually give the upper hand to disruption… just as ‘irrational exuberance’ can lead to financial panic in the economy; or the overpopulation of hares can lead to boom-and-bust in the population of foxes. This unstable equilibrium can similarly give rise to episodic cycles in accretion: explaining why the observable ring features that indicate embedded objects have been increasing since the beginning of Cassini’s observations of Saturn in 2004.

Where a Neutron Star's Accretion Disk Ends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-03-01

In X-ray binaries that consist of a neutron star and a companion star, gas funnels from the companion into an accretion disk surrounding the neutron star, spiraling around until it is eventually accreted. How do the powerful magnetic fields threading through the neutron star affect this accretion disk? Recent observations provide evidence that they may push the accretion disk away from the neutron stars surface.Truncated DisksTheoretical models have indicated that neutron star accretion disks may not extend all the way in to the surface of a neutron star, but may instead be truncated at a distance. This prediction has been difficult to test observationally, however, due to the challenge of measuring the location of the inner disk edge in neutron-star X-ray binaries.In a new study, however, a team of scientists led by Ashley King (Einstein Fellow at Stanford University) has managed to measure the location of the inner edge of the disk in Aquila X-1, a neutron-star X-ray binary located 17,000 light-years away.Iron line feature detected by Swift (red) and NuSTAR (black). The symmetry of the line is one of the indicators that the disk is located far from the neutron star; if the inner regions of the disk were close to the neutron star, severe relativistic effects would skew the line to be asymmetric. [King et al. 2016]Measurements from ReflectionsKing and collaborators used observations made by NuSTAR and Swift/XRT both X-ray space observatories of Aquila X-1 during the peak of an X-ray outburst. By observing the reflection of Aquila X-1s emission off of the inner regions of the accretion disk, the authors were able to estimate the location of the inner edge of the disk.The authors find that this inner edge sits at ~15 gravitational radii. Since the neutron stars surface is at ~5 gravitational radii, this means that the accretion disk is truncated far from the stars surface. In spite of this truncation, material still manages to cross the gap and accrete onto the

Probing Stellar Accretion with Mid-infrared Hydrogen Lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigliaco, Elisabetta; Pascucci, I.; Duchene, G.; Edwards, S.; Ardila, D. R.; Grady, C.; Mendigutía, I.; Montesinos, B.; Mulders, G. D.; Najita, J. R.; Carpenter, J.; Furlan, E.; Gorti, U.; Meijerink, R.; Meyer, M. R.

2015-03-01

In this paper we investigate the origin of the mid-infrared (IR) hydrogen recombination lines for a sample of 114 disks in different evolutionary stages (full, transitional, and debris disks) collected from the Spitzer archive. We focus on the two brighter H I lines observed in the Spitzer spectra, the H I (7-6) at 12.37 μm and the H I (9-7) at 11.32 μm. We detect the H I (7-6) line in 46 objects, and the H I (9-7) in 11. We compare these lines with the other most common gas line detected in Spitzer spectra, the [Ne II] at 12.81 μm. We argue that it is unlikely that the H I emission originates from the photoevaporating upper surface layers of the disk, as has been found for the [Ne II] lines toward low-accreting stars. Using the H I (9-7)/H I (7-6) line ratios we find these gas lines are likely probing gas with hydrogen column densities of 1010-1011 cm-3. The subsample of objects surrounded by full and transitional disks show a positive correlation between the accretion luminosity and the H I line luminosity. These two results suggest that the observed mid-IR H I lines trace gas accreting onto the star in the same way as other hydrogen recombination lines at shorter wavelengths. A pure chromospheric origin of these lines can be excluded for the vast majority of full and transitional disks. We report for the first time the detection of the H I (7-6) line in eight young (<20 Myr) debris disks. A pure chromospheric origin cannot be ruled out in these objects. If the H I (7-6) line traces accretion in these older systems, as in the case of full and transitional disks, the strength of the emission implies accretion rates lower than 10-10 M ⊙ yr-1. We discuss some advantages of extending accretion indicators to longer wavelengths, and the next steps required pinning down the origin of mid-IR hydrogen lines.

Black Hole Disk Accretion in Supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomura, H.; Mineshige, S.; Hirose, M.; Nomoto, K.; Suzuki, T.

Hydrodynamical disk accretion flow onto a new-born black hole in a supernova is studied using the SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) method. It has been suggested that a mass of ~0.1Modot falls back to a black hole by a reverse shock. If the progenitor was rotating before the explosion, the accreting material should have a certain amount of angular momentum, thus forming an accretion disk. Disk material will eventually accrete towards the central object via viscosity with a supercritical accretion rate, dotM / dotMc > 106, for first several tens of days. (Here, dotMc is the Eddington luminosity divided by c2.) We then expect that such an accretion disk is optically thick and advection-dominated; that is, the disk is so hot that produced energy and photons are advected inward rather than being radiated away. Thus, the disk luminosity is much less than the Eddington luminosity (~1038erg s-1). The disk becomes hot and dense; for dotM / dotMc ~106 and the viscosity parameter alphavis ~0.01, for example, T ~109K and rho ~103gcm-3 in the vicinity of the central object. Efficient nucleosynthesis is hence expected even for reasonable viscosity magnitudes, although produced elements may be swallowed by the black hole.

Winds from the S-Star Cluster Reduce the Accretion Rate onto Sgr A*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusef-Zadeh, Farhad; Wardle, M.; Roberts, D. A; Haggard, Daryl; Lacy, John H.; Royster, Marc; Cotton, William D.

2014-06-01

High-resolution radio continuum images of the region within a few arcseconds of Sgr A* at wavelengths of 7 and 12 mm show three new radio structures. One is a 2-3'' hollow teardrop-shaped structure centered on Sgr A*. Highly blue-shifted [NeII] and [FeIII] line emission is detected along the boundary of this teardrop-shaped bubble, ~2.2'' south of Sgr A*. The second structure is a faint, incomplete ring surrounding Sgr A* with typical surface brightness at 7 mm of ~0.1 mJy per ~0.04'' x 0.08'' beam. This partial ring coincides with the outer boundary of the S-star cluster which consists of ~30 B dwarfs orbiting within 1'' of Sgr A*. Lastly, on a scale of ~20'' to the N of Sgr A*, a balloon-shaped structure is detected.We interpret that the new morphological and kinematic structures result from the dynamical effects of a combined cluster wind. This wind is created at a rate ~3 x 10^{-5} solar mass per year by the merging of individual stellar winds from the B stars in the S-star cluster. What is significant about this interpretation is that the expanding wind excludes the shocked winds from O and WR stars in the central parsec of the Galaxy. Meanwhile Sgr A* accretes material from within the S cluster at a rate less than or equal 3 x 10^{-7} solar mass per year, thus explaining the low luminosity of Sgr A* without the ejection of a large fraction of the accreted material.

On the Observability of Individual Population III Stars and Their Stellar-mass Black Hole Accretion Disks through Cluster Caustic Transits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Windhorst, Rogier A.; Wyithe, Stuart; Alpaslan, Mehmet; Timmes, F. X.; Andrews, Stephen K.; Kim, Duho; Kelly, Patrick; Coe, Dan A.; Diego, Jose M.; Driver, Simon P.; Dijkstra, Mark

2018-06-01

We summarize panchromatic Extragalactic Background Light data to place upper limits on the integrated near-IR surface brightness (SB) that may come from Population III stars and possible accretion disks around their stellar-mass black holes (BHs) in the epoch of First Light, broadly taken from z=7-17.We outline the physical properties of zero-metallicity Population III stars from MESA stellar evolution models through helium depletion and of BH accretion disks at z>7. We assume that second-generation non-zero-metallicity stars can form at higher multiplicity, so that BH accretion disks may be fed by Roche-lobe overflow from lower-mass companions.We use these near-infrared SB constraints to calculate the number of caustic transits behind lensing clusters that the James Webb Space Telescope and the next-generation ground-based telescopes may observe for both Population III stars and their BH accretion disks. Typical caustic magnifications can be 10^4-10^5x, with rise times of hours and decline times of z~<1 year for cluster transverse velocities of v_T<~1000 km/s.Microlensing by intracluster-medium objects can modify transit magnifications but lengthen visibility times. Depending on BH masses, accretion-disk radii, and feeding efficiencies, stellar-mass BH accretion-disk caustic transits could outnumber those from Population III stars. To observe Population III caustic transits directly may require monitoring 3-30 lensing clusters to AB<29 mag over a decade (see Windhorst et al. 2018, ApJS, 234, 41; astro-ph/1801.03584).This work was supported by NASA JWST Interdisciplinary Scientist grants NAG5-12460, NX14AN10G, and 80NSSC18K0200, NASA Theoretical and Computational Astrophysics Networks grant NNX14AB53G, NSF Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation grant 1339600, NSF Physics Frontier Center JINA-CEE grant PHY-1430152, Australian Research Council projects AYA2015-64508-P, AYA2012-39475-C02-01, and Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of Spain Consolider

Sediment accretion and carbon storage in constructed wetlands receiving water treated with metal-based coagulants

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stumpner, Elizabeth; Kraus, Tamara; Liang, Yan; Bachand, Sandra M.; Horwath, William R.; Bachand, Philip A.M.

2018-01-01

In many regions of the world, subsidence of organic rich soils threatens levee stability and freshwater supply, and continued oxidative loss of organic matter contributes to greenhouse gas production. To counter subsidence in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of northern California, we examined the feasibility of using constructed wetlands receiving drainage water treated with metal-based coagulants to accrete mineral material along with wetland biomass, while also sequestering carbon in wetland sediment. Nine field-scale wetlands were constructed which received local drainage water that was either untreated (control), or treated with polyaluminum chloride (PAC) or iron sulfate (FeSO4) coagulants. After 23 months of flooding and coagulant treatment, sediment samples were collected near the inlet, middle, and outlet of each wetland to determine vertical accretion rates, bulk density, sediment composition, and carbon sequestration rates. Wetlands treated with PAC had the highest and most spatially consistent vertical accretion rates (~6 cm year-1), while the FeSO4 wetlands had similarly high accretion rates near the inlet but rates similar to the untreated wetland (~1.5 cm year-1) at the middle and outlet sites. The composition of the newly accreted sediment in the PAC and FeSO4 treatments was high in the added metal (aluminum and iron, respectively), but the percent metal by weight was similar to native soils of California. As has been observed in other constructed wetlands, the newly accreted sediment material had lower bulk densities than the native soil material (0.04-0.10 g cm-3 versus 0.2-0.3 g cm-3), suggesting these materials will consolidate over time. Finally, this technology accelerated carbon burial, with rates in PAC treated wetland (0.63 kg C m-2 yr-1) over 2-fold greater than the untreated control (0.28 kg C m-2 yr-1). This study demonstrates the feasibility of using constructed wetlands treated with coagulants to reverse subsidence by accreting the

Accretion onto a noncommutative geometry inspired black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Rahul; Ghosh, Sushant G.

2017-09-01

The spherically symmetric accretion onto a noncommutative (NC) inspired Schwarzschild black hole is treated for a polytropic fluid. The critical accretion rate \\dot{M}, sonic speed a_s and other flow parameters are generalized for the NC inspired static black hole and compared with the results obtained for the standard Schwarzschild black holes. Also explicit expressions for gas compression ratios and temperature profiles below the accretion radius and at the event horizon are derived. This analysis is a generalization of Michel's solution to the NC geometry. Owing to the NC corrected black hole, the accretion flow parameters also have been modified. It turns out that \\dot{M} ≈ {M^2} is still achievable but r_s seems to be substantially decreased due to the NC effects. They in turn do affect the accretion process.

Helium shell flashes and evolution of accreting white dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujimoto, M. Y.; Sugimoto, D.

1982-06-01

The evolution of accreting white dwarfs is investigated from the onset of accretion through the helium shell flash. Properties of the helium shell flashes are studied by means of a generalized theory of shell flash and by numerical computations, and it is found that the shell flash grows up to the strength of a supernova explosion when the mass of the helium zone is large enough on a massive white dwarf. Although accretion onto a hot white dwarf causes a weaker shell flash than those onto cool ones, a strong tendency exists for the strength to be determined mainly by the accretion rate. For fast accretion, the shell flashes are weak and triggered recurrently, while for slow accretion the helium shell flash, once triggered, develops into a detonation supernova.

Accretion Disks and Coronae in the X-Ray Flashlight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degenaar, Nathalie; Ballantyne, David R.; Belloni, Tomaso; Chakraborty, Manoneeta; Chen, Yu-Peng; Ji, Long; Kretschmar, Peter; Kuulkers, Erik; Li, Jian; Maccarone, Thomas J.; Malzac, Julien; Zhang, Shu; Zhang, Shuang-Nan

2018-02-01

Plasma accreted onto the surface of a neutron star can ignite due to unstable thermonuclear burning and produce a bright flash of X-ray emission called a Type-I X-ray burst. Such events are very common; thousands have been observed to date from over a hundred accreting neutron stars. The intense, often Eddington-limited, radiation generated in these thermonuclear explosions can have a discernible effect on the surrounding accretion flow that consists of an accretion disk and a hot electron corona. Type-I X-ray bursts can therefore serve as direct, repeating probes of the internal dynamics of the accretion process. In this work we review and interpret the observational evidence for the impact that Type-I X-ray bursts have on accretion disks and coronae. We also provide an outlook of how to make further progress in this research field with prospective experiments and analysis techniques, and by exploiting the technical capabilities of the new and concept X-ray missions ASTROSAT, NICER, Insight-HXMT, eXTP, and STROBE-X.

Accretion and canal impacts in a rapidly subsiding wetland II: Feldspar marker horizon technique

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cahoon, D.R.; Turner, R.E.

1989-01-01

Recent (6-12 months) marsh sediment accretion and accumulation rates were measured with feldspar marker horizons in the vicinity of natural waterways and man-made canals with spoil banks in the rapidly subsiding environment of coastal Louisiana. Annual accretion rates in a Spartina alterniflora salt marsh in the Mississippi deltaic plain averaged 6 mm in marsh adjacent to canals compared to 10 mm in marsh adjacent to natural waterways. The rates, however, were not statistically significantly different. The average rate of sediment accretion in the same salt marsh region for a transect perpendicular to a canal (13 mm yr-1) was significantly greater than the rate measured for a transect perpendicular to a natural waterway (7 mm yr-1). Measurements of soil bulk density and organic matter content from the two transects were also different. This spatial variability in accretion rates is probably related to (1) spoil bank influences on local hydrology; and (2) a locally high rate of sediment input from lateral erosion associated with pond enlargement. In a brackish Spatina patens marsh on Louisiana's chenier plain, vertical accretion rates were the same along natural and canal waterways (3-4 mm yr-1) in a hydrologically restricted marsh region. However, the accretion rates for both waterways were significantly lower than the rates along a nonhydrologically restricted natural waterway nearby (11 mm yr-1). The vertical accretion of matter displayed semi-annual differences in the brackish marsh environment.

On the Maximum Mass of Accreting Primordial Supermassive Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woods, T. E.; Heger, Alexander; Whalen, Daniel J.; Haemmerlé, Lionel; Klessen, Ralf S.

2017-06-01

Supermassive primordial stars are suspected to be the progenitors of the most massive quasars at z ˜ 6. Previous studies of such stars were either unable to resolve hydrodynamical timescales or considered stars in isolation, not in the extreme accretion flows in which they actually form. Therefore, they could not self-consistently predict their final masses at collapse, or those of the resulting supermassive black hole seeds, but rather invoked comparison to simple polytropic models. Here, we systematically examine the birth, evolution, and collapse of accreting, non-rotating supermassive stars under accretion rates of 0.01-10 M ⊙ yr-1 using the stellar evolution code Kepler. Our approach includes post-Newtonian corrections to the stellar structure and an adaptive nuclear network and can transition to following the hydrodynamic evolution of supermassive stars after they encounter the general relativistic instability. We find that this instability triggers the collapse of the star at masses of 150,000-330,000 M ⊙ for accretion rates of 0.1-10 M ⊙ yr-1, and that the final mass of the star scales roughly logarithmically with the rate. The structure of the star, and thus its stability against collapse, is sensitive to the treatment of convection and the heat content of the outer accreted envelope. Comparison with other codes suggests differences here may lead to small deviations in the evolutionary state of the star as a function of time, that worsen with accretion rate. Since the general relativistic instability leads to the immediate death of these stars, our models place an upper limit on the masses of the first quasars at birth.

Chaotic cold accretion on to black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaspari, M.; Ruszkowski, M.; Oh, S. Peng

2013-07-01

Bondi theory is often assumed to adequately describe the mode of accretion in astrophysical environments. However, the Bondi flow must be adiabatic, spherically symmetric, steady, unperturbed, with constant boundary conditions. Using 3D adaptive mesh refinement simulations, linking the 50 kpc to the sub-parsec (sub-pc) scales over the course of 40 Myr, we systematically relax the classic assumptions in a typical galaxy hosting a supermassive black hole. In the more realistic scenario, where the hot gas is cooling, while heated and stirred on large scales, the accretion rate is boosted up to two orders of magnitude compared with the Bondi prediction. The cause is the non-linear growth of thermal instabilities, leading to the condensation of cold clouds and filaments when tcool/tff ≲ 10. The clouds decouple from the hot gas, `raining' on to the centre. Subsonic turbulence of just over 100 km s-1 (M > 0.2) induces the formation of thermal instabilities, even in the absence of heating, while in the transonic regime turbulent dissipation inhibits their growth (tturb/tcool ≲ 1). When heating restores global thermodynamic balance, the formation of the multiphase medium is violent, and the mode of accretion is fully cold and chaotic. The recurrent collisions and tidal forces between clouds, filaments and the central clumpy torus promote angular momentum cancellation, hence boosting accretion. On sub-pc scales the clouds are channelled to the very centre via a funnel. In this study, we do not inject a fixed initial angular momentum, though vorticity is later seeded by turbulence. A good approximation to the accretion rate is the cooling rate, which can be used as subgrid model, physically reproducing the boost factor of 100 required by cosmological simulations, while accounting for the frequent fluctuations. Since our modelling is fairly general (turbulence/heating due to AGN feedback, galaxy motions, mergers, stellar evolution), chaotic cold accretion may be common in

The power of relativistic jets is larger than the luminosity of their accretion disks.

PubMed

Ghisellini, G; Tavecchio, F; Maraschi, L; Celotti, A; Sbarrato, T

2014-11-20

Theoretical models for the production of relativistic jets from active galactic nuclei predict that jet power arises from the spin and mass of the central supermassive black hole, as well as from the magnetic field near the event horizon. The physical mechanism underlying the contribution from the magnetic field is the torque exerted on the rotating black hole by the field amplified by the accreting material. If the squared magnetic field is proportional to the accretion rate, then there will be a correlation between jet power and accretion luminosity. There is evidence for such a correlation, but inadequate knowledge of the accretion luminosity of the limited and inhomogeneous samples used prevented a firm conclusion. Here we report an analysis of archival observations of a sample of blazars (quasars whose jets point towards Earth) that overcomes previous limitations. We find a clear correlation between jet power, as measured through the γ-ray luminosity, and accretion luminosity, as measured by the broad emission lines, with the jet power dominating the disk luminosity, in agreement with numerical simulations. This implies that the magnetic field threading the black hole horizon reaches the maximum value sustainable by the accreting matter.

An Accretion Model for the Growth of the Central Black Holes Associated with Ionization Instability in Quasars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, Y.; Cheng, K. S.; Zhang, S. N.

