Accretion in strong gravity: From galactic to supermassive black holes

Chris Done; Marek Gierliński

doi:10.1007/1-4020-4085-7_20

Accretion in strong gravity: From galactic to supermassive black holes

Chris Done
, Marek Gierliński

Computational Biology

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Abstract

The galactic black hole binary systems give an observational template showing how the accretion flow changes as a function of increasing mass accretion rate, or L/L _Edd. These data can be synthesised with theoretical models of the accretion flow to give a coherent picture of accretion in strong gravity, in which the major hard-soft spectral transition is triggered by a change in the nature and geometry of the inner accretion flow from a hot, optically thin plasma to a cool, optically thick accretion disc. However, a straightforward application of these models to AGN gives clear discrepancies in overall spectral shape. Either the underlying accretion model is wrong, despite its success in describing the Galactic systems and/or there is additional physics which breaks the simple scaling from stellar to supermassive black holes.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Astrophysics and Space Science
Subtitle of host publication	From X-Ray Binaries to Quasars: Black Holes on all Mass Scales
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Pages	167-175
Number of pages	9
ISBN (Print)	1402040849, 9781402040849
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4085-7_20
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2005

Keywords

accretion flows
black holes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Physics and Astronomy

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10.1007/1-4020-4085-7_20

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abstract = "The galactic black hole binary systems give an observational template showing how the accretion flow changes as a function of increasing mass accretion rate, or L/L Edd. These data can be synthesised with theoretical models of the accretion flow to give a coherent picture of accretion in strong gravity, in which the major hard-soft spectral transition is triggered by a change in the nature and geometry of the inner accretion flow from a hot, optically thin plasma to a cool, optically thick accretion disc. However, a straightforward application of these models to AGN gives clear discrepancies in overall spectral shape. Either the underlying accretion model is wrong, despite its success in describing the Galactic systems and/or there is additional physics which breaks the simple scaling from stellar to supermassive black holes.",

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N2 - The galactic black hole binary systems give an observational template showing how the accretion flow changes as a function of increasing mass accretion rate, or L/L Edd. These data can be synthesised with theoretical models of the accretion flow to give a coherent picture of accretion in strong gravity, in which the major hard-soft spectral transition is triggered by a change in the nature and geometry of the inner accretion flow from a hot, optically thin plasma to a cool, optically thick accretion disc. However, a straightforward application of these models to AGN gives clear discrepancies in overall spectral shape. Either the underlying accretion model is wrong, despite its success in describing the Galactic systems and/or there is additional physics which breaks the simple scaling from stellar to supermassive black holes.

AB - The galactic black hole binary systems give an observational template showing how the accretion flow changes as a function of increasing mass accretion rate, or L/L Edd. These data can be synthesised with theoretical models of the accretion flow to give a coherent picture of accretion in strong gravity, in which the major hard-soft spectral transition is triggered by a change in the nature and geometry of the inner accretion flow from a hot, optically thin plasma to a cool, optically thick accretion disc. However, a straightforward application of these models to AGN gives clear discrepancies in overall spectral shape. Either the underlying accretion model is wrong, despite its success in describing the Galactic systems and/or there is additional physics which breaks the simple scaling from stellar to supermassive black holes.

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KW - black holes

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BT - Astrophysics and Space Science

PB - Springer Netherlands

ER -

Accretion in strong gravity: From galactic to supermassive black holes

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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