Accretion onto Black Holes and Neutron Stars: Differences and Similarities
Abstract
Accreting black holes and neutron stars at luminosities above 0.01 of the critical Eddington luminosity have a lot of similarities, but also drastic differences in their radiation and power density spectra. The efficiency of energy release due to accretion onto a rotating neutron star usually is higher than in the case of a black hole. The theory of the spreading layer on the surface of an accreting neutron star is discussed. It predicts the appearance of two bright belts equidistant from the equator. This layer is unstable and its radiation flux must vary with high frequencies.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0103469,
title = {Accretion onto Black Holes and Neutron Stars: Differences and Similarities},
author = {Rashid Sunyaev},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0103469},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
12 pages, 10 figures, invited talk, to appear in Proc. of ESO Workshop Held in Garching 6-8 Sept. 1999 in Honour of Riaccardo Giacconi (Springer, eds. L. Kaper et al.)