Related papers: Science with an ngVLA: Accretion and Jets in Local…
I present an overview of past, present and future research on microquasars and jets, showing that microquasars, i.e. galactic jet sources, are among the best laboratories for high energy phenomena. After remindind the analogy with quasars,…
The radio emission from supermassive black holes in nearby early-type galaxies can be used to test possible explanations for their low luminosities. We calculate the expected contribution from thermal synchrotron emission from hot accretion…
The UV continuum spectrum of quasars and AGN is assumed to originate from an accreting disk surrounding a massive rotating black hole. We discuss the structure and emission spectra of a disk which drives a powerful jet. Due to the large…
High resolution radio observations remain the most direct way to study the formation and evolution of radio jets associated with the accretion onto massive black holes. We report preliminary results of our seven year VLBA observational…
They are weak, they are small, and they are often overlooked, but they are numerous and an ubiquitous sign of accreting black holes: compact radio cores and jets in low-power AGN. Here I summarize our work concerning these radio cores and…
Kinematic and spectral studies are improving our knowledge of the age distribution in compact radio sources, providing evidence that small sources are generally very young. The properties of jets in objects spanning the size range from a…
Accreting black holes produce powerful relativistic plasma jets which emit radiation across all observable wavelengths but the details of the initial acceleration and confinement of the jet are uncertain. We apply an innovative new model…
The Fermi and Swift satellites, together with ground based Cherenkov telescopes, has greatly improved our knowledge of blazars, namely Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars and BL Lac objects, since all but the most powerful emit most of their…
We present simultaneous, sub-arcsecond (<=50pc) resolution 5 GHz, 8.4 GHz, and 15 GHz VLA observations of a well-defined sample of sixteen low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs). The radio emission in most of these nuclei does not…
We review the current understanding of accretion flows around compact objects with a special emphasis on advective disks. We discuss the influence of the centrifugal pressure supported high density region around compact objects (where…
Multi-wavelength observations of the black hole X-ray binary XTE J1118+480 have offered abundant spectral and timing information about the source, and have thus provided serious challenges to theoretical models. We propose a coupled…
Black holes and weakly-magnetic accreting neutron stars show strong quasi-periodic variability over timescales that span a very wide range. This property offer us a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of basic physical processes…
The role of accretion disks in the formation of low-mass stars has been well assessed by means of high angular resolution observations at various wavelengths. These findings confirm the prediction that conservation of angular momentum…
A central compact object (CCO, e.g. a black hole) with an accretion disk has been suggested as the common central engine of various astrophysical phenomena, such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), tidal disruption events (TDEs) and active galactic…
Multispectral studies of nearby, forming stars provide insights into all classes of accreting systems. Objects which have magnetic fields, spin, and accrete produce jets and collimated outflows. Jets are seen in systems ranging from brown…
Low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs) represent the bulk of the AGN population in the present-day universe and they trace low-level accreting supermassive black holes. The observational properties of LLAGNs suggest that their…
Seyfert galaxies and quasars were first discovered through optical and radio techniques, but in recent years high-energy emission, that can penetrate central gas and dust, has become essentially the defining characteristic of an AGN. AGNs…
Compact, steady jets are observed in the near infrared and radio bands in the hard state of Galactic black hole transients as their luminosity decreases and the source moves towards a quiescent state. Recent radio observations indicate that…
The extreme conditions found near black holes and neutron stars provide a unique opportunity for testing physical theories. Observations of both types of compact objects can be used to probe regions of strong gravity, allowing for tests of…
In the first of a series of three lectures we discuss ways of measuring the power available to feed the jets in powerful FR II radio sources. For unobscured radio-loud QSOs we present evidence that this power is directly related to the…