Related papers: Radiative transfer in black hole systems
We present a general formulation for ray-tracing calculations in curved space-time. The formulation takes full account of relativistic effects in the photon transport and the relative motions of the emitters and the light-of-sight absorbing…
It has now become possible to study directly, via numerical simulation, the evolution of relativistic, radiation-dominated flows around compact objects. With this in mind we set out explicitly covariant forms of the radiative transfer…
We construct a general relativistic radiative transfer (RT) formulation, applicable to particles with or without mass in astrophysical settings. Derived from first principles, the formulation is manifestly covariant. Absorption and…
This Thesis describes the basic framework and applications of a relativistic ray-tracing code for analyzing accretion processes around Kerr black holes. We begin in Chapter 1 with a brief historical summary of the major advances in black…
We examine radiation and its effects on accretion disks orbiting astrophysical black holes. These disks are thermally radiating and can be geometrically and optically thin or thick. In this first paper of the series, we discuss the physics…
In this Thesis, we describe the development of a three-dimensional radiative transfer code using Monte Carlo technique and its application to various astrophysical problems. This code is capable of simulating the radiation spectra coming…
Most accreting black holes emit a substantial fraction of their luminosity in hard X-rays/soft $\gamma$-rays of up to $\sim{\rm few}\times100$ keV. The observations suggest that the radiating gas is very hot, $T>10^9$ K, and optically thin.…
Accretion disks around black holes radiate a significant fraction of the rest mass of the accreting material in the form of thermal radiation from within a few gravitational radii of the black hole ($ r \lesssim 20 G M / c^{2}$). In…
We present a new code for radiation transport around Kerr black holes, including arbitrary emission and absorption terms, as well as electron scattering and polarization. The code is particularly useful for analyzing accretion flows made up…
The illumination of an accretion disk around a black hole or neutron star by the central compact object or the disk itself often determines its spectrum, stability, and dynamics. The transport of radiation within the disk is in general a…
We present {\tt radpol} - a numerical scheme for integrating multifrequency polarized radiative transfer equations along rays propagating in a curved spacetime. The scheme includes radiative processes such as synchrotron emission,…
We present a general relativistic, ray-tracing radiative transfer code RAIKOU for multi-wavlength studies of spectra and images including the black hole shadows around Kerr black holes. Important radiative processes in hot plasmas around…
Modeling the radiation generated by accreting matter is an important step towards realistic simulations of black hole accretion disks, especially at high accretion rates. To this end, we have recently added radiation transport to the…
We present results of a study of non-thermal, time-dependent particle injection in a corona around an accreting black hole. We model the spectral energy distribution of high-energy flares in this scenario. We consider particle interactions…
Observations of the fluorescent Fe K-alpha emission line from the inner accretion flows of stellar mass black holes in X-ray binaries and supermassive black holes in Active Galactic Nuclei have become an important tool to study the…
Accretion onto black holes often proceeds via an accretion disk or a temporary disk-like pattern. Variability features observed in light curves as well as theoretical models of accretion flows suggest that accretion disks tend to be…
Ray tracing radiative transfer is a powerful method for comparing theoretical models of black hole accretion flows and jets with observations. We present a public code, grtrans, for carrying out such calculations in the Kerr metric,…
Accreting supermassive black holes are sources of polarized radiation that propagates through highly curved spacetime before reaching the observer. In order to help interpret observations of such polarized emission, accurate and efficient…
We consider time-dependent models for rotating accretion flows onto black holes, where a transition takes place from an outer cooling-dominated disc to a radiatively inefficient flow in the inner region. In order to allow for a transition…
One of the most useful spectral diagnostics of accreting black hole systems is the Fe K$\alpha$ fluorescence line. Detected in many systems, it is often used to estimate the black hole spin, as its breadth is attributed to relativistic…