Convection in radiatively inefficient black hole accretion flows
Abstract
Recent numerical simulations of radiatively inefficient accretion flows onto compact objects have shown that convection is a general feature in such flows. Dissipation of rotational and gravitational energies in the accretion flows results in inward increase of entropy and development of efficient convective motions. Convection-dominated accretion flows (CDAFs) have a structure that is modified significantly in comparison with the canonical advection-dominated and Bondi-like accretion flows. The flows are characterized by the flattened radial density profiles, ~R^{-1/2}, and have reduced mass accretion rates. Convection transports outward a significant amount of the released binding energy of the accretion flow. We discuss basic dynamical and observational properties of ADAFs using numerical models and self-similar analytical solutions.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0102482,
title = {Convection in radiatively inefficient black hole accretion flows},
author = {Igor V. Igumenshchev and Marek A. Abramowicz},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0102482},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
12 pages, 4 figures, invited plenary review at the 20th Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics, Austin, Texas, 2000, eds J. C. Wheeler and H. Martel