Related papers: Universality in the Random Walk Structure Function…
Variable continuum emission from AGN can be used to probe the structure of their accretion disks via reverberation mapping. Assuming a variable, hot inner light source irradiates the surrounding accretion disk, time delays between different…
We use the integrated spectrum of the X-ray background and quasars Spectral Energy Distribution to derive the contribution of quasars to the energy output of the Universe. We find a lower limit for the energy from accretion onto black holes…
The origin of the optical flux variability in active galactic nuclei (AGN) is largely unknown. Previous studies have correlated features of the variability structure function (SF) with AGN properties, though they mostly involved…
Recently, the image of a Schwarzschild black hole with an accretion disk has been revisited, and it showed that the "photon ring", defined as highly bent light rays that intersect the disk plane more than twice, is extremely narrow and…
Black holes in our Universe are rarely truly isolated, being instead embedded in astrophysical environments such as plasma or dark matter. A particularly intriguing possibility is that light scalar fields form bound states around black…
We study the optical appearance of a thin accretion disk around compact objects within the Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity. Considering static spherically symmetric black holes and naked singularities we search for characteristic signatures…
How black holes accrete surrounding matter is a fundamental, yet unsolved question in astrophysics. It is generally believed that matter is absorbed into black holes via accretion disks, the state of which depends primarily on the…
Obscured or narrow-line active galaxies offer an unobstructed view of the quasar environment in the presence of a luminous and vigorously accreting black hole. We exploit the large new sample of optically selected luminous narrow-line…
We use the rotation curves of more than 100 disk galaxies to examine whether the structure of their surrounding dark halos is consistent with the universal density profile proposed by Navarro, Frenk & White (NFW profiles). Rotation curve…
We perform magnetohydrodynamic simulations of accreting, equal-mass binary black holes in full general relativity focusing on the effect of spin and minidisks on the accretion rate and Poynting luminosity variability. We report on the…
Complex turbulent motions are ubiquitously observed in many astrophysical systems. Their origin, however, is still poorly understood. When cosmic structures form, they grow in mass via accretion from the surrounding environment. We propose…
We present the results of our studies on accretion disks in the proximity of astrophysical black holes. These disks can be of varying degrees of opacity, geometrical shapes, sizes, and volumes. The central compact object is a Schwarzschild…
Active galactic nuclei (AGN) have been observed to vary stochastically with 10-20 rms amplitudes over a range of optical wavelengths where the emission arises in an accretion disk. Since the accretion disk is unlikely to vary coherently,…
In order to investigate the dependence of quasar variability on fundamental physical parameters like black hole mass, we have matched quasars from the QUEST1 Variability Survey with broad-lined objects from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The…
Black holes may accrete gas with angular momentum vectors misaligned with the black hole spin axis. The resulting accretion disks are subject to Lense-Thirring precession, and hence torque. Analytical calculations and simulations show that…
The accretion of matter onto celestial bodies like black holes and neutron stars is a natural phenomenon that releases up to $40\%$ of the matter's rest-mass energy, which is considered a source of radiation. In active galactic nuclei and…
Geometrically thick disks may form after tidal disruption events, and rapid accretion may lead to short flares followed by long-term, lower-level emission. Using a novel accretion disk code which relies primarily on global conservation laws…
Hot spots residing on the surface of an accretion disc have been considered as a model of short-term variability of active galactic nuclei. In this paper we apply the theory of random point processes to model the observed signal from an…
We calculate upper bounds on the inner radii of geometrically thin accretion disks in galactic black-hole systems by relating their rapid variability properties to those of neutron stars. We infer that the inner disk radii do not exhibit…
Although flux variability is one of the defining properties of accretion flows onto supermassive black holes, its dependence on physical parameters such as the mass of the compact object and the Eddington ratio remain under discussion. In…