2003-01-01

A possible accretion model associated with the ionization instability of quasar disks is proposed to address the growth of the central black hole (BH) harbored in the host galaxy. The evolution of quasars in cosmic time is assumed to change from a highly active state to a quiescent state triggered by the S-shaped ionization instability of the quasar accretion disk. For a given external mass transfer rate supplied by the quasar host galaxy, ionization instability can modify the accretion rate in the disk and separate the accretion flows of the disk into three different phases, like an S-shape. We suggest that the bright quasars observed today are those quasars with disks in the upper branch of the S-shaped instability, and the faint or 'dormant' quasars are simply these systems in the lower branch. The middle branch is the transition state, which is unstable. We assume the quasar disk evolves according to the advection-dominated inflow-outflow solution (ADIOS) configuration in the stable lower branch of the S-shaped instability, and the Eddington accretion rate is used to constrain the accretion rate in the highly active phase. The mass ratio between a BH and its host galactic bulge is a natural consequence of an ADIOS. Our model also demonstrates that a seed BH approx. 2 x 10(exp 6) solar masses similar to those found in spiral galaxies today is needed to produce a BH with a final mass of approx. 2 x 10(exp 8) solar masses.

Interaction of the accretion flows in corona and disk near the black hole in active galactic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer-Hofmeister, E.; Liu, B. F.; Qiao, E.

2017-11-01

Context. Accretion flows toward black holes can be of a quite different nature, described as an optically thick cool gas flow in a disk for high accretion rates or as a hot coronal optically thin gas flow for low accretion rates, possibly affected by outflowing gas. Aims: The detection of broad iron emission lines in active galactic nuclei (AGN) indicates the coexistence of corona and disk. The appearance and relative strength of such flows essentially depends on their interaction. Liu et al. suggested that condensation of gas from the corona to the disk allows to understand accretion flows of comparable strength of emission. Matter inflow due to gravitational capture of gas is important for the condensation process. We discuss observational features predicted by the model. Methods: Data from simultaneous observations of AGN with Swift's X-ray and UV-optical telescopes are compared with the theoretical predictions. Results: The frequent detection of broad iron Kα emission lines and the dependence of the emitted spectra on the Eddington ratio, described by the values of the photon index Γ and the two-point spectral index αox are in approximate agreement with the predictions of the condensation model; the latter, however, with a large scatter. The model further yields a coronal emission concentrated in a narrow inner region as is also deduced from the analysis of emissivity profiles. Conclusions: The accretion flows in bright AGN could be described by the accretion of stellar wind or interstellar medium and its condensation into a thin disk.

Transient jet formation and state transitions from large-scale magnetic reconnection in black hole accretion discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dexter, Jason; McKinney, Jonathan C.; Markoff, Sera; Tchekhovskoy, Alexander

2014-05-01

Magnetically arrested accretion discs (MADs), where the magnetic pressure in the inner disc is dynamically important, provide an alternative mechanism for regulating accretion to what is commonly assumed in black hole systems. We show that a global magnetic field inversion in the MAD state can destroy the jet, significantly increase the accretion rate, and move the effective inner disc edge in to the marginally stable orbit. Reconnection of the MAD field in the inner radii launches a new type of transient outflow containing hot plasma generated by magnetic dissipation. This transient outflow can be as powerful as the steady magnetically dominated Blandford-Znajek jet in the MAD state. The field inversion qualitatively describes many of the observational features associated with the high-luminosity hard-to-soft state transition in black hole X-ray binaries: the jet line, the transient ballistic jet, and the drop in rms variability. These results demonstrate that the magnetic field configuration can influence the accretion state directly, and hence the magnetic field structure is an important second parameter in explaining observations of accreting black holes across the mass and luminosity scales.

New Insights on the Accretion Disk-Winds Connection in Radio-Loud AGNs from Suzaku

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tombesi, F.; Sambruna, R. M.; Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.; Cappi, M.; Reynolds, S.; Mushotzky, R. F.

2011-01-01

From the spectral analysis of long Suzaku observations of five radio-loud AGNs we have been able to discover the presence of ultra-fast outflows with velocities ,,approx.0.1 c in three of them, namely 3C III, 3C 120 and 3C 390.3. They are consistent with being accretion disk winds/outflows. We also performed a follow-up on 3C III to monitor its outflow on approx.7 days time-scales and detected an anti-correlated variability of a possible relativistic emission line with respect to blue-shifted Fe K features, following a flux increase. This provides the first direct evidence for an accretion disc-wind connection in an AGN. The mass outflow rate of these outflows can be comparable to the accretion rate and their mechanical power can correspond to a significant fraction of the bolometric luminosity and is comparable to their typical jet power. Therefore, they can possibly play a significant role in the expected feedback from AGNs and can give us further clues on the relation between the accretion disk and the formation of winds/jets.

Constraint on the black hole spin of M87 from the accretion-jet model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Jianchao; Wu, Qingwen

2017-09-01

The millimetre bump, as found in high-resolution multiwaveband observations of M87 by Prieto et al., most possibly comes from the synchrotron emission of thermal electrons in advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF). It is possible to constrain the accretion rate near the horizon if both the nuclear millimetre emission and its polarization are produced by the hot plasma in the accretion flow. The jet power of M87 has been extensively explored, which is around 8_-3^{+7}× 10^{42} erg s-1 based on the analysis of the X-ray cavity. The black hole (BH) spin can be estimated if the jet power and the accretion rate near the horizon are known. We model the multiwavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) of M87 with a coupled ADAF-jet model surrounding a Kerr BH, where the full set of relativistic hydrodynamical equations of the ADAF are solved. The hybrid jet formation model, as a variant of the Blandford-Znajek model, is used to model the jet power. We find that the SMBH should be fast rotating with a dimensionless spin parameter a_{*}˜eq 0.98_-0.02^{+0.012}.

Gas content of transitional disks: a VLT/X-Shooter study of accretion and winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manara, C. F.; Testi, L.; Natta, A.; Rosotti, G.; Benisty, M.; Ercolano, B.; Ricci, L.

2014-08-01

Context. Transitional disks are thought to be a late evolutionary stage of protoplanetary disks whose inner regions have been depleted of dust. The mechanism responsible for this depletion is still under debate. To constrain the various models it is mandatory to have a good understanding of the properties of the gas content in the inner part of the disk. Aims: Using X-Shooter broad band - UV to near-infrared - medium-resolution spectroscopy, we derive the stellar, accretion, and wind properties of a sample of 22 transitional disks. The analysis of these properties allows us to place strong constraints on the gas content in a region very close to the star (≲0.2 AU) that is not accessible with any other observational technique. Methods: We fitted the spectra with a self-consistent procedure to simultaneously derive spectral type, extinction, and accretion properties of the targets. From the continuum excess at near-infrared wavelength we distinguished whether our targets have dust free inner holes. By analyzing forbidden emission lines, we derived the wind properties of the targets. We then compared our findings with results for classical T Tauri stars. Results: The accretion rates and wind properties of 80% of the transitional disks in our sample, which is strongly biased toward stongly accreting objects, are comparable to those of classical T Tauri stars. Thus, there are (at least) some transitional disks with accretion properties compatible with those of classical T Tauri stars, irrespective of the size of the dust inner hole. Only in two cases are the mass accretion rates much lower, while the wind properties remain similar. We detected no strong trend of the mass accretion rates with the size of the dust-depleted cavity or with the presence of a dusty optically thick disk very close to the star. These results suggest that, close to the central star, there is a gas-rich inner disk with a density similar to that of classical T Tauri star disks. Conclusions: The

EPISODIC ACCRETION AT EARLY STAGES OF EVOLUTION OF LOW-MASS STARS AND BROWN DWARFS: A SOLUTION FOR THE OBSERVED LUMINOSITY SPREAD IN H-R DIAGRAMS?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baraffe, I.; Chabrier, G.; Gallardo, J.

2009-09-01

We present evolutionary models for young low-mass stars and brown dwarfs taking into account episodic phases of accretion at early stages of the evolution, a scenario supported by recent large surveys of embedded protostars. An evolution including short episodes of vigorous accretion followed by longer quiescent phases can explain the observed luminosity spread in H-R diagrams of star-forming regions at ages of a few Myr, for objects ranging from a few Jupiter masses to a few tenths of a solar mass. The gravitational contraction of these accreting objects strongly departs from the standard Hayashi track at constant T{sub eff}. Themore » best agreement with the observed luminosity scatter is obtained if most of the accretion shock energy is radiated away. The obtained luminosity spread at 1 Myr in the H-R diagram is equivalent to what can be misinterpreted as an {approx}10 Myr age spread for non-accreting objects. We also predict a significant spread in radius at a given T{sub eff}, as suggested by recent observations. These calculations bear important consequences for our understanding of star formation and early stages of evolution and on the determination of the initial mass function for young ({<=} a few Myr) clusters. Our results also show that the concept of a stellar birthline for low-mass objects has no valid support.« less

Powerful radiative jets in supercritical accretion discs around non-spinning black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sądowski, Aleksander; Narayan, Ramesh

2015-11-01

We describe a set of simulations of supercritical accretion on to a non-rotating supermassive black hole (BH). The accretion flow takes the form of a geometrically thick disc with twin low-density funnels around the rotation axis. For accretion rates {gtrsim } 10 dot{M}_Edd, there is sufficient gas in the funnel to make this region optically thick. Radiation from the disc first flows into the funnel, after which it accelerates the optically thick funnel gas along the axis. The resulting jet is baryon loaded and has a terminal density-weighted velocity ≈0.3c. Much of the radiative luminosity is converted into kinetic energy by the time the escaping gas becomes optically thin. These jets are not powered by BHrotation or magnetic driving, but purely by radiation. Their characteristic beaming angle is ˜0.2 rad. For an observer viewing down the axis, the isotropic equivalent luminosity of total energy is as much as 1048 erg s- 1 for a 107 M⊙ BH accreting at 103 Eddington. Therefore, energetically, the simulated jets are consistent with observations of the most powerful tidal disruption events, e.g. Swift J1644. The jet velocity is, however, too low to match the Lorentz factor γ > 2 inferred in J1644. There is no such conflict in the case of other tidal disruption events. Since favourably oriented observers see isotropic equivalent luminosities that are highly super-Eddington, the simulated models can explain observations of ultraluminous X-ray sources, at least in terms of luminosity and energetics, without requiring intermediate-mass BHs.

Thermal wind from hot accretion flows at large radii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bu, De-Fu; Yang, Xiao-Hong

2018-06-01

We study slowly rotating accretion flow at parsec and subparsec scales irradiated by low-luminosity active galactic nuclei. We take into account the Compton heating, photoionization heating by the central X-rays. The bremsstrahlung cooling, recombination, and line cooling are also included. We find that due to the Compton heating, wind can be thermally driven. The power of wind is in the range (10-6-10-3) LEdd, with LEdd being the Eddington luminosity. The mass flux of wind is in the range (0.01-1) \\dot{M}_Edd (\\dot{M}_Edd= L_Edd/0.1c^2 is the Eddington accretion rate, c is speed of light). We define the wind generation efficiency as ɛ = P_W/\\dot{M}_BHc^2, with PW being wind power, \\dot{M}_BH being the mass accretion rate on to the black hole. ɛ lies in the range 10-4-1.18. Wind production efficiency decreases with increasing mass accretion rate. The possible role of the thermally driven wind in the active galactic feedback is briefly discussed.

INTEGRAL results on supergiant fast X-ray transients and accretion mechanism interpretation: ionization effect and formation of transient accretion discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ducci, L.; Sidoli, L.; Paizis, A.

2010-11-01

We performed a systematic analysis of all INTEGRAL observations from 2003 to 2009 of 14 supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs), implying a net exposure time of about 30 Ms. For each source we obtained light curves and spectra (3-100 keV), discovering several new outbursts. We discuss the X-ray behaviour of SFXTs emerging from our analysis in the framework of the clumpy wind accretion mechanism we proposed. We discuss the effect of X-ray photoionization on accretion in close binary systems such as IGR J16479-4514 and IGR J17544-2619. We show that, because of X-ray photoionization, there is a high probability of an accretion disc forming from the capture of angular momentum in IGR J16479-4514, and we suggest that the formation of transient accretion discs could be partly responsible for the flaring activity in SFXTs with narrow orbits. We also propose an alternative way to explain the origin of flares with peculiar shapes observed in our analysis applying the model of Lamb et al., which is based on accretion via the Rayleigh-Taylor instability and was originally proposed to explain Type II bursts.

Exploring the Accretion Model of M87 and 3C 84 with the Faraday Rotation Measure Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ya-Ping; Yuan, Feng; Xie, Fu-Guo

2016-10-01

Low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs) are believed to be powered by an accretion-jet model, consisting of an inner advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF), an outer truncated standard thin disk, and a jet; however, model degeneracy still exists in this framework. For example, the X-ray emission can originate from either the ADAF or the jet. The aim of the present work is to check these models with the Faraday rotation measure (RM) observations recently detected for two LLAGNs, M87 and 3C 84, in the sub-mm band. For M87, we find that the RM predicted by the model in which the X-ray emission originates from the ADAF is larger than the observed upper limit of RM by over two orders of magnitude, while the model in which the X-ray emission originates from the jet predicts a RM lower than the observed upper limit. For 3C 84, the sub-mm emission is found to be dominated by the jet component, while the Faraday screen is attributed to the ADAFs. This scenario can naturally explain the observed external origin of the RM and why the RM is found to be stable during a two-year interval although the sub-mm emission increases at the same period.

Anomalous accretion activity and the spotted nature of the DQ Tau binary system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bary, Jeffrey S.; Petersen, Michael S.

2014-09-01

We report the detection of an anomalous accretion flare in the tight eccentric pre-main-sequence binary system DQ Tau. In a multi-epoch survey consisting of randomly acquired low- to moderate-resolution near-infrared spectra obtained over a period of almost 10 yr, we detect a significant and simultaneous brightening of four standard accretion indicators (Ca II infrared triplet, the Paschen and Brackett series H I lines, and He I 1.083 μm), on back-to-back nights (φ = 0.372 and 0.433) with the flare increasing in strength as the system approached apastron (φ = 0.5). The mass accretion rate measured for the anomalous flare ismore » nearly an order of magnitude stronger than the average quiescent rate. While previous observations established that frequent, periodic accretion flares phased with periastron passages occur in this system, these data provide evidence that orbitally modulated accretion flares occur near apastron, when the stars make their closest approach to the circumbinary disk. The timing of the flare suggests that this outburst is due to interactions of the stellar cores (or the highly truncated circumstellar disks) with material in non-axisymmetric structures located at the inner edge of the circumbinary disk. We also explore the optical/infrared spectral type mismatch previously observed for T Tauri stars (TTSs) and successfully model the shape of the spectra from 0.8 to 1.0 μm and the strengths of the TiO and FeH bands as manifestations of large cool spots on the surfaces of the stellar companions in DQ Tau. These findings illustrate that a complete model of near-infrared spectra of many TTSs must include parameters for spot filling factors and temperatures.« less

X-ray and gamma-ray emission of Sagittarius A* as a wind-accreting black hole

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mastichiadis, A.; Ozernoy, L. M.

1994-01-01

If, as many believe, Sgr A* is a massive black hole at the Galactic center, one should expect it to be a source of X-ray and gamma-ray activity, behaving basically as a scaled-down active galactic nucleus. An unavoidable source of accretion is the wind from IRS 16, a nearby group of hot, massive stars. Since the density and velocity of the accreting matter are known from observations, the accretion rate is basically a function of the putative black hole mass, M(sub h), only; this value represents a reliable lower limit to a real rate, given the other possible sources of accreting matter. Based on this and on the theories about shock acceleration in active galactic nuclei, we have estimated the expected production of relativistic particles and their hard radiation. These values turn out to be a function of M(sub h) as well. Comparing our results with available X-ray and gamma-ray observations which show Sgr A* to have a relatively low activity level, we conclude tentatively that the putative black hole in the Galactic center cannot have a mass greater than approximately 6 x 10(exp 3) solar mass. This conclusion is consistent with the upper limits to the black hole mass found by different methods earlier, although much more work is needed to make calculations of shock acceleration around black holes more reliable.

Hydrodynamic Simulations of Classical Novae: Accretion onto CO White Dwarfs as SN Ia Progenitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starrfield, Sumner; Bose, Maitrayee; Iliadis, Christian; Hix, William R.; José, Jordi; Hernanz, Margarita

2017-06-01

We have continued our studies of accretion onto white dwarfs by following the evolution of thermonuclear runaways on Carbon Oxygen (CO) white dwarfs. We have varied the mass of the white dwarf and the composition of the accreted material but chosen to keep the mass accretion rate at 2 x 10^{-10} solar masses per year to obtain the largest amount of accreted material possible with rates near to those observed. We assume either 25% core material or 50% core material has been mixed into the accreting material prior to the explosion. We use our 1D, lagrangian, hydrodynamic code: NOVA. We will report on the results of these simulations and compare the ejecta abundances to those measured in pre-solar grains that are thought to arise from classical nova explosions. These results will also be compared to recent results with SHIVA (Jose and Hernanz). We find that in all cases and for all white dwarf masses that less mass is ejected than accreted and, therefore, the white dwarf is growing in mass as a result of the accretion and resulting explosion.This work was supported in part by NASA under the Astrophysics Theory Program grant 14-ATP14-0007 and the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-FG02- 97ER41041. SS acknowledges partial support from NASA, NSF, and HST grants to ASU and WRH is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Physics. The results reported herein benefitted from collaborations and/or information exchange within NASA’s Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) research coordination network sponsored by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

Variability in daily pH scales with coral reef accretion and community structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, N.; Martz, T.; Brainard, R. E.; Smith, J.

2011-12-01

Little is known about natural variability in pH in coastal waters and how resident organisms respond to current nearshore seawater conditions. We used autonomous sensors (SeaFETs) to record temperature and, for the first time, pH with high temporal (hourly observations; 7 months of sampling) resolution on the reef benthos (5-10m depth) at several islands (Kingman, Palmyra and Jarvis) within the newly designated Pacific Remote Island Areas Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) in the northern Line Islands; these islands are uninhabited and lack potentially confounding local impacts (e.g. pollution and overfishing). Recorded benthic pH values were compared with regional means and minimum thresholds based on seasonal amplitude estimated from surrounding open-ocean climatological data, which represent seawater chemistry values in the absence of feedback from the reef. Each SeaFET sensor was co-located with replicate Calcification/Acidification Units (CAUs) designed to quantify species abundances and net community calcification rates so we could determine which, if any, metrics of natural variability in benthic pH and temperature were related to community development and reef accretion rates. The observed range in daily pH encompassed maximums reported from the last century (8.104 in the early evening) to minimums approaching projected levels within the next 100 yrs (7.824 at dawn) for pelagic waters. Net reef calcification rates, measured as calcium carbonate accretion on CAUs, varied within and among islands and were comparable with rates measured from the Pacific and Caribbean using chemistry-based approaches. Benthic species assemblages on the CAUs were differentiated by the presence of calcifying and fleshy taxa (CAP analysis, mean allocation success 80%, δ2 = 0.886, P = <0.001). In general, accretion rates were higher at sites that had a greater number of hours at high pH values each day. Where daily pH failed to exceed climatological seasonal minimum thresholds, net

Investigation of surface water behavior during glaze ice accretion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansman, R. John, Jr.; Turnock, Stephen R.

1990-01-01

A series of experimental investigations that focused on isolating the primary factors that control the behavior of unfrozen surface water during glaze ice accretion were conducted. Detailed microvideo observations were made of glaze ice accretions on 2.54 cm diam cylinders in a closed-loop refrigerated wind tunnel. Distinct zones of surface water behavior were observed; a smooth wet zone in the stagnation region with a uniform water film, a rough zone where surface tension effects caused coalescence of surface water into stationary beads, and a zone where surface water ran back as rivulets. The location of the transition from the smooth to the rough zone was found to migrate towards the stagnation point with time. Comparative tests were conducted to study the effect of the substrate thermal and roughness properties on ice accretion. The importance of surface water behavior was evaluated by the addition of a surface tension reducing agent to the icing tunnel water supply, which significantly altered the accreted glaze ice shape. Measurements were made to determine the contact angle behavior of water droplets on ice. A simple multizone modification to current glaze ice accretion models was proposed to include the observed surface roughness behavior.

