Related papers: Accretion and Ejection Physics at High Time Resolu…
Collimated relativistic outflows, or jets, are amongst the most energetic and relativistic phenomena in the Universe. They are associated with supermassive black holes in distant active galactic nuclei (AGN), accreting black holes and…
The direct images of giant extrasolar planets recently obtained around several main sequence stars represent a major step in the study of planetary systems. These high-dynamic range images are among the most striking results obtained by the…
Flow of matter onto strongly magnetized neutron stars in X-ray binaries proceeds through accretion funnels that roughly follow geometry of the magnetic field. X-rays originate near surface of the neutron star, and it may happen that the…
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…
Astronomers have discovered many potential black holes in X-ray binaries and galactic nuclei. These black holes are usually identified by the fact that they are too massive to be neutron stars. Until recently, however, there was no…
Astronomers have discovered many potential black holes in X-ray binaries and galactic nuclei. These black holes are usually identified by the fact that they are too massive to be neutron stars. Until recently, however, there was no…
The innermost regions of quasars can be resolved by a gravitational-lens {\lq}telescope{\rq} on scales down to a few AU. For the purpose, X-ray observations are most preferable, because X-rays originating from the innermost regions, can be…
Studying accretion phenomena is a window into understanding most heavenly bodies, from the birth of stars to Active galactic nuclei(AGN). We would adopt the effect of the radiation pressure which reduces accretion rates M on the accretion…
In this chapter, I present a summary of observational tests of the basic picture of disk accretion. An emphasis is placed on tests relevant to black holes, but many of the fundamental results are drawn from studies of other classes of…
Throughout the Universe many powerful events are driven by strong gravitational effects that require general relativity to fully describe them. These include compact binary mergers, black hole accretion and stellar collapse, where…
In my doctoral thesis, I have focussed my attention on radiation processes in high-energy astrophysics connected with the accretion flow physics around compact objects. Generally, a radiation field beside to exert an outward radiation…
The galactic black hole binary systems give an observational template showing how the accretion flow changes as a function of increasing mass accretion rate, or L/L_Edd. These data can be synthetised with theoretical models of the accretion…
Accretion of matter onto a magnetic, rotating object can be strongly affected by the interaction with its magnetic field. This occurs in a variety of astrophysical settings involving young stellar objects, white dwarfs, and neutron stars.…
General properties of advection-dominated accretion flows are discussed. Special emphasis is given to the optically thin branch of solutions, which has very high ion and electron temperatures and is thermally stable. This solution branch…
Recent developments in the spectropolarimetric study of compact objects, specifically black holes (stellar and massive) and neutron stars are reviewed. The lectures are organized around five topics: disks, jets, outflows, neutron stars and…
Episodic accretion may be a common occurrence in the evolution of young pre-main sequence stars and has important implications for our understanding of star and planet formation. Many fundamental aspects of what drives the accretion…
Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are bright extragalactic sources with X-ray luminosities above 10^39 erg/s powered by accretion onto compact objects. According to the first studies performed with XMM-Newton ULXs seemed to be excellent…
Ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are the most extreme members of the X-ray binary population, exhibiting X-ray luminosities that can surpass the 10^39 erg/s threshold (by orders of magnitude). They are mainly seen in external galaxies…
Recent X-ray observations have detected a class of very faint X-ray transients in the Galaxy which probably reveal a previously unrecognised type of accretion on to neutron stars or black holes. We show that these systems cannot have…
X-ray pulsars shine thanks to the conversion of the gravitational energy of accreted material to X-ray radiation. The accretion rate is modulated by geometrical and hydrodynamical effects in the stellar wind of the pulsar companions and/or…