Accretion and Ejection Physics at High Time Resolution
Abstract
Accretion onto compact objects is one of the most fundamental phenomena in the astrophysics, powering some of the most luminous objects in the sky. Along with this, accretion has also a key impact on the evolution of the Universe, through the launch of powerful outflows that affect the surrounding medium. In the last years sub-second optical-infrared observations of accreting X-ray binaries have opened a new window in the study of inflow-outflow connection, discovering a wide range of previously unkown phenomena. Here we review the key open questions in accretion and ejection physics and discuss how a dedicated facility, equipped with photon-counting detectors and high spectral resolution from the UV to the mid-infrared, can enable transformative advances in our understanding of accretion processes.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2512.15832,
title = {Accretion and Ejection Physics at High Time Resolution},
author = {F. M. Vincentelli and P. Casella and A. Veledina and A. Ambrifi and M. C. Baglio and D. Buckley and N. Castro Segura and Y. Cavecchi and D. de Martino and M. del Santo and P. Gandhi and G. Iliano and R. La Paca and C. Malacaria and A. Marino and K. O'Brien and N. Rea and A. Sanna and S. Scaringi and T. Shahbaz and L. Zampieri},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.15832},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
Submitted for ESO's call for white papers: "Expanding Horizons: Transforming Astronomy in the 2040s"