Acute supplementation of amino acids increases net protein accretion in IUGR fetal sheep

PubMed Central

Rozance, Paul J.; Thorn, Stephanie R.; Friedman, Jacob E.; Hay, William W.

2012-01-01

Placental insufficiency decreases fetal amino acid uptake from the placenta, plasma insulin concentrations, and protein accretion, thus compromising normal fetal growth trajectory. We tested whether acute supplementation of amino acids or insulin into the fetus with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) would increase net fetal protein accretion rates. Late-gestation IUGR and control (CON) fetal sheep received acute, 3-h infusions of amino acids (with euinsulinemia), insulin (with euglycemia and euaminoacidemia), or saline. Fetal leucine metabolism was measured under steady-state conditions followed by a fetal muscle biopsy to quantify insulin signaling. In CON, increasing amino acid delivery rates to the fetus by 100% increased leucine oxidation rates by 100%. In IUGR, amino acid infusion completely suppressed fetal protein breakdown rates but increased leucine oxidation rate by only 25%, resulting in increased protein accretion rates by 150%. Acute insulin infusion, however, had very little effect on amino acid delivery rates, fetal leucine disposal rates, or fetal protein accretion rates in CON or IUGR fetuses despite robust signaling of the fetal skeletal muscle insulin-signaling cascade. These results indicate that, when amino acids are given directly into the fetal circulation independently of changes in insulin concentrations, IUGR fetal sheep have suppressed protein breakdown rates, thus increasing net fetal protein accretion. PMID:22649066

Radiation-driven Turbulent Accretion onto Massive Black Holes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, KwangHo; Wise, John H.; Bogdanović, Tamara, E-mail: kwangho.park@physics.gatech.edu

Accretion of gas and interaction of matter and radiation are at the heart of many questions pertaining to black hole (BH) growth and coevolution of massive BHs and their host galaxies. To answer them, it is critical to quantify how the ionizing radiation that emanates from the innermost regions of the BH accretion flow couples to the surrounding medium and how it regulates the BH fueling. In this work, we use high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) radiation-hydrodynamic simulations with the code Enzo , equipped with adaptive ray-tracing module Moray , to investigate radiation-regulated BH accretion of cold gas. Our simulations reproduce findingsmore » from an earlier generation of 1D/2D simulations: the accretion-powered UV and X-ray radiation forms a highly ionized bubble, which leads to suppression of BH accretion rate characterized by quasi-periodic outbursts. A new feature revealed by the 3D simulations is the highly turbulent nature of the gas flow in vicinity of the ionization front. During quiescent periods between accretion outbursts, the ionized bubble shrinks in size and the gas density that precedes the ionization front increases. Consequently, the 3D simulations show oscillations in the accretion rate of only ∼2–3 orders of magnitude, significantly smaller than 1D/2D models. We calculate the energy budget of the gas flow and find that turbulence is the main contributor to the kinetic energy of the gas but corresponds to less than 10% of its thermal energy and thus does not contribute significantly to the pressure support of the gas.« less

On the Maximum Mass of Accreting Primordial Supermassive Stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Woods, T. E.; Heger, Alexander; Whalen, Daniel J.

Supermassive primordial stars are suspected to be the progenitors of the most massive quasars at z ∼ 6. Previous studies of such stars were either unable to resolve hydrodynamical timescales or considered stars in isolation, not in the extreme accretion flows in which they actually form. Therefore, they could not self-consistently predict their final masses at collapse, or those of the resulting supermassive black hole seeds, but rather invoked comparison to simple polytropic models. Here, we systematically examine the birth, evolution, and collapse of accreting, non-rotating supermassive stars under accretion rates of 0.01–10 M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} using themore » stellar evolution code Kepler . Our approach includes post-Newtonian corrections to the stellar structure and an adaptive nuclear network and can transition to following the hydrodynamic evolution of supermassive stars after they encounter the general relativistic instability. We find that this instability triggers the collapse of the star at masses of 150,000–330,000 M {sub ⊙} for accretion rates of 0.1–10 M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}, and that the final mass of the star scales roughly logarithmically with the rate. The structure of the star, and thus its stability against collapse, is sensitive to the treatment of convection and the heat content of the outer accreted envelope. Comparison with other codes suggests differences here may lead to small deviations in the evolutionary state of the star as a function of time, that worsen with accretion rate. Since the general relativistic instability leads to the immediate death of these stars, our models place an upper limit on the masses of the first quasars at birth.« less

Super-Eddington accreting massive black holes as long-lived cosmological standards.

PubMed

Wang, Jian-Min; Du, Pu; Valls-Gabaud, David; Hu, Chen; Netzer, Hagai

2013-02-22

Super-Eddington accreting massive black holes (SEAMBHs) reach saturated luminosities above a certain accretion rate due to photon trapping and advection in slim accretion disks. We show that these SEAMBHs could provide a new tool for estimating cosmological distances if they are properly identified by hard x-ray observations, in particular by the slope of their 2-10 keV continuum. To verify this idea we obtained black hole mass estimates and x-ray data for a sample of 60 narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies that we consider to be the most promising SEAMBH candidates. We demonstrate that the distances derived by the new method for the objects in the sample get closer to the standard luminosity distances as the hard x-ray continuum gets steeper. The results allow us to analyze the requirements for using the method in future samples of active black holes and to demonstrate that the expected uncertainty, given large enough samples, can make them into a useful, new cosmological ruler.

Advection-dominated Inflow/Outflows from Evaporating Accretion Disks.

PubMed

Turolla; Dullemond

2000-03-01

In this Letter we investigate the properties of advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAFs) fed by the evaporation of a Shakura-Sunyaev accretion disk (SSD). In our picture, the ADAF fills the central cavity evacuated by the SSD and extends beyond the transition radius into a coronal region. We find that, because of global angular momentum conservation, a significant fraction of the hot gas flows away from the black hole, forming a transsonic wind, unless the injection rate depends only weakly on radius (if r2sigma&d2;~r-xi, xi<1&solm0;2). The Bernoulli number of the inflowing gas is negative if the transition radius is less, similar100 Schwarzschild radii, so matter falling into the hole is gravitationally bound. The ratio of inflowing to outflowing mass is approximately 1/2, so in these solutions the accretion rate is of the same order as in standard ADAFs and much larger than in advection-dominated inflow/outflow models. The possible relevance of evaporation-fed solutions to accretion flows in black hole X-ray binaries is briefly discussed.

The Splashback Radius of Halos from Particle Dynamics. II. Dependence on Mass, Accretion Rate, Redshift, and Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diemer, Benedikt; Mansfield, Philip; Kravtsov, Andrey V.; More, Surhud

2017-07-01

The splashback radius R sp, the apocentric radius of particles on their first orbit after falling into a dark matter halo, has recently been suggested to be a physically motivated halo boundary that separates accreting from orbiting material. Using the Sparta code presented in Paper I, we analyze the orbits of billions of particles in cosmological simulations of structure formation and measure R sp for a large sample of halos that span a mass range from dwarf galaxy to massive cluster halos, reach redshift 8, and include WMAP, Planck, and self-similar cosmologies. We analyze the dependence of R sp/R 200m and M sp/M 200m on the mass accretion rate Γ, halo mass, redshift, and cosmology. The scatter in these relations varies between 0.02 and 0.1 dex. While we confirm the known trend that R sp/R 200m decreases with Γ, the relationships turn out to be more complex than previously thought, demonstrating that R sp is an independent definition of the halo boundary that cannot trivially be reconstructed from spherical overdensity definitions. We present fitting functions for R sp/R 200m and M sp/M 200m as a function of accretion rate, peak height, and redshift, achieving an accuracy of 5% or better everywhere in the parameter space explored. We discuss the physical meaning of the distribution of particle apocenters and show that the previously proposed definition of R sp as the radius of the steepest logarithmic density slope encloses roughly three-quarters of the apocenters. Finally, we conclude that no analytical model presented thus far can fully explain our results.

Accretion of Rocky Planets by Hot Jupiters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ketchum, Jacob A.; Adams, Fred C.; Bloch, Anthony M.

2011-11-01

The observed population of Hot Jupiters displays a stunning variety of physical properties, including a wide range of densities and core sizes for a given planetary mass. Motivated by the observational sample, this Letter studies the accretion of rocky planets by Hot Jupiters, after the Jovian planets have finished their principal migration epoch and become parked in ~4 day orbits. In this scenario, rocky planets form later and then migrate inward due to torques from the remaining circumstellar disk, which also damps the orbital eccentricity. This mechanism thus represents one possible channel for increasing the core masses and metallicities of Hot Jupiters. This Letter determines probabilities for the possible end states for the rocky planet: collisions with the Jovian planets, accretion onto the star, ejection from the system, and long-term survival of both planets. These probabilities depend on the mass of the Jovian planet and its starting orbital eccentricity, as well as the eccentricity damping rate for the rocky planet. Since these systems are highly chaotic, a large ensemble (N ~ 103) of simulations with effectively equivalent starting conditions is required. Planetary collisions are common when the eccentricity damping rate is sufficiently low, but are rare otherwise. For systems that experience planetary collisions, this work determines the distributions of impact velocities—both speeds and impact parameters—for the collisions. These velocity distributions help determine the consequences of the impacts, e.g., where energy and heavy elements are deposited within the giant planets.

Migration of accreting giant planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robert, C.; Crida, A.; Lega, E.; Méheut, H.

2017-09-01

Giant planets forming in protoplanetary disks migrate relative to their host star. By repelling the gas in their vicinity, they form gaps in the disk's structure. If they are effectively locked in their gap, it follows that their migration rate is governed by the accretion of the disk itself onto the star, in a so-called type II fashion. Recent results showed however that a locking mechanism was still lacking, and was required to understand how giant planets may survive their disk. We propose that planetary accretion may play this part, and help reach this slow migration regime.

Rapid growth of seed black holes in the early universe by supra-exponential accretion.

PubMed

Alexander, Tal; Natarajan, Priyamvada

2014-09-12

Mass accretion by black holes (BHs) is typically capped at the Eddington rate, when radiation's push balances gravity's pull. However, even exponential growth at the Eddington-limited e-folding time t(E) ~ few × 0.01 billion years is too slow to grow stellar-mass BH seeds into the supermassive luminous quasars that are observed when the universe is 1 billion years old. We propose a dynamical mechanism that can trigger supra-exponential accretion in the early universe, when a BH seed is bound in a star cluster fed by the ubiquitous dense cold gas flows. The high gas opacity traps the accretion radiation, while the low-mass BH's random motions suppress the formation of a slowly draining accretion disk. Supra-exponential growth can thus explain the puzzling emergence of supermassive BHs that power luminous quasars so soon after the Big Bang. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Properties of two-temperature dissipative accretion flow around black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dihingia, Indu K.; Das, Santabrata; Mandal, Samir

2018-04-01

We study the properties of two-temperature accretion flow around a non-rotating black hole in presence of various dissipative processes where pseudo-Newtonian potential is adopted to mimic the effect of general relativity. The flow encounters energy loss by means of radiative processes acted on the electrons and at the same time, flow heats up as a consequence of viscous heating effective on ions. We assumed that the flow is exposed with the stochastic magnetic fields that leads to Synchrotron emission of electrons and these emissions are further strengthen by Compton scattering. We obtain the two-temperature global accretion solutions in terms of dissipation parameters, namely, viscosity (α) and accretion rate ({\\dot{m}}), and find for the first time in the literature that such solutions may contain standing shock waves. Solutions of this kind are multitransonic in nature, as they simultaneously pass through both inner critical point (xin) and outer critical point (xout) before crossing the black hole horizon. We calculate the properties of shock-induced global accretion solutions in terms of the flow parameters. We further show that two-temperature shocked accretion flow is not a discrete solution, instead such solution exists for wide range of flow parameters. We identify the effective domain of the parameter space for standing shock and observe that parameter space shrinks as the dissipation is increased. Since the post-shock region is hotter due to the effect of shock compression, it naturally emits hard X-rays, and therefore, the two-temperature shocked accretion solution has the potential to explain the spectral properties of the black hole sources.

Accretion of Jupiter-mass planets in the limit of vanishing viscosity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Szulágyi, J.; Morbidelli, A.; Crida, A.

In the core-accretion model, the nominal runaway gas-accretion phase brings most planets to multiple Jupiter masses. However, known giant planets are predominantly Jupiter mass bodies. Obtaining longer timescales for gas accretion may require using realistic equations of states, or accounting for the dynamics of the circumplanetary disk (CPD) in the low-viscosity regime, or both. Here we explore the second way by using global, three-dimensional isothermal hydrodynamical simulations with eight levels of nested grids around the planet. In our simulations, the vertical inflow from the circumstellar disk (CSD) to the CPD determines the shape of the CPD and its accretion rate.more » Even without a prescribed viscosity, Jupiter's mass-doubling time is ∼10{sup 4} yr, assuming the planet at 5.2 AU and a Minimum Mass Solar Nebula. However, we show that this high accretion rate is due to resolution-dependent numerical viscosity. Furthermore, we consider the scenario of a layered CSD, viscous only in its surface layer, and an inviscid CPD. We identify two planet-accretion mechanisms that are independent of the viscosity in the CPD: (1) the polar inflow—defined as a part of the vertical inflow with a centrifugal radius smaller than two Jupiter radii and (2) the torque exerted by the star on the CPD. In the limit of zero effective viscosity, these two mechanisms would produce an accretion rate 40 times smaller than in the simulation.« less

The effect of accretion environment at large radius on hot accretion flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiao-Hong; Bu, De-Fu

2018-05-01

We study the effects of accretion environment (gas density, temperature, and angular momentum) at large radii (˜10 pc) on luminosity of hot accretion flows. The radiative feedback effects from the accretion flow on the accretion environment are also self-consistently taken into account. We find that the slowly rotating flows at large radii can significantly deviate from Bondi accretion when radiation heating and cooling are considered. We further find that when the temperature of environment gas is low (e.g. T = 2 × 107 K), the luminosity of hot accretion flows is high. When the temperature of gas is high (e.g. T ≥ 4 × 107 K), the luminosity of hot accretion flow significantly deceases. The environment gas density can also significantly influence the luminosity of accretion flows. When density is higher than ˜4 × 10-22 g cm-3 and temperature is lower than 2 × 107 K, hot accretion flow with luminosity lower than 2 per cent LEdd is not present. Therefore, the parsec-scale environment density and temperature are two important parameters to determine the luminosity. The results are also useful for the subgrid models adopted by the cosmological simulations.

The Evolution of Gas Giant Entropy During Formation by Runaway Accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berardo, David; Cumming, Andrew; Marleau, Gabriel-Dominique

2017-01-01

We calculate the evolution of gas giant planets during the runaway gas accretion phase of formation, to understand how the luminosity of young giant planets depends on the accretion conditions. We construct steady-state envelope models, and run time-dependent simulations of accreting planets with the code Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics. We show that the evolution of the internal entropy depends on the contrast between the internal adiabat and the entropy of the accreted material, parametrized by the shock temperature T 0 and pressure P 0. At low temperatures ({T}0≲ 300-1000 {{K}}, depending on model parameters), the accreted material has a lower entropy than the interior. The convection zone extends to the surface and can drive a high luminosity, leading to rapid cooling and cold starts. For higher temperatures, the accreted material has a higher entropy than the interior, giving a radiative zone that stalls cooling. For {T}0≳ 2000 {{K}}, the surface-interior entropy contrast cannot be accommodated by the radiative envelope, and the accreted matter accumulates with high entropy, forming a hot start. The final state of the planet depends on the shock temperature, accretion rate, and starting entropy at the onset of runaway accretion. Cold starts with L≲ 5× {10}-6 {L}⊙ require low accretion rates and starting entropy, and the temperature of the accreting material needs to be maintained close to the nebula temperature. If instead the temperature is near the value required to radiate the accretion luminosity, 4π {R}2σ {T}04˜ ({GM}\\dot{M}/R), as suggested by previous work on radiative shocks in the context of star formation, gas giant planets form in a hot start with L˜ {10}-4 {L}⊙ .

Radio outburst from a massive (proto)star. When accretion turns into ejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cesaroni, R.; Moscadelli, L.; Neri, R.; Sanna, A.; Caratti o Garatti, A.; Eisloffel, J.; Stecklum, B.; Ray, T.; Walmsley, C. M.

2018-05-01

Context. Recent observations of the massive young stellar object S255 NIRS 3 have revealed a large increase in both methanol maser flux density and IR emission, which have been interpreted as the result of an accretion outburst, possibly due to instabilities in a circumstellar disk. This indicates that this type of accretion event could be common in young/forming early-type stars and in their lower mass siblings, and supports the idea that accretion onto the star may occur in a non-continuous way. Aims: As accretion and ejection are believed to be tightly associated phenomena, we wanted to confirm the accretion interpretation of the outburst in S255 NIRS 3 by detecting the corresponding burst of the associated thermal jet. Methods: We monitored the radio continuum emission from S255 NIRS 3 at four bands using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. The millimetre continuum emission was also observed with both the Northern Extended Millimeter Array of IRAM and the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array. Results: We have detected an exponential increase in the radio flux density from 6 to 45 GHz starting right after July 10, 2016, namely 13 months after the estimated onset of the IR outburst. This is the first ever detection of a radio burst associated with an IR accretion outburst from a young stellar object. The flux density at all observed centimetre bands can be reproduced with a simple expanding jet model. At millimetre wavelengths we infer a marginal flux increase with respect to the literature values and we show this is due to free-free emission from the radio jet. Conclusions: Our model fits indicate a significant increase in the jet opening angle and ionized mass loss rate with time. For the first time, we can estimate the ionization fraction in the jet and conclude that this must be low (<14%), lending strong support to the idea that the neutral component is dominant in thermal jets. Our findings strongly suggest that recurrent accretion + ejection

Igneous Cooling Rate constraints on the Accretion of the lower Oceanic Crust in Mid-ocean Ridges: Insights from a new Thermo-mechanical Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garrido, C. J.; Machetel, P.

2005-12-01

We report the results of a new thermo-mechanical model of crustal flow beneath fast spreading mid-ocean ridges to investigate both the effect of deep, near off-axis hydrothermal convection on the thermal structure of the magma chamber and the role of variable number of melt intrusions on the accretion of the oceanic crust. In our model the melt is injected at the center of the axial magma chamber with a 'needle' with adjustable porosity at different depths allowing the simulation of different arrangements of melt injection and supply within the magma chamber. Conversely to previous models, the shape of the magma chamber -defined as the isotherm where 95% solidification of the melt occurs- is not imposed but computed from the steady state reached by the thermal field considering the heat diffusion and advection and the latent heat of crystallization. The motion equation is solved for a temperature and phase dependent viscosity. The thermal diffusivity is also dependent on temperature and depth, with a higher diffusivity in the upper plutonic crust to account for more efficient hydrothermal cooling at these crustal levels. In agreement with previous non-dynamic thermal models, our results show that near, deep off-axis hydrothermal circulation strongly affects the shape of the axial magma by tightening isotherms in the upper half of the plutonic oceanic crust where hydrothermal cooling is more efficient. Different accretion modes have however little effect on the shape of the magma chamber, but result in variable arrangements of flow lines ranging from tent-shape in a single-lens accretion scenario to sub-horizontal in "sheeted-sill" intrusion models. For different intrusion models, we computed the average Igneous Cooling Rates (ICR) of gabbros by dividing the crystallization temperature interval of gabbros by the integrated time, from the initial intrusion to the point where it crossed the 950 °C isotherm where total solidification of gabbro occurs, along individual

He-accreting carbon-oxygen white dwarfs and Type Ia supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Bo; Podsiadlowski, Philipp; Han, Zhanwen

2017-12-01

He accretion on to carbon-oxygen white dwarfs (CO WDs) plays a fundamental role when studying the formation of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). Employing the MESA stellar evolution code, we calculated the long-term evolution of He-accreting CO WDs. Previous studies usually supposed that a WD can grow in mass to the Chandrasekhar limit in the stable He burning region and finally produce an SN Ia. However, in this study, we find that off-centre carbon ignition occurs in the stable He burning region if the accretion rate is above a critical value (∼2.05 × 10-6 M⊙ yr-1), resulting in accretion-induced collapse rather than an SN Ia. If the accretion rate is below the critical value, explosive carbon ignition will eventually happen in the centre producing an SN Ia. Taking into account the possibility of off-centre carbon ignition, we have re-determined the initial parameter space that produces SNe Ia in the He star donor channel, one of the promising channels to produce SNe Ia in young populations. Since this parameter space is smaller than was found in the previous study of Wang et al. (2009), the SN Ia rates are also correspondingly smaller. We also determined the chemical abundance profile of the He-accreting WDs at the moment of explosive carbon ignition, which can be used as initial input for SN Ia explosion models.

Accretion of magnetized matter into a black hole.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisnovatyj-Kogan, G. S.

1999-12-01

Accretion is the main source of energy in binary X-ray sources inside the Galaxy, and most probably in active galactic nuclei, where numerous observational data for the existence of supermassive black holes have been obtained. Standard accretion disk theory is formulated which is based on local heat balance. The whole energy produced by turbulent viscous heating is supposed to be emitted to the sides of the disk. Sources of turbulence in the accretion disk are discussed, including nonlinear hydrodynamic turbulence, convection and magnetic field. In standard theory there are two branches of solution, optically thick, anti-optically thin, which are individually self-consistent. The choice between these solutions should be done on the basis of a stability analysis. Advection in the accretion disks is described by differential equations, which makes the theory nonlocal. The low-luminosity optically thin accretion disk model with advection under some conditions may become advectively dominated, carrying almost all the energy inside the black hole. A proper account for magnetic field in the process of accretion limits the energy advected into a black hole, and does not allow the radiative efficiency of accretion to become lower than about 1/4 of the standard accretion disk model efficiency.

Polarimetric Imaging of the Relativistic Accretion Flow in Sagittarius A*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Siming; Huang, L.; Shen, Z.; Cai, M. J.; Li, H.; Fryer, C. L.

2007-12-01

We perform general relativistic ray-tracing calculations of the transfer of polarized synchrotron radiation through the relativistic accretion flow in Sagittarius A*. The birefringence effects are treated self-consistently. By fitting the spectrum and polarization of Sgr A* from the millimeter to the NIR band with the model, we are able to not only constrain the basic parameters related to the magneto-rotational instability and the electron heating rate, but also limit the orientation of the accretion torus. These constraints lead to unique images of the four Stokes parameters, which may be compared with future mm and sub-mm VLBI observations. In combination with general relativistic MHD simulations, the model can be used to test the theory of the magneto-rotational instability with observations of Sgr A*. This work was funded in part under the auspices of the US Department of Energy, and supported by its contract W-7405-ENG-36 to Los Alamos National Laboratory.

An ultra-relativistic outflow from a neutron star accreting gas from a companion.

PubMed

Fender, Rob; Wu, Kinwah; Johnston, Helen; Tzioumis, Tasso; Jonker, Peter; Spencer, Ralph; Van Der Klis, Michiel

2004-01-15

Collimated relativistic outflows-also known as jets-are amongst the most energetic phenomena in the Universe. They are associated with supermassive black holes in distant active galactic nuclei, accreting stellar-mass black holes and neutron stars in binary systems and are believed to be responsible for gamma-ray bursts. The physics of these jets, however, remains something of a mystery in that their bulk velocities, compositions and energetics remain poorly determined. Here we report the discovery of an ultra-relativistic outflow from a neutron star accreting gas within a binary stellar system. The velocity of the outflow is comparable to the fastest-moving flows observed from active galactic nuclei, and its strength is modulated by the rate of accretion of material onto the neutron star. Shocks are energized further downstream in the flow, which are themselves moving at mildly relativistic bulk velocities and are the sites of the observed synchrotron emission from the jet. We conclude that the generation of highly relativistic outflows does not require properties that are unique to black holes, such as an event horizon.

Evolution of the luminosity function of quasar accretion disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caditz, David M.; Petrosian, Vahe; Wandel, Amri

1991-01-01

Using an accretion-disk model, accretion disk luminosities are calculated for a grid of black hole masses and accretion rates. It is shown that, as the black-hole mass increases with time, the monochromatic luminosity at a given frequency first increases and then decreases rapidly as this frequency is crossed by the Wien cutoff. The upper limit on the monochromatic luminosity, which is characteristic for a given epoch, constrains the evolution of quasar luminosities and determines the evolultion of the quasar luminosity function.

Stochastic events may lead to accretion in Saturn's rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Larry W.

Stochastic events may lead to accretion in Saturn's rings Larry W. Esposito LASP, University of Colorado UVIS occultations indicate accretion is triggered at the B ring edge, in strong density waves in ring A and in the F ring. Moons may trigger accretion by streamline crowding (Lewis & Stewart); which enhances collisions, leading to accretion; increasing random velocities; leading to more collisions and more accretion. Cassini occultations of these strongly perturbed locations show not only accretion but also disaggregation, with time scales of hours to weeks. The collisions may lead to temporary aggregations via stochastic events: collisions can compress unconsolidated objects, trigger adhesion or bring small pieces into contact with larger or higher-density seeds. Disaggregation then can follow from disruptive collisions or tidal shedding. In the accretion/disruption balance, increased random motions could eventually give the upper hand to disruption. . . just as `irrational exuberance' can lead to financial panic in the economy; or the overpopulation of hares can lead to boom-and-bust in the population of foxes. I present a simple predator-prey model. This system's unstable equilibrium can similarly give rise to episodic cycles in accretion: explaining why the observable ring features that indicate embedded objects have been increasing since the beginning of Cassini's observations of Saturn in 2004. Unlike other interpretations of the peculiar events seen near Saturn Equinox, I emphasize the kinetic description of particle interactions rather than a fluid instability approach; and the dominance of stochastic events involving individual aggregates over free and/or driven modes in a flat disk.

Vegetation Influences on Tidal Freshwater Marsh Sedimentation and Accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cadol, D. D.; Elmore, A. J.; Engelhardt, K.; Palinkas, C. M.

2011-12-01

Continued sea level rise, and the potential for acceleration over the next century, threatens low-lying natural and cultural resources throughout the world. In the national capital region of the United States, for example, the National Park Service manages over 50 km^2 of land along the shores of the tidal Potomac River and its tributaries that may be affected by sea level rise. Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve on the Potomac River south of Washington, DC, is one such resource with a rich history of scientific investigation. It is a candidate for restoration to replace marsh area lost to dredging in the 1960s, yet for restoration to succeed in the long term, accretion must maintain the marsh surface within the tidal range of rising relative sea level. Marsh surface accretion rates tend to increase with depth in the tidal frame until a threshold depth is reached below which marsh vegetation cannot be sustained. Suspended sediment concentration, salinity, tidal range, and vegetation community all influence the relationship between depth and accretion rate. The complex interactions among these factors make sedimentation rates difficult to generalize across sites. Surface elevation tables (SET) and feldspar marker horizons have been monitored at 9 locations in Dyke Marsh for 5 years, providing detailed data on sedimentation, subsidence, and net accretion rates at these locations. We combine these data with spatially rich vegetation surveys, a LiDAR derived 1-m digital elevation model of the marsh, and temperature-derived inundation durations to model accretion rates across the marsh. Temperature loggers suggest a delayed arrival of tidal water within the marsh relative to that predicted by elevation alone, likely due to hydraulic resistance caused by vegetation. Wave driven coastal erosion has contributed to bank retreat rates of ~2.5 m/yr along the Potomac River side of the marsh while depositing a small berm of material inland of the retreating shoreline. Excluding sites

EXPLORING THE ACCRETION MODEL OF M87 AND 3C 84 WITH THE FARADAY ROTATION MEASURE OBSERVATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Ya-Ping; Yuan, Feng; Xie, Fu-Guo, E-mail: fyuan@shao.ac.cn

2016-10-20

Low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs) are believed to be powered by an accretion-jet model, consisting of an inner advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF), an outer truncated standard thin disk, and a jet; however, model degeneracy still exists in this framework. For example, the X-ray emission can originate from either the ADAF or the jet. The aim of the present work is to check these models with the Faraday rotation measure (RM) observations recently detected for two LLAGNs, M87 and 3C 84, in the sub-mm band. For M87, we find that the RM predicted by the model in which the X-ray emissionmore » originates from the ADAF is larger than the observed upper limit of RM by over two orders of magnitude, while the model in which the X-ray emission originates from the jet predicts a RM lower than the observed upper limit. For 3C 84, the sub-mm emission is found to be dominated by the jet component, while the Faraday screen is attributed to the ADAFs. This scenario can naturally explain the observed external origin of the RM and why the RM is found to be stable during a two-year interval although the sub-mm emission increases at the same period.« less

Lessons from accretion disks in cataclysmic variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horne, Keith

1998-04-01

We survey recent progress in the interpretation of observations of cataclysmic variables, whose accretion disks are heated by viscous dissipation rather than irradiation. Many features of standard viscous accretion disk models are confirmed by tomographic imaging studies of dwarf novae. Eclipse maps indicate that steady disk temperature structures are established during outbursts. Doppler maps of double-peaked emission lines suggest disk chromospheres heated by magnetic activity. Gas streams impacting on the disk rim leave expected signatures both in the eclipses and emission lines. Doppler maps of dwarf nova IP Peg at the beginning of an outburst show evidence for tidally-induced spiral shocks. While enjoying these successes, we must still face up to the dreaded ``SW Sex syndrome'' which afflicts most if not all cataclysmic variables in high accretion states. The anomalies include single-peaked emission lines with skewed kinematics, flat temperature-radius profiles, shallow offset line eclipses, and narrow low-ionization absorption lines at phase 0.5. The enigmatic behavior of AE Aqr is now largely understood in terms of a magnetic propeller model in which the rapidly spinning white dwarf magnetosphere expels the gas stream out of the system before an accretion disk can form. A final piece in this puzzle is the realization that an internal shock zone occurs in the exit stream at just the right place to explain the anomalous kinematics and violent flaring of the single-peaked emission lines. Encouraged by this success, we propose that disk-anchored magnetic propellers operate in the high accretion rate systems afflicted by the SW Sex syndrome. Magnetic fields anchored in the Keplerian disk sweep forward and apply a boost that expels gas stream material flowing above the disk plane. This working hypothesis offers a framework on which we can hang all the SW Sex anomalies. The lesson for theorists is that magnetic links appear to be transporting energy and angular

Truncation of the Inner Accretion Disk Around a Black Hole at Low Luminosity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tomsick, John A.; Yamoka, Kazutaka; Corbel, Stephane; Kaaret, Philip; Kalemci, Emrah; Migliari, Simone

2011-01-01

Most black hole binaries show large changes in X-ray luminosity caused primarily by variations in mass accretion rate. An important question for understanding black hole accretion and jet production is whether the inner edge of the accretion disk recedes at low accretion rate. Measurements of the location of the inner edge (R(sub in)) can be made using iron emission lines that arise due to fluorescence of iron in the disk, and these indicate that R(sub in) is very close to the black hole at high and moderate luminosities (greater than or equal to 1% of the Eddington luminosity, L(sub Edd). Here, we report on X-ray observations of the black hole GX 339-4 in the hard state by Suzaku and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer that extend iron line studies to 0.14% L(sub Edd) and show that R(sub in) increases by a factor of greater than 27 over the value found when GX 339-4 was bright. The exact value of R(sub in) depends on the inclination of the inner disk (i), and we derive 90% confidence limits of R(sub in) greater than 35 R(sub g) at i = 0 degrees and R(sub in) greater than 175 R(sub g) at i = 30 degrees. This provides direct evidence that the inner portion of the disk is not present at low luminosity, allowing for the possibility that the inner disk is replaced by advection- or magnetically dominated accretion flows.

Truncation of the Inner Accretion Disk Around a Black Hole at Low Luminosity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tomsick, John A.; Yamaoka, Kazutaka; Corbel, Stephane; Kaaret, Philip; Kalemci, Emrah; Migliari, Simone

2009-01-01

Most black hole binaries show large changes in X-ray luminosity caused primarily by variations in mass accretion rate. An important question for understanding black hole accretion and jet production is whether the inner edge of the accretion disk recedes at low accretion rate. Measurements of the location of the inner edge (R(sub in)) can be made using iron emission lines that arise due to fluorescence of iron in the disk, and these indicate that R(sub in) is very close to the black hole at high and moderate luminosities (greater than approximately equal to 1% of the Eddington luminosity, L(sub Edd). Here, we report on X-ray observation of the black hole GX 339-4 in the hard state by Suzaku and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) that extend iron line studies to 0.14% L(sub Edd) and show that R(sub in) increases by a factor of greater than 27 over the value found when GX 339-4 was bright. The exact value of R(sub in) depends on the inclination of the inner disk (i), and we derive 90% confidence limits of R(sub in) greater than 35R(sub g) at i = 0 degrees and R(sub in) greater than 175R(sub g) at i = 30 degrees. This provides direct evidence that the inner portion of the disk is not present at low luminosity, allowing for the possibility that the inner disk is replaced by advection- or magnetically-dominated accretion flows.

A New Paradigm for Gamma Ray Bursts: Long Term Accretion Rate Modulation by an External Accretion Disk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cannizzo, John; Gehrels, Neil

2009-01-01

We present a new way of looking at the very long term evolution of GRBs in which the disk of material surrounding the putative black hole powering the GRB jet modulates the mass flow, and hence the efficacy of the process that extracts rotational energy from the black hole and inner accretion disk. The pre-Swift paradigm of achromatic, shallow-to-steep "breaks" in the long term GRB light curves has not been borne out by detailed Swift data amassed in the past several years. We argue that, given the initial existence of a fall-back disk near the progenitor, an unavoidable consequence will be the formation of an "external disk" whose outer edge continually moves to larger radii due to angular momentum transport and lack of a confining torque. The mass reservoir at large radii moves outward with time and gives a natural power law decay to the GRB light curves. In this model, the different canonical power law decay segments in the GRB identified by Zhang et al. and Nousek et al. represent different physical states of the accretion disk. We identify a physical disk state with each power law segment.

Cold, clumpy accretion onto an active supermassive black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremblay, Grant R.; Oonk, J. B. Raymond; Combes, Françoise; Salomé, Philippe; O'Dea, Christopher P.; Baum, Stefi A.; Voit, G. Mark; Donahue, Megan; McNamara, Brian R.; Davis, Timothy A.; McDonald, Michael A.; Edge, Alastair C.; Clarke, Tracy E.; Galván-Madrid, Roberto; Bremer, Malcolm N.; Edwards, Louise O. V.; Fabian, Andrew C.; Hamer, Stephen; Li, Yuan; Maury, Anaëlle; Russell, Helen R.; Quillen, Alice C.; Urry, C. Megan; Sanders, Jeremy S.; Wise, Michael W.

2016-06-01

Supermassive black holes in galaxy centres can grow by the accretion of gas, liberating energy that might regulate star formation on galaxy-wide scales. The nature of the gaseous fuel reservoirs that power black hole growth is nevertheless largely unconstrained by observations, and is instead routinely simplified as a smooth, spherical inflow of very hot gas. Recent theory and simulations instead predict that accretion can be dominated by a stochastic, clumpy distribution of very cold molecular clouds—a departure from the ‘hot mode’ accretion model—although unambiguous observational support for this prediction remains elusive. Here we report observations that reveal a cold, clumpy accretion flow towards a supermassive black hole fuel reservoir in the nucleus of the Abell 2597 Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG), a nearby (redshift z = 0.0821) giant elliptical galaxy surrounded by a dense halo of hot plasma. Under the right conditions, thermal instabilities produce a rain of cold clouds that fall towards the galaxy’s centre, sustaining star formation amid a kiloparsec-scale molecular nebula that is found at its core. The observations show that these cold clouds also fuel black hole accretion, revealing ‘shadows’ cast by the molecular clouds as they move inward at about 300 kilometres per second towards the active supermassive black hole, which serves as a bright backlight. Corroborating evidence from prior observations of warmer atomic gas at extremely high spatial resolution, along with simple arguments based on geometry and probability, indicate that these clouds are within the innermost hundred parsecs of the black hole, and falling closer towards it.

Cold, clumpy accretion onto an active supermassive black hole.

PubMed

Tremblay, Grant R; Oonk, J B Raymond; Combes, Françoise; Salomé, Philippe; O'Dea, Christopher P; Baum, Stefi A; Voit, G Mark; Donahue, Megan; McNamara, Brian R; Davis, Timothy A; McDonald, Michael A; Edge, Alastair C; Clarke, Tracy E; Galván-Madrid, Roberto; Bremer, Malcolm N; Edwards, Louise O V; Fabian, Andrew C; Hamer, Stephen; Li, Yuan; Maury, Anaëlle; Russell, Helen R; Quillen, Alice C; Urry, C Megan; Sanders, Jeremy S; Wise, Michael W

2016-06-09

Supermassive black holes in galaxy centres can grow by the accretion of gas, liberating energy that might regulate star formation on galaxy-wide scales. The nature of the gaseous fuel reservoirs that power black hole growth is nevertheless largely unconstrained by observations, and is instead routinely simplified as a smooth, spherical inflow of very hot gas. Recent theory and simulations instead predict that accretion can be dominated by a stochastic, clumpy distribution of very cold molecular clouds--a departure from the 'hot mode' accretion model--although unambiguous observational support for this prediction remains elusive. Here we report observations that reveal a cold, clumpy accretion flow towards a supermassive black hole fuel reservoir in the nucleus of the Abell 2597 Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG), a nearby (redshift z = 0.0821) giant elliptical galaxy surrounded by a dense halo of hot plasma. Under the right conditions, thermal instabilities produce a rain of cold clouds that fall towards the galaxy's centre, sustaining star formation amid a kiloparsec-scale molecular nebula that is found at its core. The observations show that these cold clouds also fuel black hole accretion, revealing 'shadows' cast by the molecular clouds as they move inward at about 300 kilometres per second towards the active supermassive black hole, which serves as a bright backlight. Corroborating evidence from prior observations of warmer atomic gas at extremely high spatial resolution, along with simple arguments based on geometry and probability, indicate that these clouds are within the innermost hundred parsecs of the black hole, and falling closer towards it.

A Systems-Level Perspective on Engine Ice Accretion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

May, Ryan D.; Guo, Ten-Huei; Simon, Donald L.

2013-01-01

The accretion of ice in the compression system of commercial gas turbine engines operating in high ice water content conditions is a safety issue being studied by the aviation sector. While most of the research focuses on the underlying physics of ice accretion and the meteorological conditions in which accretion can occur, a systems-level perspective on the topic lends itself to potential near-term operational improvements. This work focuses on developing an accurate and reliable algorithm for detecting the accretion of ice in the low pressure compressor of a generic 40,000 lbf thrust class engine. The algorithm uses only the two shaft speed sensors and works regardless of engine age, operating condition, and power level. In a 10,000-case Monte Carlo simulation, the detection approach was found to have excellent capability at determining ice accretion from sensor noise with detection occurring when ice blocks an average of 6.8% of the low pressure compressor area. Finally, an initial study highlights a potential mitigation strategy that uses the existing engine actuators to raise the temperature in the low pressure compressor in an effort to reduce the rate at which ice accretes.

Accretion of Fat-Free Mass Rather Than Fat Mass in Infancy Is Positively Associated with Linear Growth in Childhood.

PubMed

Admassu, Bitiya; Ritz, Christian; Wells, Jonathan C K; Girma, Tsinuel; Andersen, Gregers S; Belachew, Tefera; Owino, Victor; Michaelsen, Kim F; Abera, Mubarek; Wibaek, Rasmus; Friis, Henrik; Kæstel, Pernille

2018-04-01

We have previously shown that fat-free mass (FFM) at birth is associated with height at 2 y of age in Ethiopian children. However, to our knowledge, the relation between changes in body composition during early infancy and later linear growth has not been studied. This study examined the associations of early infancy fat mass (FM) and FFM accretion with linear growth from 1 to 5 y of age in Ethiopian children. In the infant Anthropometry and Body Composition (iABC) study, a prospective cohort study was carried out in children in Jimma, Ethiopia, followed from birth to 5 y of age. FM and FFM were measured ≤6 times from birth to 6 mo by using air-displacement plethysmography. Linear mixed-effects models were used to identify associations between standardized FM and FFM accretion rates during early infancy and linear growth from 1 to 5 y of age. Standardized accretion rates were obtained by dividing FM and FFM accretion by their respective SD. FFM accretion from 0 to 6 mo of age was positively associated with length at 1 y (β = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.19, 1.09; P = 0.005) and linear growth from 1 to 5 y (β = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.19, 1.07; P = 0.005). The strongest association with FFM accretion was observed at 1 y. The association with linear growth from 1 to 5 y was mainly engendered by the 1-y association. FM accretion from 0 to 4 mo was positively associated with linear growth from 1 to 5 y (β = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.88; P = 0.038) in the fully adjusted model. In Ethiopian children, FFM accretion was associated with linear growth at 1 y and no clear additional longitudinal effect from 1 to 5 y was observed. FM accretion showed a weak association from 1 to 5 y. This trial was registered at www.controlled-trials.com as ISRCTN46718296.

Focused Wind Mass Accretion in Mira AB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karovska, Margarita; de Val-Borro, M.; Hack, W.; Raymond, J.; Sasselov, D.; Lee, N. P.

2011-05-01

At a distance of about only 100pc, Mira AB is the nearest symbiotic system containing an Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) star (Mira A), and a compact accreting companion (Mira B) at about 0.5" from Mira A. Symbiotic systems are interacting binaries with a key evolutionary importance as potential progenitors of a fraction of asymmetric Planetary Nebulae, and SN type Ia, cosmological distance indicators. The region of interaction has been studied using high-angular resolution, multiwavelength observations ranging from radio to X-ray wavelengths. Our results, including high-angular resolution Chandra imaging, show a "bridge" between Mira A and Mira B, indicating gravitational focusing of the Mira A wind, whereby components exchange matter directly in addition to the wind accretion. We carried out a study using 2-D hydrodynamical models of focused wind mass accretion to determine the region of wind acceleration and the characteristics of the accretion in Mira AB. We highlight some of our results and discuss the impact on our understanding of accretion processes in symbiotic systems and other detached and semidetached interacting systems.

Cosmic Rays and Non-thermal Emission Induced by Accretion of Cool Gas onto the Galactic Disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, Susumu; Uchiyama, Yasunobu; Arakawa, Masanori; Renaud, Matthieu; Wada, Keiichi

2017-11-01

On both observational and theoretical grounds, the disk of our Galaxy should be accreting cool gas with temperature ≲ {10}5 K via the halo at a rate ˜1 {{M}⊙ {yr}}-1. At least some of this accretion is mediated by high-velocity clouds (HVCs), observed to be traveling in the halo with velocities of a few 100 km s-1 and occasionally impacting the disk at such velocities, especially in the outer regions of the Galaxy. We address the possibility of particle acceleration in shocks triggered by such HVC accretion events, and the detectability of consequent non-thermal emission in the radio to gamma-ray bands and high-energy neutrinos. For plausible shock velocities ˜ 300 {km} {{{s}}}-1 and magnetic field strengths ˜ 0.3{--}10 μ {{G}}, electrons and protons may be accelerated up to ˜1-10 TeV and ˜ 30{--}{10}3 TeV, respectively, in sufficiently strong adiabatic shocks during their lifetime of ˜ {10}6 {{yr}}. The resultant pion decay and inverse Compton gamma-rays may be the origin of some unidentified Galactic GeV-TeV sources, particularly the “dark” source HESS J1503-582 that is spatially coincident with the anomalous H I structure known as “forbidden-velocity wings.” Correlation of their locations with star-forming regions may be weak, absent, or even opposite. Non-thermal radio and X-ray emission from primary and/or secondary electrons may be detectable with deeper observations. The contribution of HVC accretion to Galactic cosmic rays is subdominant, but could be non-negligible in the outer Galaxy. As the thermal emission induced by HVC accretion is likely difficult to detect, observations of such phenomena may offer a unique perspective on probing gas accretion onto the Milky Way and other galaxies.

Cyclotron Lines in Accreting Neutron Star Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilms, Jörn; Schönherr, Gabriele; Schmid, Julia; Dauser, Thomas; Kreykenbohm, Ingo

2009-05-01

Cyclotron lines are formed through transitions of electrons between discrete Landau levels in the accretion columns of accreting neutron stars with strong (1012 G) magnetic fields. We summarize recent results on the formation of the spectral continuum of such systems, describe recent advances in the modeling of the lines based on a modification of the commonly used Monte Carlo approach, and discuss new results on the dependence of the measured cyclotron line energy from the luminosity of transient neutron star systems. Finally, we show that Simbol-X will be ideally suited to build and improve the observational database of accreting and strongly magnetized neutron stars.

Problem of gas accretion on a gravitational center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ladygin, V. A.

1980-01-01

A method of the approximated solution of the problem of accretion on a rapidly moving gravitational center is developed. This solution is obtained in the vicinity of the axis of symmetry in the region of the potential flow. The solution of the problem of stationary gas accretion on a moving gravitational center simulates the movement of a substance in interstellar space in the vicinity of a black hole. A detailed picture of gas accretion on a black hole is of interest in connection with the problem of observation of black holes.

WIND-DRIVEN ACCRETION IN TRANSITIONAL PROTOSTELLAR DISKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Lile; Goodman, Jeremy J.

Transitional protostellar disks have inner cavities that are heavily depleted in dust and gas, yet most of them show signs of ongoing accretion, often at rates comparable to full disks. We show that recent constraints on the gas surface density in a few well-studied disk cavities suggest that the accretion speed is at least transsonic. We propose that this is the natural result of accretion driven by magnetized winds. Typical physical conditions of the gas inside these cavities are estimated for plausible X-ray and FUV radiation fields. The gas near the midplane is molecular and predominantly neutral, with a dimensionlessmore » ambipolar parameter in the right general range for wind solutions of the type developed by Königl, Wardle, and others. That is to say, the density of ions and electrons is sufficient for moderately good coupling to the magnetic field, but it is not so good that the magnetic flux needs to be dragged inward by the accreting neutrals.« less

Constraining the Accretion Geometry of the Intermediate Polar EX Hya Using NuSTAR, Swift, and Chandra Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luna, G. J. M.; Mukai, K.; Orio, M.; Zemko, P.

2018-01-01

In magnetically accreting white dwarfs, the height above the white dwarf surface where the standing shock is formed is intimately related with the accretion rate and the white dwarf mass. However, it is difficult to measure. We obtained new data with NuSTAR and Swift that, together with archival Chandra data, allow us to constrain the height of the shock in the intermediate polar EX Hya. We conclude that the shock has to form at least at a distance of about one white dwarf radius from the surface in order to explain the weak Fe Kα 6.4 keV line, the absence of a reflection hump in the high-energy continuum, and the energy dependence of the white dwarf spin pulsed fraction. Additionally, the NuSTAR data allowed us to measure the true, uncontaminated hard X-ray (12-40 keV) flux, whose measurement was contaminated by the nearby galaxy cluster Abell 3528 in non-imaging X-ray instruments.

Differential rates of vertical accretion and elevation change among aerial root types in Micronesian mangrove forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krauss, K.W.; Allen, J.A.; Cahoon, D.R.

2003-01-01

Root systems in mangrove swamps have captured the attention of scientists for decades. Among the postulated roles of root structures include a contribution to the geomorphological stability of mangrove soils through sediment trapping and binding. In this study, we used feldspar marker horizons and sediment pins to investigate the influence of three different functional root types - prop roots in Rhizophora spp., root knees in Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, and pneumatophores in Sonneratia alba - on vertical accretion and elevation change in three mangrove forests in the Federated States of Micronesia. Prop roots facilitated vertical accretion (11.0 mm year-1) more than pneumatophores or bare soil controls (mean, 8.3 mm year-1). Sediment elevation, on the other hand, increased at an average rate of only 1.3 mm year-1 across all root types, with rate differences by root type, ranging from -0.2 to 3.4 mm year-1, being detected within river basins. This investigation demonstrates that prop roots can assist in the settling of suspended sediments from estuarine waters, yet prop root structures are not as successful as pneumatophores in maintaining sediment elevation over 2.5 years. As root densities increase over time, an increase in turbulence-induced erosion and in shallow subsidence as organic peat layers form is expected in Micronesian mangrove forests. ?? 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Time-dependent spherically symmetric accretion onto compact X-ray sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowie, L. L.; Ostriker, J. P.; Stark, A. A.

1978-01-01

Analytical arguments and a numerical hydrodynamic code are used to investigate spherically symmetric accretion onto a compact object, in an attempt to provide some insight into gas flows heated by an outgoing X-ray flux. It is shown that preheating of spherically symmetric accretion flows by energetic radiation from an X-ray source results in time-dependent behavior for a much wider range of source parameters than was determined previously and that there are two distinct types of instability. The results are compared with observations of X-ray bursters and transients as well as with theories on quasars and active galactic nuclei that involve quasi-spherically symmetric accretion onto massive black holes. Models based on spherically symmetric accretion are found to be inconsistent with observations of bursters and transients.

Redshifted X-rays from the material accreting onto TW Hydrae: Evidence of a low-latitude accretion spot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Argiroffi, C.; Drake, J. J.; Bonito, R.; Orlando, S.; Peres, G.; Miceli, M.

2017-10-01

Context. High resolution spectroscopy, providing constraints on plasma motions and temperatures, is a powerful means to investigate the structure of accretion streams in classical T Tauri stars (CTTS). In particular, the accretion shock region, where the accreting material is heated to temperatures of a few million degrees as it continues its inward bulk motion, can be probed by X-ray spectroscopy. Aims: In an attempt to detect for the first time the motion of this X-ray-emitting post-shock material, we searched for a Doppler shift in the deep Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating observation of the CTTS TW Hya. This test should unveil the nature of this X-ray emitting plasma component in CTTS and constrain the accretion stream geometry. Methods: We searched for a Doppler shift in the X-ray emission from TW Hya with two different methods: by measuring the position of a selected sample of emission lines and by fitting the whole TW Hya X-ray spectrum, allowing the line-of-sight velocity to vary. Results: We found that the plasma at T 2 - 4 MK has a line-of-sight velocity of 38.3 ± 5.1 km s-1 with respect to the stellar photosphere. This result definitively confirms that this X-ray-emitting material originates in the post-shock region, at the base of the accretion stream, and not in coronal structures. The comparison of the observed velocity along the line of sight, 38.3 ± 5.1 km s-1, with the inferred intrinsic velocity of the post shock of TW Hya, vpost ≈ 110 - 120 km s-1, indicates that the footpoints of the accretion streams on TW Hya are located at low latitudes on the stellar surface. Conclusions: Our results indicate that complex magnetic field geometries, such as those of TW Hya, permit low-latitude accretion spots. Moreover, since on TW Hya the redshift of the soft X-ray emission is very similar to that of the narrow component of the C iv resonance doublet at 1550 Å, then the plasma at 2 - 4 MK and that at 0.1 MK likely originate in the same post

Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton Accretion onto Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antoni, Andrea; MacLeod, Morgan; Ramírez-Ruiz, Enrico

2018-01-01

Binary stars are not rare. While only close binary stars will eventually interact with one another, even the widest binary systems interact with their gaseous surroundings. The rates of accretion and the gaseous drag forces arising in these interactions are the key to understanding how these systems evolve. This poster examines accretion flows around a binary system moving supersonically through a background gas. We perform three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion using the adaptive mesh refinement code FLASH. We simulate a range of values of semi-major axis of the orbit relative to the gravitational focusing impact parameter of the pair. On large scales, gas is gravitationally focused by the center-of-mass of the binary, leading to dynamical friction drag and to the accretion of mass and momentum. On smaller scales, the orbital motion imprints itself on the gas. Notably, the magnitude and direction of the forces acting on the binary inherit this orbital dependence. The long-term evolution of the binary is determined by the timescales for accretion, slow down of the center-of-mass, and decay of the orbit. We use our simulations to measure these timescales and to establish a hierarchy between them. In general, our simulations indicate that binaries moving through gaseous media will slow down before the orbit decays.

Decadal-scale variation in dune erosion and accretion rates: An investigation of the significance of changing storm tide frequency and magnitude on the Sefton coast, UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pye, K.; Blott, S. J.

2008-12-01

Monitoring of frontal dune erosion and accretion on the Sefton coast in northwest England over the past 50 years has revealed significant spatial and temporal variations. Previous work has shown that the spatial variations primarily reflect longshore differences in beach and nearshore morphology, energy regime and sediment budget, but the causes of temporal variations have not previously been studied in detail. This paper presents the results of work carried out to test the hypothesis that a major cause of temporal variation is changes in the frequency and magnitude of storms, surges and resulting high tides. Dune toe erosion/accretion records dating from 1958 have been compared with tide gauge records at Liverpool and Heysham. Relatively high dune erosion rates at Formby Point 1958-1968 were associated with a relatively large number of storm tides. Slower erosion at Formby, and relatively rapid accretion in areas to the north and south, occurred during the 1970's and 1980's when there were relatively few major storm tides. After 1990 rates of dune erosion at Formby increased again, and dunes to the north and south experienced slower accretion. During this period high storm tides have been more frequent, and the annual number of hours with water levels above the critical level for dune erosion has increased significantly. An increase in the rate of mean sea-level rise at both Liverpool and Heysham is evident since 1990, but we conclude that this factor is of less importance than the occurrence of extreme high tides and wave action associated with storms. The incidence of extreme high tides shows an identifiable relationship with the lunar nodal tidal cycle, but the evidence indicates that meteorological forcing has also had a significant effect. Storms and surges in the eastern Irish Sea are associated with Atlantic depressions whose direction and rate of movement have a strong influence on wind speeds, wave energy and the height of surge tides. However

Accreting Neutron Star and Black Hole Binaries with NICER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakrabarty, Deepto

2018-01-01

The NICER mission on the International Space Station has significant new capabilities for the study of accreting neutron stars and blackholes, including large effective area, low background, and excellent low-energy X-ray response. Both the NICER Burst and Accretion Working Group and the Observatory Science Working Group have designed observing programs that probe various aspects of accretion physics. I will present some early results from the first six months of the NICER mission, including observations of the black hole transients MAXI J1535-571 and GX 339-4, the high-mass X-ray binary pulsars GRO J1008-57 and Swift J02436+6124, and the X-ray burster 4U 1820-30.

X-shooter observations of low-mass stars in the η Chamaeleontis association

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rugel, Michael; Fedele, Davide; Herczeg, Gregory

2018-01-01

The nearby η Chamaeleontis association is a collection of 4-10 Myr old stars with a disk fraction of 35-45%. In this study, the broad wavelength coverage of VLT/X-shooter is used to measure the stellar and mass accretion properties of 15 low-mass stars in the η Chamaeleontis association. For each star, the observed spectrum is fitted with a non-accreting stellar template and an accretion spectrum obtained from assuming a plane-parallel hydrogen slab. Five of the eight stars with an IR disk excess show excess UV emission, indicating ongoing accretion. The accretion rates measured here are similar to those obtained from previous measurements of excess UV emission, but tend to be higher than past measurements from Hα modeling. The mass accretion rates are consistent with those of other young star forming regions. This work is based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the Paranal Observatory under program ID 084.C-1095.

Episodic accretion: the interplay of infall and disc instabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuffmeier, Michael; Frimann, Søren; Jensen, Sigurd S.; Haugbølle, Troels

2018-04-01

Using zoom-simulations carried out with the adaptive mesh-refinement code RAMSES with a dynamic range of up to 227 ≈ 1.34 × 108 we investigate the accretion profiles around six stars embedded in different environments inside a (40 pc)3 giant molecular cloud, the role of mass infall and disc instabilities on the accretion profile, and thus on the luminosity of the forming protostar. Our results show that the environment in which the protostar is embedded determines the overall accretion profile of the protostar. Infall on to the circumstellar disc may trigger gravitational disc instabilities in the disc at distances of around ˜10 to ˜50 au leading to rapid transport of angular momentum and strong accretion bursts. These bursts typically last for about ˜10 to a ˜100 yr, consistent with typical orbital times at the location of the instability, and enhance the luminosity of the protostar. Calculations with the stellar evolution code MESA show that the accretion bursts induce significant changes in the protostellar properties, such as the stellar temperature and radius. We apply the obtained protostellar properties to produce synthetic observables with RADMC3D and predict that accretion bursts lead to observable enhancements around 20 to 200 μm in the spectral energy distribution of Class 0 type young stellar objects.

The disappearance and reformation of the accretion disc during a low state of FO Aquarii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hameury, J.-M.; Lasota, J.-P.

2017-09-01

Context. FO Aquarii, an asynchronous magnetic cataclysmic variable (intermediate polar) went into a low state in 2016, from which it slowly and steadily recovered without showing dwarf nova outbursts. This requires explanation since in a low state, the mass-transfer rate is in principle too low for the disc to be fully ionised and the disc should be subject to the standard thermal and viscous instability observed in dwarf novae. Aims: We investigate the conditions under which an accretion disc in an intermediate polar could exhibit a luminosity drop of two magnitudes in the optical band without showing outbursts. Methods: We use our numerical code for the time evolution of accretion discs, including other light sources from the system (primary, secondary, hot spot). Results: We show that although it is marginally possible for the accretion disc in the low state to stay on the hot stable branch, the required mass-transfer rate in the normal state would then have to be extremely high, of the order of 1019 g s-1 or even larger. This would make the system so intrinsically bright that its distance should be much larger than allowed by all estimates. We show that observations of FO Aqr are well accounted for by the same mechanism that we have suggested as explaining the absence of outbursts during low states of VY Scl stars: during the decay, the magnetospheric radius exceeds the circularisation radius, so that the disc disappears before it enters the instability strip for dwarf nova outbursts. Conclusions: Our results are unaffected, and even reinforced, if accretion proceeds both via the accretion disc and directly via the stream during some intermediate stages; the detailed process through which the disc disappears still requires investigation.

Recent accretion in two managed marsh impoundments in coastal Louisiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cahoon, D.R.

1994-01-01

Recent accretion was measured by the feldspar marker horizon method in two gravity-drained, managed, marsh impoundments and unmanaged reference marshes located on the rapidly subsiding coast of Louisiana. Water level management was designed to limit hydrologic exchange to the managed marsh by regulating the direction and rate of water flows. During a drawdown-flooding water management cycle, the unmanaged reference marshes had significantly higher vertical accretion rates, higher soil bulk density and soil mineral matter content, lower soil organic matter content, and higher rates of organic matter accumulation than the managed marsh. The rate of mineral matter accumulation was higher in both reference marshes, but was significantly higher in only one. Spatial variability in accumulation rates was low when analyzed in one managed marsh site, suggesting a primarily autochthonous source of matter. In contrast, the associated reference marsh apparently received allochthonous material that settled out in a distinct spatial pattern as water velocity decreased. The impoundment marshes experienced an accretion deficit of one full order of magnitude (0.1 vs. 1.0 m/yr) based on comparison of accretion and sea level rise data, while the unmanaged reference marshes experienced a five-fold smaller deficit or no deficit. These data suggest that the gravity-drained impoundments likely have a shorter life expectancy than the reference marshes in the rapidly subsiding Louisiana coast.

The magnetic nature of disk accretion onto black holes.

PubMed

Miller, Jon M; Raymond, John; Fabian, Andy; Steeghs, Danny; Homan, Jeroen; Reynolds, Chris; van der Klis, Michiel; Wijnands, Rudy

2006-06-22

Although disk accretion onto compact objects-white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes-is central to much of high-energy astrophysics, the mechanisms that enable this process have remained observationally difficult to determine. Accretion disks must transfer angular momentum in order for matter to travel radially inward onto the compact object. Internal viscosity from magnetic processes and disk winds can both in principle transfer angular momentum, but hitherto we lacked evidence that either occurs. Here we report that an X-ray-absorbing wind discovered in an observation of the stellar-mass black hole binary GRO J1655 - 40 (ref. 6) must be powered by a magnetic process that can also drive accretion through the disk. Detailed spectral analysis and modelling of the wind shows that it can only be powered by pressure generated by magnetic viscosity internal to the disk or magnetocentrifugal forces. This result demonstrates that disk accretion onto black holes is a fundamentally magnetic process.

Formation Of the Giant Planets By Concurrent Accretion Of Solids And Gas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pollack, James B.; Hubickyj, Olenka; Bodenheimer, Peter; Lissauer, Jack J.; Podolak, Morris; Greenzweig, Yuval; Cuzzi, Jeffery N. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

New numerical simulations of the formation of the giant planets are presented, in which for the first time both the gas and planetesimal accretion rates are calculated in a self-consistent, interactive fashion. The simulations combine three elements: 1) three-body accretion cross-sections of solids onto an isolated planetary embryo, 2) a stellar evolution code for the planet's gaseous envelope, and 3) a planetesimal dissolution code within the envelope, used to evaluate the planet's effective capture radius and the energy deposition profile of accreted material. Major assumptions include: The planet is embedded in a disk of gas and small planetesimals with locally uniform initial surface mass density, and planetesimals are not allowed to migrate into or out of the planet's feeding zone. All simulations are characterized by three major phases. During the first phase, the planet's mass consists primarily of solid material. The planetesimal accretion rate, which dominates that of gas, rapidly increases owing to runaway accretion, then decreases as the planet's feeding zone is depleted. During the second phase, both solid and gas accretion rates are small and nearly independent of time. The third phase, marked by runaway gas accretion, starts when the solid and gas masses are about equal. It is engendered by a strong positive feedback on the gas accretion rates, driven by the rapid contraction of the gaseous envelope and the rapid expansion of the outer boundary, which depends on the planet's total mass. The overall evolutionary time scale is generally determined by the length of the second phase. The actual rates at which the giant planets accreted small planetesimals is probably intermediate between the constant rates assumed in most previous studies and the highly variable rates that we have used. Within the context, of the adopted model of planetesimal accretion, the joint constraints of the time scale for dissipation of the solar nebula and the current high

Wetland Accretion Rate Model of Ecosystem Resilience (WARMER) and its application to habitat sustainability for endangered species in the San Francisco Estuary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Swanson, Kathleen M.; Drexler, Judith Z.; Schoellhamer, David H.; Thorne, Karen M.; Casazza, Michael L.; Overton, Cory T.; Callaway, John C.; Takekawa, John Y.

2014-01-01

Salt marsh faunas are constrained by specific habitat requirements for marsh elevation relative to sea level and tidal range. As sea level rises, changes in relative elevation of the marsh plain will have differing impacts on the availability of habitat for marsh obligate species. The Wetland Accretion Rate Model for Ecosystem Resilience (WARMER) is a 1-D model of elevation that incorporates both biological and physical processes of vertical marsh accretion. Here, we use WARMER to evaluate changes in marsh surface elevation and the impact of these elevation changes on marsh habitat for specific species of concern. Model results were compared to elevation-based habitat criteria developed for marsh vegetation, the endangered California clapper rail (Rallus longirostris obsoletus), and the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris) to determine the response of marsh habitat for each species to predicted >1-m sea-level rise by 2100. Feedback between vertical accretion mechanisms and elevation reduced the effect of initial elevation in the modeled scenarios. Elevation decreased nonlinearly with larger changes in elevation during the latter half of the century when the rate of sea-level rise increased. Model scenarios indicated that changes in elevation will degrade habitat quality within salt marshes in the San Francisco Estuary, and degradation will accelerate in the latter half of the century as the rate of sea-level rise accelerates. A sensitivity analysis of the model results showed that inorganic sediment accumulation and the rate of sea-level rise had the greatest influence over salt marsh sustainability.

The White Dwarf Mass and the Accretion Rate of Recurrent Novae: An X-ray Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukai, Koji; Sokoloski, Jennifer L.; Nelson, Thomas; Luna, Gerardo J. M.

2011-01-01

We present recent results of quiescent X-ray observations of recurrent novae (RNe) and related objects. Several RNe are luminous hard X-ray sources in quiescence, consistent with accretion onto a near Chandrasekhar mass white dwarf. Detection of similar hard X-ray emissions in old novae and other cataclysmic variables may lead to identification of additional RN candidates. On the other hand, other RNe are found to be comparatively hard X-ray faint. We present several scenarios that may explain this dichotomy, which should be explored further.

Accretion and Propeller Torque in the Spin-Down Phase of Neutron Stars: The case of transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ertan, Ünal

2018-05-01

The spin-down rate of PSR J1023+0038, one of the three confirmed transitional millisecond pulsars, was measured in both radio pulsar (RMSP) and X-ray pulsar (LMXB) states. The spin-down rate in the LMXB state is only about 27% greater than in the RMSP state (Jaodand et al. 2016). The inner disk radius, rin, obtained recently by Ertan (2017) for the propeller phase, which is close to the co-rotation radius, rco, and insensitive to the mass-flow rate, can explain the observed torques together with the X-ray luminosities, Lx . The X-ray pulsar and radio pulsar states correspond to accretion with spin-down (weak propeller) and strong propeller situations respectively. Several times increase in the disk mass-flow rate takes the source from the strong propeller with a low Lx to the weak propeller with a higher Lx powered by accretion on to the star. The resultant decrease in rin increases the magnetic torque slightly, explaining the observed small increase in the spin-down rate. We have found that the spin-up torque exerted by accreting material is much smaller than the magnetic spin-down torque exerted by the disk in the LMXB state.

Accretion Disks and the Formation of Stellar Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kratter, Kaitlin Michelle

2011-02-01

In this thesis, we examine the role of accretion disks in the formation of stellar systems, focusing on young massive disks which regulate the flow of material from the parent molecular core down to the star. We study the evolution of disks with high infall rates that develop strong gravitational instabilities. We begin in chapter 1 with a review of the observations and theory which underpin models for the earliest phases of star formation and provide a brief review of basic accretion disk physics, and the numerical methods that we employ. In chapter 2 we outline the current models of binary and multiple star formation, and review their successes and shortcomings from a theoretical and observational perspective. In chapter 3 we begin with a relatively simple analytic model for disks around young, high mass stars, showing that instability in these disks may be responsible for the higher multiplicity fraction of massive stars, and perhaps the upper mass to which they grow. We extend these models in chapter 4 to explore the properties of disks and the formation of binary companions across a broad range of stellar masses. In particular, we model the role of global and local mechanisms for angular momentum transport in regulating the relative masses of disks and stars. We follow the evolution of these disks throughout the main accretion phase of the system, and predict the trajectory of disks through parameter space. We follow up on the predictions made in our analytic models with a series of high resolution, global numerical experiments in chapter 5. Here we propose and test a new parameterization for describing rapidly accreting, gravitationally unstable disks. We find that disk properties and system multiplicity can be mapped out well in this parameter space. Finally, in chapter 6, we address whether our studies of unstable disks are relevant to recently detected massive planets on wide orbits around their central stars.

20 Years of sea-levels, accretion, and vegetation on two Long ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The long-term 1939-2013 rate of RSLR (Relative Sea-Level Rise) at the New London, CT tide gauge is ~2.6 mm/yr, near the maximum rate of salt marsh accretion reported in eastern Long Island Sound salt marshes. Consistent with recent literature RSLR at New London has accelerated since the 1980s; inter-annual variability can be high, but over the last three decades rates have averaged ~4.5 mm/yr, more than double the first 40 years of the New London record. Marsh surface elevation has been followed for 10 years with a SET array at the Barn Island system on Little Narragansett Bay and 20 years using an accretion pin array at Mamacoke Marsh on the Thames River. From 2003 – 2013 accretion averaged 2.3 mm/yr on the Barn Island marshes while RSLR increased 5.4 mm/yr. The increased hydroperiod is driving vegetation change at Barn Island, particularly in areas that started with lower “elevation capital”. Over two decades Mamacoke accretion closely matched RSLR: 4.7 vs 4.9 mm/yr, with no significant shifts in vegetation. For the 1st 12 years at Mamacoke, accretion was slower than RSLR: 3.2 vs 8.1 mm/yr. From 2006 to 2014, however elevation increase averaged 7.0 mm/yr while sea level rose just 7 mm. By 2014 accretion rates across the marsh ranged from 1.3 to 16.1 mm /yr. Preliminary core analysis confirms highly organic peat, but reveals sand concentrations at 2–4 cm in some areas, suggesting that Hurricanes Irene (2011) and Sandy (2012) may have contributed to Mama

Evolution of a rotating black hole with a magnetized accretion disk.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, H. K.; Kim, H.-K.

2000-03-01

The effect of an accretion disk on the Blandford-Znajek process and the evolution of a black hole are discussed using a simplified system for the black hole-accretion disk in which the accretion rate is supposed to be dominated by the strong magnetic field on the disk. The evolution of the mass and the angular momentum of the black hole are formulated and discussed with numerical calculations.

Standing shocks in magnetized dissipative accretion flow around black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, Biplob; Das, Santabrata

2018-02-01

We explore the global structure of the accretion flow around a Schwarzschild black hole where the accretion disc is threaded by toroidal magnetic fields. The accretion flow is optically thin and advection dominated. The synchrotron radiation is considered to be the active cooling mechanism in the flow. With this, we obtain the global transonic accretion solutions and show that centrifugal barrier in the rotating magnetized accretion flow causes a discontinuous transition of the flow variables in the form of shock waves. The shock properties and the dynamics of the post-shock corona are affected by the flow parameters such as viscosity, cooling rate and strength of the magnetic fields. The shock properties are investigated against these flow parameters. We further show that for a given set of boundary parameters at the outer edge of the disc, accretion flow around a black hole admits shock when the flow parameters are tuned for a considerable range.

General Relativistic Radiation MHD Simulations of Supercritical Accretion onto a Magnetized Neutron Star: Modeling of Ultraluminous X-Ray Pulsars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takahashi, Hiroyuki R.; Ohsuga, Ken, E-mail: takahashi@cfca.jp, E-mail: ken.ohsuga@nao.ac.jp

By performing 2.5-dimensional general relativistic radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations, we demonstrate supercritical accretion onto a non-rotating, magnetized neutron star, where the magnetic field strength of dipole fields is 10{sup 10} G on the star surface. We found the supercritical accretion flow consists of two parts: the accretion columns and the truncated accretion disk. The supercritical accretion disk, which appears far from the neutron star, is truncated at around ≃3 R {sub *} ( R {sub *} = 10{sup 6} cm is the neutron star radius), where the magnetic pressure via the dipole magnetic fields balances with the radiation pressure of themore » disks. The angular momentum of the disk around the truncation radius is effectively transported inward through magnetic torque by dipole fields, inducing the spin up of a neutron star. The evaluated spin-up rate, ∼−10{sup −11} s s{sup −1}, is consistent with the recent observations of the ultraluminous X-ray pulsars. Within the truncation radius, the gas falls onto a neutron star along the dipole fields, which results in a formation of accretion columns onto the northern and southern hemispheres. The net accretion rate and the luminosity of the column are ≃66 L {sub Edd}/ c {sup 2} and ≲10 L {sub Edd}, where L {sub Edd} is the Eddington luminosity and c is the light speed. Our simulations support a hypothesis whereby the ultraluminous X-ray pulsars are powered by the supercritical accretion onto the magnetized neutron stars.« less

Accretion onto a moving Reissner-Nordström black hole

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jiao, Lei; Yang, Rongjia, E-mail: jiaoleizhijia@163.com, E-mail: yangrongjia@tsinghua.org.cn

We obtain an analytic solution for accretion of a gaseous medium with a adiabatic equation of state ( P =ρ) onto a Reissner-Nordström black hole which moves at a constant velocity through the medium. We obtain the specific expression for each component of the velocity and present the mass accretion rate which depends on the mass and the electric charge. The result we obtained may be helpful to understand the physical mechanism of accretion onto a moving black hole.

Damping of prominence longitudinal oscillations due to mass accretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruderman, Michael S.; Luna, Manuel

2016-06-01

thread at the moment when it is perturbed. First we consider small amplitude oscillations and use the linear description. Then we consider nonlinear oscillations and assume that the damping is slow, meaning that the damping time is much larger that the characteristic oscillation time. The thread oscillations are described by the solution of the nonlinear pendulum problem with slowly varying amplitude. The nonlinearity reduces the damping time, however this reduction is small. Again the damping time is inversely proportional to the accretion rate. We also obtain that the oscillation periods decrease with time. However even for the largest initial oscillation amplitude considered in our article the period reduction does not exceed 20%. We conclude that the mass accretion can damp the motion of the threads rapidly. Thus, this mechanism can explain the observed strong damping of large-amplitude longitudinal oscillations. In addition, the damping time can be used to determine the mass accretion rate and indirectly the coronal heating.

MAXI J1957+032: An Accreting Neutron Star Possibly in a Triple System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravi, V.

2017-12-01

I present an optical characterization of the Galactic X-ray transient source MAXI J1957+032. This system flares by a factor of ≳104 every few hundred days, with each flare lasting ∼5 days. I identify its quiescent counterpart to be a late-K/early-M dwarf star at a distance of 5 ± 2 kpc. This implies that the peak 0.5{--}10 {keV} luminosity of the system is {10}36.4+/- 0.4 erg s‑1. As found by Mata Sanchez et al. the outburst properties of MAXI J1957+032 are most consistent with the sample of accreting millisecond pulsars. However, the low inferred accretion rate, and the lack of evidence for a hydrogen-rich accretion flow, are difficult to reconcile with the late-K/early-M dwarf counterpart being the mass donor. Instead, the observations are best described by a low-mass hydrogen- and possibly helium-poor mass donor, such as a carbon–oxygen white dwarf, forming a tight interacting binary with a neutron star. The observed main-sequence counterpart would then likely be in a wide orbit around the inner binary.

The Role of the Outer Boundary Condition in Accretion Disk Models: Theory and Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Feng; Peng, Qiuhe; Lu, Ju-fu; Wang, Jianmin

2000-07-01

In a previous paper, we find that the outer boundary conditions (OBCs) of an optically thin accretion flow play an important role in determining the structure of the flow. Here in this paper, we further investigate the influence of OBCs on the dynamics and radiation of the accretion flow on a more detailed level. Bremsstrahlung and synchrotron radiations amplified by Comptonization are taken into account, and two-temperature plasma assumption is adopted. The three OBCs we adopted are the temperatures of the electrons and ions and the specific angular momentum of the accretion flow at a certain outer boundary. We investigate the individual role of each of the three OBCs on the dynamical structure and the emergent spectrum. We find that when the general parameters such as the mass accretion rate M and the viscous parameter α are fixed the peak flux at various bands such as radio, IR, and X-ray can differ by as much as several orders of magnitude under different OBCs in our example. Our results indicate that the OBC is both dynamically and radiatively important and therefore should be regarded as a new ``parameter'' in accretion disk models. As an illustrative example, we further apply the above results to the compact radio source Sgr A* located at the center of our Galaxy. The advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) model has turned out to be a great success in explaining its luminosity and spectrum. However, there exists a discrepancy between the mass accretion rate favored by ADAF models in the literature and that favored by the three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulation, with the former being 10-20 times smaller than the latter. By seriously considering the outer boundary condition of the accretion flow, we find that because of the low specific angular momentum of the accretion gas the accretion in Sgr A* should belong to a new accretion pattern, which is characterized by the possession of a very large sonic radius. This accretion pattern can significantly

Studying the accretion geometry of EXO 2030+375 at luminosities close to the propeller regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fürst, F.; Kretschmar, P.; Kajava, J. J. E.; Alfonso-Garzón, J.; Kühnel, M.; Sanchez-Fernandez, C.; Blay, P.; Wilson-Hodge, C. A.; Jenke, P.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Pottschmidt, K.; Wilms, J.; Rothschild, R. E.

2017-10-01

The Be X-ray binary EXO 2030+375was in an extended low-luminosity state during most of 2016. We observed this state with NuSTARand Swift, supported by INTEGRALobservations and optical spectroscopy with the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT). We present a comprehensive spectral and timing analysis of these data here to study the accretion geometry and investigate a possible onset of the propeller effect. The Hα data show that the circumstellar disk of the Be-star is still present. We measure equivalent widths similar to values found during more active phases in the past, indicating that the low-luminosity state is not simply triggered by a smaller Be disk. The NuSTARdata, taken at a 3-78 keV luminosity of 6.8 × 1035 erg s-1 (for a distance of 7.1 kpc), are nicely described by standard accreting pulsar models such as an absorbed power law with a high-energy cutoff. We find that pulsations are still clearly visible at these luminosities, indicating that accretion is continuing despite the very low mass transfer rate. In phase-resolved spectroscopy we find a peculiar variation of the photon index from 1.5 to 2.5 over only about 3% of the rotational period. This variation is similar to that observed with XMM-Newtonat much higher luminosities. It may be connected to the accretion column passing through our line of sight. With Swift/XRT we observe luminosities as low as 1034 erg s-1 where the data quality did not allow us to search for pulsations, but the spectrum is much softer and well described by either a blackbody or soft power-law continuum. This softer spectrum might be due to the accretion being stopped by the propeller effect and we only observe the neutron star surface cooling.

Galaxy-scale Bars in Late-type Sloan Digital Sky Survey Galaxies Do Not Influence the Average Accretion Rates of Supermassive Black Holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goulding, A. D.; Matthaey, E.; Greene, J. E.; Hickox, R. C.; Alexander, D. M.; Forman, W. R.; Jones, C.; Lehmer, B. D.; Griffis, S.; Kanek, S.; Oulmakki, M.

2017-07-01

Galaxy-scale bars are expected to provide an effective means for driving material toward the central region in spiral galaxies, and possibly feeding supermassive black holes (BHs). Here we present a statistically complete study of the effect of bars on average BH accretion. From a well-selected sample of 50,794 spiral galaxies (with {M}* ˜ 0.2{--}30× {10}10 {M}⊙ ) extracted from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Galaxy Zoo 2 project, we separate those sources considered to contain galaxy-scale bars from those that do not. Using archival data taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we identify X-ray luminous ({L}{{X}}≳ {10}41 {erg} {{{s}}}-1) active galactic nuclei and perform an X-ray stacking analysis on the remaining X-ray undetected sources. Through X-ray stacking, we derive a time-averaged look at accretion for galaxies at fixed stellar mass and star-formation rate, finding that the average nuclear accretion rates of galaxies with bar structures are fully consistent with those lacking bars ({\\dot{M}}{acc}≈ 3× {10}-5 {M}⊙ yr-1). Hence, we robustly conclude that large-scale bars have little or no effect on the average growth of BHs in nearby (z< 0.15) galaxies over gigayear timescales.

Importance of fingering convection for accreting white dwarfs in the framework of full evolutionary calculations: the case of the hydrogen-rich white dwarfs GD 133 and G 29-38

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wachlin, F. C.; Vauclair, G.; Vauclair, S.; Althaus, L. G.

2017-05-01

Context. A large fraction of white dwarfs show photospheric chemical composition that is polluted by heavy elements accreted from a debris disk. Such debris disks result from the tidal disruption of rocky planetesimals that have survived to whole stellar evolution from the main sequence to the final white dwarf stage. Determining the accretion rate of this material is an important step toward estimating the mass of the planetesimals and understanding the ultimate fate of the planetary systems. Aims: The accretion of heavy material with a mean molecular weight, μ, higher than the mean molecular weight of the white dwarf outer layers, induces a double-diffusive instability producing the fingering convection and an extra-mixing. As a result, the accreted material is diluted deep into the star. We explore the effect of this extra-mixing on the abundance evolution of Mg, O, Ca, Fe and Si in the cases of the two well-studied polluted DAZ white dwarfs: GD 133 and G 29-38. Methods: We performed numerical simulations of the accretion of material that has a chemical composition similar to the bulk Earth composition. We assumed a continuous and uniform accretion and considered a range of accretion rates from 104 g/s to 1010 g/s. Two cases are simulated, one using the standard mixing length theory (MLT) and one including the double-diffusive instability (fingering convection). Results: The double-diffusive instability develops on a very short timescale. The surface abundance rapidly reaches a stationary value while the depth of the zone mixed by the fingering convection increases. In the case of GD 133, the accretion rate needed to reproduce the observed abundances exceeds by more than two orders of magnitude the rate estimated by neglecting the fingering convection. In the case of G 29-38 the needed accretion rate is increased by approximately 1.7 dex. Conclusions: Our numerical simulations of the accretion of heavy elements on the hydrogen-rich white dwarf GD 133 and G 29

DETECTION OF A COOL, ACCRETION-SHOCK-GENERATED X-RAY PLASMA IN EX LUPI DURING THE 2008 OPTICAL ERUPTION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Teets, William K.; Weintraub, David A.; Kastner, Joel H.

2012-11-20

EX Lupi is the prototype for a class of young, pre-main-sequence stars which are observed to undergo irregular, presumably accretion-generated, optical outbursts that result in a several magnitude rise of the optical flux. EX Lupi was observed to optically erupt in 2008 January, triggering Chandra ACIS Target of Opportunity observations shortly thereafter. We find very strong evidence that most of the X-ray emission in the first few months after the optical outburst is generated by accretion of circumstellar material onto the stellar photosphere. Specifically, we find a strong correlation between the decreasing optical and X-ray fluxes following the peak ofmore » the outburst in the optical, which suggests that these observed declines in both the optical and X-ray fluxes are the result of declining accretion rate. In addition, in our models of the X-ray spectrum, we find strong evidence for a {approx}0.4 keV plasma component, as expected for accretion shocks on low-mass, pre-main-sequence stars. From 2008 March through October, this cool plasma component appeared to fade as EX Lupi returned to its quiescent level in the optical, consistent with a decrease in the overall emission measure of accretion-shock-generated plasma. The overall small increase of the X-ray flux during the optical outburst of EX Lupi is similar to what was observed in previous X-ray observations of the 2005 optical outburst of the EX Lupi-type star V1118 Ori but contrasts with the large increase of the X-ray flux from the erupting young star V1647 Ori during its 2003 and 2008 optical outbursts.« less

Detection of a Cool, Accretion-Shock-Generated X-Ray Plasma in EX Lupi During the 2008 Optical Eruption

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teets, William K.; Weintraub, David A.; Kastner, Joel H.; Grosso, Nicholas; Hamaguchi, Kenji; Richmond, Michael

2012-01-01

EX Lupi is the prototype for a class of young, pre-main-sequence stars which are observed to undergo irregular, presumably accretion-generated, optical outbursts that result in a several magnitude rise of the optical flux. EX Lupi was observed to optically erupt in 2008 January, triggering Chandra ACIS Target of Opportunity observations shortly thereafter. We find very strong evidence that most of the X-ray emission in the first few months after the optical outburst is generated by accretion of circumstellar material onto the stellar photosphere. Specifically, we find a strong correlation between the decreasing optical and X-ray fluxes following the peak of the outburst in the optical, which suggests that these observed declines in both the optical and X-ray fluxes are the result of declining accretion rate. In addition, in our models of the X-ray spectrum, we find strong evidence for an approx 0.4 keV plasma component, as expected for accretion shocks on low-mass, pre-main-sequence stars. From 2008 March through October, this cool plasma component appeared to fade as EX Lupi returned to its quiescent level in the optical, consistent with a decrease in the overall emission measure of accretion-shock-generated plasma. The overall small increase of the X-ray flux during the optical outburst of EX Lupi is similar to what was observed in previous X-ray observations of the 2005 optical outburst of the EX Lupi-type star V1118 Ori but contrasts with the large increase of the X-ray flux from the erupting young star V1647 Ori during its 2003 and 2008 optical outbursts.

Accretion shock geometries in the magnetic variables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stockman, H. S.

1988-01-01

The first self consistent shock models for the AM Herculis-type systems successfully identified the dominant physical processes and their signatures. These homogenous shock models predict unpolarized, Rayleigh-Jeans optical spectra with sharp cutoffs and rising polarizations as the shocks become optically thin in the ultraviolet. However, the observed energy distributions are generally flat with intermediate polarizations over a broad optical band. These and other observational evidence support a non-homogenous accretion profile which may extend over a considerable fraction of the stellar surface. Both the fundamental assumptions underlying the canonical 1-D shock model and the extension of this model to inhomogenous accretion shocks were identified, for both radial and linear structures. The observational evidence was also examined for tall shocks and little evidence was found for relative shock heights in excess of h/R(1) greater than or equal to 0.1. For several systems, upper limits to the shock height can be obtained from either x ray or optical data. These lie in the region h/R(1) is approximately 0.01 and are in general agreement with the current physical picture for these systems. The quasi-periodic optical variations observed in several magnetic variables may eventually prove to be a major aid in further understanding their accretion shock geometries.

Accretion-induced luminosity spreads in young clusters: evidence from stellar rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Littlefair, S. P.; Naylor, Tim; Mayne, N. J.; Saunders, Eric; Jeffries, R. D.

2011-05-01

We present an analysis of the rotation of young stars in the associations Cepheus OB3b, NGC 2264, 2362 and the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). We discover a correlation between rotation rate and position in a colour-magnitude diagram (CMD) such that stars which lie above an empirically determined median pre-main sequence rotate more rapidly than stars which lie below this sequence. The same correlation is seen, with a high degree of statistical significance, in each association studied here. If position within the CMD is interpreted as being due to genuine age spreads within a cluster, then the stars above the median pre-main sequence would be the youngest stars. This would in turn imply that the most rapidly rotating stars in an association are the youngest, and hence those with the largest moments of inertia and highest likelihood of ongoing accretion. Such a result does not fit naturally into the existing picture of angular momentum evolution in young stars, where the stars are braked effectively by their accretion discs until the disc disperses. Instead, we argue that, for a given association of young stars, position within the CMD is not primarily a function of age, but of accretion history. We show that this hypothesis could explain the correlation we observe between rotation rate and position within the CMD.

Nucleosynthesis inside Supernova-Driven Supercritical Accretion Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujimoto, Shin-Ichirou; Arai, Kenzo; Matsuba, Ryuichi; Hashimoto, Masa-Aki; Koike, Osamu; Mineshige, Shin

2001-06-01

We have investigated nucleosynthesis in a supercritical accretion disk around a compact object of 1.4Msolar, using the self-similar solution of an optically thick advection dominated flow. Supercritical accretion is expected to occur in a supernova with fallback material accreting onto a new-born compact object. It has been found that appreciable nuclear reactions take place even for a reasonable value of the viscosity parameter, αvissimeq 0.01, when the accretion rate dot{m}=dot{M}c2/(16LEdd) > 105, where LEdd is the Eddington luminosity. If dot{m} ge 4 × 106, all heavy elements are destroyed to 4He through photodisintegrations at the inner part of the disk. Even 4He is also disintegrated to protons and neutrons near the inner edge when dot{m} ge 2 × 107. If the fallback matter of the supernova explosion has the composition of a helium-rich layer of the progenitor, a considerable amount of 44Ti could be ejected via a jet from the disk.

Accretion onto a noncommutative-inspired Schwarzschild black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gangopadhyay, Sunandan; Paik, Biplab; Mandal, Rituparna

2018-05-01

In this paper, we investigate the problem of ordinary baryonic matter accretion onto the noncommutative (NC) geometry-inspired Schwarzschild black hole. The fundamental equations governing the spherically symmetric steady state matter accretion are deduced. These equations are seen to be modified due to the presence of noncommutativity. The matter accretion rate is computed and is found to increase rapidly with the increase in strength of the NC parameter. The sonic radius reduces while the sound speed at the sonic point increases with the increase in the strength of noncommutativity. The profile of the thermal environment is finally investigated below the sonic radius and at the event horizon and is found to be affected by noncommutativity.

MULTIWAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF A0620-00 IN QUIESCENCE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Froning, Cynthia S.; France, Kevin; Khargharia, Juthika

2011-12-10

We present contemporaneous X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, near-infrared, and radio observations of the black hole binary system, A0620-00, acquired in 2010 March. Using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, we have obtained the first FUV spectrum of A0620-00 as well as NUV observations with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. The observed spectrum is flat in the FUV and very faint (with continuum fluxes {approx_equal} 1e - 17 erg cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} A{sup -1}). The UV spectra also show strong, broad (FWHM {approx} 2000 km s{sup -1}) emission lines of Si IV, C IV, He II, Fe II,more » and Mg II. The C IV doublet is anomalously weak compared to the other lines, which is consistent with the low carbon abundance seen in NIR spectra of the source. Comparison of these observations with previous NUV spectra of A0620-00 shows that the UV flux has varied by factors of 2-8 over several years. We compiled the dereddened, broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) of A0620-00 and compared it to previous SEDs as well as theoretical models. The SEDs show that the source varies at all wavelengths for which we have multiple samples. Contrary to previous observations, the optical-UV spectrum does not continue to drop to shorter wavelengths, but instead shows a recovery and an increasingly blue spectrum in the FUV. We created an optical-UV spectrum of A0620-00 with the donor star contribution removed. The non-stellar spectrum peaks at {approx_equal}3000 A. The peak can be fit with a T = 10,000 K blackbody with a small emitting area, probably originating in the hot spot where the accretion stream impacts the outer disk. However, one or more components in addition to the blackbody are needed to fit the FUV upturn and the red optical fluxes in the optical-UV spectrum. By comparing the mass accretion rate determined from the hot spot luminosity to the mean accretion rate inferred from the outburst history, we find that the latter is an order of magnitude

El Nino influence on Holocene reef accretion in Hawai'i

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rooney, J.; Fletcher, C.; Grossman, E.; Engels, M.; Field, M.

2004-01-01

New observations of reef accretion from several locations show that in Hawai'i accretion during early to middle Holocene time occurred in areas where today it is precluded by the wave regime, suggesting an increase in wave energy. Accretion of coral and coralline algae reefs in the Hawaiian Islands today is largely controlled by wave energy. Many coastal areas in the main Hawaiian Islands are periodically exposed to large waves, in particular from North Pacific swell and hurricanes. These are of sufficient intensity to prevent modern net accretion as evidenced by the antecedent nature of the seafloor. Only in areas sheltered from intense wave energy is active accretion observed. Analysis of reef cores reveals patterns of rapid early Holocene accretion in several locations that terminated by middle Holocene time, ca. 5000 yr ago. Previous analyses have suggested that changes in Holocene accretion were a result of reef growth "catching up" to sea level. New data and interpretations indicate that the end of reef accretion in the middle Holocene may be influenced by factors in addition to sea level. Reef accretion histories from the islands of Kaua'i, O'ahu, and Moloka'i may be interpreted to suggest that a change in wave energy contributed to the reduction or termination of Holocene accretion by 5000 yr ago in some areas. In these cases, the decrease in reef accretion occurred before the best estimates of the decrease in relative sea-level rise during the mid-Holocene high stand of sea level in the main Hawaiian Islands. However, reef accretion should decrease following the termination of relative sea-level rise (ca. 3000 yr ago) if reef growth were "catching up" to sea level. Evidence indicates that rapid accretion occurred at these sites in early Holocene time and that no permanent accretion is occurring at these sites today. This pattern persists despite the availability of hard substrate suitable for colonization at a wide range of depths between -30 m and the

X-shooter spectroscopy of young stellar objects. IV. Accretion in low-mass stars and substellar objects in Lupus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alcalá, J. M.; Natta, A.; Manara, C. F.; Spezzi, L.; Stelzer, B.; Frasca, A.; Biazzo, K.; Covino, E.; Randich, S.; Rigliaco, E.; Testi, L.; Comerón, F.; Cupani, G.; D'Elia, V.

2014-01-01

We present VLT/X-shooter observations of a sample of 36 accreting low-mass stellar and substellar objects (YSOs) in the Lupus star-forming region, spanning a range in mass from ~0.03 to ~1.2 M⊙, but mostly with 0.1 M⊙accretion diagnostics, and, secondly, to investigate the accretion properties in terms of the physical properties of the central object. The accretion luminosity (Lacc), and in turn the accretion rate (Ṁacc), was derived by modelling the excess emission from the UV to the near-infrared as the continuum emission of a slab of hydrogen. We computed the flux and luminosity (Lline) of many emission lines of H , He , and Ca ii, observed simultaneously in the range from ~330 nm to 2500 nm. The luminosity of all the lines is well correlated with Lacc. We provide empirical relationships between Lacc and the luminosity of 39 emission lines, which have a lower dispersion than relationships previously reported in the literature. Our measurements extend the Paβ and Brγ relationships to Lacc values about two orders of magnitude lower than those reported in previous studies. We confirm that different methodologies of measuring Lacc and Ṁacc yield significantly different results: Hα line profile modelling may underestimate Ṁacc by 0.6 to 0.8 dex with respect to Ṁacc derived from continuum-excess measures. These differences may explain the probably spurious bi-modal relationships between Ṁacc and other YSOs properties reported in the literature. We derived Ṁacc in the range 2 × 10-12-4 × 10-8 M⊙ yr-1 and conclude that Ṁacc ∝ M⋆1.8(±0.2), with a dispersion lower by a factor of about 2 than in previous studies. A number of properties indicate that the physical conditions of the accreting gas are similar over more than 5 orders of magnitude in Ṁacc, confirming previous suggestions that the geometry of the accretion flow

Inclusion of TCAF model in XSPEC to study accretion flow dynamics around black hole candidates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Debnath, Dipak; Chakrabarti, Sandip Kumar; Mondal, Santanu

Spectral and Temporal properties of black hole candidates can be well understood with the Chakrabarti-Titarchuk solution of two component advective flow (TCAF). This model requires two accretion rates, namely, the Keplerian disk accretion rate and the sub-Keplerian halo accretion rate, the latter being composed of a low angular momentum flow which may or may not develop a shock. In this solution, the relevant parameter is the relative importance of the halo (which creates the Compton cloud region) rate with respect to the Keplerian disk rate (soft photon source). Though this model has been used earlier to manually fit data of several black hole candidates quite satisfactorily, for the first time we are able to create a user friendly version by implementing additive Table model FITS file into GSFC/NASA's spectral analysis software package XSPEC. This enables any user to extract physical parameters of accretion flows, such as two accretion rates, shock location, shock strength etc. for any black hole candidate. Most importantly, unlike any other theoretical model, we show that TCAF is capable of predicting timing properties from spectral fits, since in TCAF, a shock is responsible for deciding spectral slopes as well as QPO frequencies.

Features of the accretion in the EX Hydrae system: Results of numerical simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isakova, P. B.; Zhilkin, A. G.; Bisikalo, D. V.; Semena, A. N.; Revnivtsev, M. G.

2017-07-01

A two-dimensional numerical model in the axisymmetric approximation that describes the flow structure in the magnetosphere of the white dwarf in the EX Hya system has been developed. Results of simulations show that the accretion in EX Hya proceeds via accretion columns, which are not closed and have curtain-like shapes. The thickness of the accretion curtains depends only weakly on the thickness of the accretion disk. This thickness developed in the simulations does not agree with observations. It is concluded that the main reason for the formation of thick accretion curtains in the model is the assumption that the magnetic field penetrates fully into the plasma of the disk. An analysis based on simple estimates shows that a diamagnetic disk that fully or partially shields the magnetic field of the star may be a more attractive explanation for the observed features of the accretion in EX Hya.

Locating the Accretion Footprint on a Herbig Ae Star: MWC 480

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grady, C. A.; Hamaguchi, K.; Schneider, G.; Stecklum, B.; Woodgate, B. E.; McCleary, J. E.; Williger, G. M.; Sitko, M. L.; Menard, F.; Henning, Th.;

Accretion dynamics in pre-main sequence binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tofflemire, B.; Mathieu, R.; Herczeg, G.; Ardila, D.; Akeson, R.; Ciardi, D.; Johns-Krull, C.

Binary stars are a common outcome of star formation. Orbital resonances, especially in short-period systems, are capable of reshaping the distribution and flows of circumstellar material. Simulations of the binary-disk interaction predict a dynamically cleared gap around the central binary, accompanied by periodic ``pulsed'' accretion events that are driven by orbital motion. To place observational constraints on the binary-disk interaction, we have conducted a long-term monitoring program tracing the time-variable accretion behavior of 9 short-period binaries. In this proceeding we present two results from our campaign: 1) the detection of periodic pulsed accretion events in DQ Tau and TWA 3A, and 2) evidence that the TWA 3A primary is the dominant accretor in the system.

Accreting white dwarf models for type 1 supernovae. 1: Presupernova evolution and triggering mechanisms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nomoto, K.

1981-01-01

As a plausible explosion model for a Type I supernova, the evolution of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs accreting helium in binary systems was investigated from the onset of accretion up to the point at which a thermonuclear explosion occurs. The relationship between the conditions in the binary system and the triggering mechanism for the supernova explosion is discussed, especially for the cases with relatively slow accretion rate. It is found that the growth of a helium zone on the carbon-oxygen core leads to a supernova explosion which is triggered either by the off-center helium detonation for slow and intermediate accretion rates or by the carbon deflagration for slow and rapid accretion rates. Both helium detonation and carbon deflagration are possible for the case of slow accretion, since in this case the initial mass of the white dwarf is an important parameter for determining the mode of ignition. Finally, various modes of building up the helium zone on the white dwarf, namely, direct transfer of helium from the companion star and the various types and strength of the hydrogen shell flashes are discussed in some detail.

Long-term monitoring of PKS0558­-504, a highly accreting AGN with a radio jet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gliozzi, Mario

Mario Gliozzi, mgliozzi@gmu.edu George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States The radio-loud Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy PKS 0558-504 is a highly variable, X-ray bright source with super-Eddington accretion rate and a powerful radio jet that does not dominate the emission beyond the radio band. Hence this source represents an ideal laboratory to study the link between accretion and ejection phenomena. Here we present the preliminary results from a 5-year monitoring campaign with RXTE as well as from a 1.5-year multi-wavelength campaign with Swift, complemented with radio observations from the ATCA and VLBI. We combine several pieces of information from different energy bands to shed some light on the energetics of accretion and ejection phenomena in this extreme black hole system.

Constraints on Bygone Nucleosynthesis of Accreting Neutron Stars

DOE PAGES

Meisel, Zach; Deibel, Alex

2017-03-06

Nuclear burning near the surface of an accreting neutron star produces ashes that, when compressed deeper by further accretion, alter the star’s thermal and compositional structure. Bygone nucleosynthesis can be constrained by the impact of compressed ashes on the thermal relaxation of quiescent neutron star transients. In particular, Urca cooling nuclei pairs in nuclear burning ashes that cool the neutron star crust via neutrino emission from e --capture/β --decay cycles and provide signatures of prior nuclear burning over the ~century timescales it takes to accrete to the e --capture depth of the strongest cooling pairs. By using crust cooling modelsmore » of the accreting neutron star transient MAXI J0556-332, we show that this source likely lacked Type I X-ray bursts and superbursts ≳120 years ago. Reduced nuclear physics uncertainties in rp-process reaction rates and e --capture weak transition strengths for low-lying transitions will improve nucleosynthesis constraints using this technique.« less

The Dynamics of Truncated Black Hole Accretion Disks. I. Viscous Hydrodynamic Case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogg, J. Drew; Reynolds, Christopher S.

2017-07-01

Truncated accretion disks are commonly invoked to explain the spectro-temporal variability in accreting black holes in both small systems, I.e., state transitions in galactic black hole binaries (GBHBs), and large systems, I.e., low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs). In the canonical truncated disk model of moderately low accretion rate systems, gas in the inner region of the accretion disk occupies a hot, radiatively inefficient phase, which leads to a geometrically thick disk, while the gas in the outer region occupies a cooler, radiatively efficient phase that resides in the standard geometrically thin disk. Observationally, there is strong empirical evidence to support this phenomenological model, but a detailed understanding of the dynamics of truncated disks is lacking. We present a well-resolved viscous, hydrodynamic simulation that uses an ad hoc cooling prescription to drive a thermal instability and, hence, produce the first sustained truncated accretion disk. With this simulation, we perform a study of the dynamics, angular momentum transport, and energetics of a truncated disk. We find that the time variability introduced by the quasi-periodic transition of gas from efficient cooling to inefficient cooling impacts the evolution of the simulated disk. A consequence of the thermal instability is that an outflow is launched from the hot/cold gas interface, which drives large, sub-Keplerian convective cells into the disk atmosphere. The convective cells introduce a viscous θ - ϕ stress that is less than the generic r - ϕ viscous stress component, but greatly influences the evolution of the disk. In the truncated disk, we find that the bulk of the accreted gas is in the hot phase.

The Dynamics of Truncated Black Hole Accretion Disks. I. Viscous Hydrodynamic Case

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hogg, J. Drew; Reynolds, Christopher S.

Truncated accretion disks are commonly invoked to explain the spectro-temporal variability in accreting black holes in both small systems, i.e., state transitions in galactic black hole binaries (GBHBs), and large systems, i.e., low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs). In the canonical truncated disk model of moderately low accretion rate systems, gas in the inner region of the accretion disk occupies a hot, radiatively inefficient phase, which leads to a geometrically thick disk, while the gas in the outer region occupies a cooler, radiatively efficient phase that resides in the standard geometrically thin disk. Observationally, there is strong empirical evidence to supportmore » this phenomenological model, but a detailed understanding of the dynamics of truncated disks is lacking. We present a well-resolved viscous, hydrodynamic simulation that uses an ad hoc cooling prescription to drive a thermal instability and, hence, produce the first sustained truncated accretion disk. With this simulation, we perform a study of the dynamics, angular momentum transport, and energetics of a truncated disk. We find that the time variability introduced by the quasi-periodic transition of gas from efficient cooling to inefficient cooling impacts the evolution of the simulated disk. A consequence of the thermal instability is that an outflow is launched from the hot/cold gas interface, which drives large, sub-Keplerian convective cells into the disk atmosphere. The convective cells introduce a viscous θ − ϕ stress that is less than the generic r − ϕ viscous stress component, but greatly influences the evolution of the disk. In the truncated disk, we find that the bulk of the accreted gas is in the hot phase.« less

Accretion onto stellar mass black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deegan, Patrick

2009-12-01

I present work on the accretion onto stellar mass black holes in several scenarios. Due to dynamical friction stellar mass black holes are expected to form high density cusps in the inner parsec of our Galaxy. These compact remnants may be accreting cold dense gas present there, and give rise to potentially observable X-ray emission. I build a simple but detailed time-dependent model of such emission. Future observations of the distribution and orbits of the gas in the inner parsec of Sgr A* will put tighter constraints on the cusp of compact remnants. GRS 1915+105 is an LMXB, whose large orbital period implies a very large accretion disc and explains the extraordinary duration of its current outburst. I present smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations of the accretion disc. The models includes the thermo-viscous instability, irradiation from the central object and wind loss. I find that the outburst of GRS 1915+105 should last a minimum of 20 years and up to ˜ 100 years if the irradiation is playing a significant role in this system. The predicted recurrence times are of the order of 104 years, making the duty cycle of GRS 1915+105 to be a few 0.1%. I present a simple analytical method to describe the observable behaviour of long period black hole LMXBs, similar to GRS 1915+105. Constructing two simple models for the surface density in the disc, outburst and quiescence times are calculated as a function of orbital period. LMXBs are an important constituent of the X-ray light function (XLF) of giant elliptical galaxies. I find that the duty cycle can vary considerably with orbital period, with implications for modelling the XLF.

Planetesimal Growth through the Accretion of Small Solids: Hydrodynamics Simulations with Gas-Particle Coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Anna; Boley, Aaron C.

2016-10-01

The growth and migration of planetesimals in young protoplanetary disks are fundamental to the planet formation process. A number of mechanisms seemingly inhibit small grains from growing to sizes much larger than a centimeter, limiting planetesimal growth. In spite of this, the meteoritic record, abundance of exoplanets, and the lifetimes of disks considered altogether indicate that growth must be rapid and common. If a small number of 100-km sized planetesimals do form by some method such as the streaming instability, then gas drag effects could enable those objects to accrete small solids efficiently. In particular, accretion rates for such planetesimals could be higher or lower than rates based on the geometric cross-section and gravitational focusing alone. The local gas conditions and properties of accreting bodies select a locally optimal accretion size for the pebbles. As planetesimals accrete pebbles, they feel an additional angular momentum exchange - causing the planetesimal to slowly drift inward, which becomes significant at short orbital periods. We present self-consistent hydrodynamic simulations with direct particle integration and gas-drag coupling to evaluate the rate of planetesimal growth due to pebble accretion. We explore a range of particle sizes, planetesimal properties, and disk conditions using wind tunnel simulations. These results are followed by numerical analysis of planetesimal drift rates at a variety of stellar distances.

Evidence for Low Black Hole Spin and Physically Motivated Accretion Models from Millimeter-VLBI Observations of Sagittarius A*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broderick, Avery E.; Fish, Vincent L.; Doeleman, Sheperd S.; Loeb, Abraham

2011-07-01

Millimeter very long baseline interferometry (mm-VLBI) provides the novel capacity to probe the emission region of a handful of supermassive black holes on sub-horizon scales. For Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, this provides access to the region in the immediate vicinity of the horizon. Broderick et al. have already shown that by leveraging spectral and polarization information as well as accretion theory, it is possible to extract accretion-model parameters (including black hole spin) from mm-VLBI experiments containing only a handful of telescopes. Here we repeat this analysis with the most recent mm-VLBI data, considering a class of aligned, radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF) models. We find that the combined data set rules out symmetric models for Sgr A*'s flux distribution at the 3.9σ level, strongly favoring length-to-width ratios of roughly 2.4:1. More importantly, we find that physically motivated accretion flow models provide a significantly better fit to the mm-VLBI observations than phenomenological models, at the 2.9σ level. This implies that not only is mm-VLBI presently capable of distinguishing between potential physical models for Sgr A*'s emission, but further that it is sensitive to the strong gravitational lensing associated with the propagation of photons near the black hole. Based upon this analysis we find that the most probable magnitude, viewing angle, and position angle for the black hole spin are a = 0.0+0.64 + 0.86, \\theta ={68^\\circ }^{+5^\\circ +9^\\circ }_{-20^\\circ -28^\\circ }, and \\xi ={-52^\\circ }^{+17^\\circ +33^\\circ }_{-15^\\circ -24^\\circ } east of north, where the errors quoted are the 1σ and 2σ uncertainties.

Three-dimensional hydrodynamic Bondi-Hoyle accretion. 2: Homogeneous medium at Mach 3 with gamma = 5/3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruffert, Maximilian; Arnett, David

1994-01-01

We investigate the hydrodynamics of three-dimensional classical Bondi-Hoyle accretion. Totally absorbing spheres of varying sizes (from 10 down to 0.01 accretion radii) move at Mach 3 relative to a homogeneous and slightly perturbed medium, which is taken to be an ideal gas (gamma = 5/3). To accommodate the long-range gravitational forces, the extent of the computational volume is 32(exp 3) accretion radii. We examine the influence of numerical procedure on physical behavior. The hydrodynamics is modeled by the 'piecewise parabolic method.' No energy sources (nuclear burning) or sinks (radiation, conduction) are included. The resolution in the vicinity of the accretor is increased by multiply nesting several (5-10) grids around the sphere, each finer grid being a factor of 2 smaller in zone dimension that the next coarser grid. The largest dynamic range (ratio of size of the largest grid to size of the finest zone) is 16,384. This allows us to include a coarse model for the surface of the accretor (vacuum sphere) on the finest grid, while at the same time evolving the gas on the coarser grids. Initially (at time t = 0-10), a shock front is set up, a Mach cone develops, and the accretion column is observable. Eventually the flow becomes unstable, destroying axisymmetry. This happens approximately when the mass accretion rate reaches the values (+/- 10%) predicted by the Bondi-Hoyle accretion formula (factor of 2 included). However, our three-dimensional models do not show the highly dynamic flip-flop flow so prominent in two-dimensional calculations performed by other authors. The flow, and thus the accretion rate of all quantities, shows quasi-periodic (P approximately equals 5) cycles between quiescent and active states. The interpolation formula proposed in an accompanying paper is found to follow the collected numerical data to within approximately 30%. The specific angular momentum accreted is of the same order of magnitude as the values previously found for

Formation of the Giant Planets by Concurrent Accretion of Solids and Gas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hubickyj, Olenka

1997-01-01

Models were developed to simulate planet formation. Three major phases are characterized in the simulations: (1) planetesimal accretion rate, which dominates that of gas, rapidly increases owing to runaway accretion, then decreases as the planet's feeding zone is depleted; (2) occurs when both solid and gas accretion rates are small and nearly independent of time; and (3) starts when the solid and gas masses are about equal and is marked by runaway gas accretion. The models applicability to planets in our Solar System are judged using two basic "yardsticks". The results suggest that the solar nebula dissipated while Uranus and Neptune were in the second phase, during which, for a relatively long time, the masses of their gaseous envelopes were small but not negligible compared to the total masses. Background information, results and a published article are included in the report.

Fine-Tuning the Accretion Disk Clock in Hercules X-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Still, M.; Boyd, P.

2004-01-01

RXTE ASM count rates from the X-ray pulsar Her X-1 began falling consistently during the late months of 2003. The source is undergoing another state transition similar to the anomalous low state of 1999. This new event has triggered observations from both space and ground-based observatories. In order to aid data interpretation and telescope scheduling, and to facilitate the phase-connection of cycles before and after the state transition, we have re-calculated the precession ephemeris using cycles over the last 3.5 years. We report that the source has displayed a different precession period since the last anomalous event. Additional archival data from CGRO suggests that each low state is accompanied by a change in precession period and that the subsequent period is correlated with accretion flux. Consequently our analysis reveals long-term accretion disk behaviour which is predicted by theoretical models of radiation-driven warping.

The accretion and spreading of matter on white dwarfs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisker, Jacob Lund; Balsara, Dinshaw S.; Burger, Tom

2006-10-01

For a slowly rotating non-magnetized white dwarf the accretion disk extends all the way to the star. At the interface between the accretion disk and the star, the matter moves through a boundary layer (BL) and then spreads toward the poles as new matter continuously piles up behind it. We have solved the 3d compressible Navier-Stokes equations on an axisymmetric grid to determine the structure of this BL for different accretion rates (states). The high states show a spreading BL which sets off a gravity wave in the surface matter. The accretion flow moves supersonically over the cusp making it susceptible to the rapid development of gravity wave and/or Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. This BL is optically thick and extends more than 30° to either side of the disk plane after 3/4 of a Keplerian rotation period (tK = 19 s). The low states also show a spreading BL, but here the accretion flow does not set off gravity waves and it is optically thin.

Radial accretion flows on static spherically symmetric black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaverra, Eliana; Sarbach, Olivier

2015-08-01

We analyze the steady radial accretion of matter into a nonrotating black hole. Neglecting the self-gravity of the accreting matter, we consider a rather general class of static, spherically symmetric and asymptotically flat background spacetimes with a regular horizon. In addition to the Schwarzschild metric, this class contains certain deformation of it, which could arise in alternative gravity theories or from solutions of the classical Einstein equations in the presence of external matter fields. Modeling the ambient matter surrounding the black hole by a relativistic perfect fluid, we reformulate the accretion problem as a dynamical system, and under rather general assumptions on the fluid equation of state, we determine the local and global qualitative behavior of its phase flow. Based on our analysis and generalizing previous work by Michel, we prove that for any given positive particle density number at infinity, there exists a unique radial, steady-state accretion flow which is regular at the horizon. We determine the physical parameters of the flow, including its accretion and compression rates, and discuss their dependency on the background metric.

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of black hole accretion: a step to model black hole feedback in galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barai, Paramita; Proga, Daniel; Nagamine, Kentaro

2011-11-01

We test how accurately the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) numerical technique can follow spherically symmetric Bondi accretion. Using the 3D SPH code GADGET-3, we perform simulations of gas accretion on to a central supermassive black hole of mass 108 M⊙ within the radial range of 0.1-200 pc. We carry out simulations without and with radiative heating by a central X-ray corona and radiative cooling. For an adiabatic case, the radial profiles of hydrodynamical properties match the Bondi solution, except near the inner and outer radius of the computational domain. The deviation from the Bondi solution close to the inner radius is caused by the combination of numerical resolution, artificial viscosity and our inner boundary condition. Near the outer radius (≤200 pc), we observe either an outflow or development of a non-spherical inflow unless the outer boundary conditions are very stringently implemented. Despite these issues related to the boundary conditions, we find that adiabatic Bondi accretion can be reproduced for durations of a few dynamical times at the Bondi radius, and for longer times if the outer radius is increased. In particular, the mass inflow rate at the inner boundary, which we measure, is within 3-4 per cent of the Bondi accretion rate. With radiative heating and cooling included, the spherically accreting gas takes a longer time to reach a steady state than the adiabatic Bondi accretion runs, and in some cases does not reach a steady state even within several hundred dynamical times. We find that artificial viscosity causes excessive heating near the inner radius, making the thermal properties of the gas inconsistent with a physical solution. This overheating occurs typically only in the supersonic part of the flow, so that it does not affect the mass accretion rate. We see that increasing the X-ray luminosity produces a lower central mass inflow rate, implying that feedback due to radiative heating is operational in our simulations

Galactic Black Holes in the Hard State: A Multi-Wavelength View of Accretion and Ejection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kalemci; Tomsick, John A.; Migliari; Corbel; Markoff

2010-01-01

The canonical hard state is associated with emission from all three fundamental accretion components: the accretion disk, the hot accretion disk corona and the jet. On top of these, the hard state also hosts very rich temporal variability properties (low frequency QPOs in the PDS, time lags, long time scale evolution). Our group has been working on the major questions of the hard state both observationally (with mult i-wavelength campaigns using RXTE, Swift, Suzaku, Spitzer, VLA, ATCA, SMARTS) and theoretically (through jet models that can fit entire SEDs). Through spectral and temporal analysis we seek to determine the geometry of accretion components, and relate the geometry to the formation and emission from a jet. In this presentation I will review the recent contributions of our group to the field, including the Swift results on the disk geometry at low accretion rates, the jet model fits to the hard state SEDs (including Spitzer data) of GRO J1655-40, and the final results on the evolution of spectral (including X-ray, radio and infrared) and temporal properties of elected black holes in the hard states. I will also talk about impact of ASTROSAT to the science objective of our group.

Accretion Disks in Supersoft X-ray Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Popham, Robert; DiStefano, Rosanne

1996-01-01

We examine the role of the accretion disk in the steady-burning white dwarf model for supersoft sources. The accretion luminosity of the disk is quite small compared to the nuclear burning luminosity of the central source. Thus, in contrast to standard accretion disks, the main role of the disk is to reprocess the radiation from the white dwarf. We calculate models of accretion disks around luminous white dwarfs and compare the resulting disk fluxes to optical and UV observations of the LMC supersoft sources CAL 83, CAL 87, and RX J0513.9-6951. We find that if the white dwarf luminosity is near the upper end of the steady-burning region, and the flaring of the disk is included, then reprocessing by the disk can account for the UV fluxes and a substantial fraction of the optical fluxes of these systems. Reprocessing by the companion star can provide additional optical flux, and here too the disk plays an important role: since the disk is fairly thick, it shadows a significant fraction of the companion's surface.

Disk Accretion in the 10 Myr Old T Tauri Stars TW Hydrae and Hen 3-600A.

PubMed

Muzerolle; Calvet; Briceño; Hartmann; Hillenbrand

2000-05-20

We have found that two members of the TW Hydrae association, TW Hydrae and Hen 3-600A, are still actively accreting, based on the ballistic infall signature of their broad Halpha emission profiles. We present the first quantitative analysis of accretion in these objects and conclude that the same accretion mechanisms which operate in the well-studied 1 Myr old T Tauri stars can and do occur in older (10 Myr) stars. We derive the first estimates of the disk mass accretion rate in TW Hya and Hen 3-600A, which are 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than the average rates in 1 Myr old objects. The decrease in accretion rates over 10 Myr, as well as the low fraction of TW Hya association objects still accreting, points to significant disk evolution, possibly linked to planet formation. Given the multiplicity of the Hen 3-600 system and the large UV excess of TW Hya, our results show that accretion disks can be surprisingly long lived in spite of the presence of companions and significant UV ionizing flux.

Mass-accreting white dwarfs and type Ia supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Bo

2018-05-01

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) play a prominent role in understanding the evolution of the Universe. They are thought to be thermonuclear explosions of mass-accreting carbon-oxygen white dwarfs (CO WDs) in binaries, although the mass donors of the accreting WDs are still not well determined. In this article, I review recent studies on mass-accreting WDs, including H- and He-accreting WDs. I also review currently most studied progenitor models of SNe Ia, i.e., the single-degenerate model (including the WD+MS channel, the WD+RG channel and the WD+He star channel), the double-degenerate model (including the violent merger scenario) and the sub-Chandrasekhar mass model. Recent progress on these progenitor models is discussed, including the initial parameter space for producing SNe Ia, the binary evolutionary paths to SNe Ia, the progenitor candidates for SNe Ia, the possible surviving companion stars of SNe Ia, some observational constraints, etc. Some other potential progenitor models of SNe Ia are also summarized, including the hybrid CONe WD model, the core-degenerate model, the double WD collision model, the spin-up/spin-down model and the model of WDs near black holes. To date, it seems that two or more progenitor models are needed to explain the observed diversity among SNe Ia.