Related papers: Accretion disc winds in X-ray binaries
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…
X-ray binaries are binary star systems in which a compact object (a neutron star or a black hole) and a relatively normal star orbit a common centre of mass. Since the discovery of X-ray binaries with the first X-ray telescopes in the…
We review recent observational and theoretical results on the relationship between circumstellar accretion disks and jets in young stellar objects. We then present a theoretical framework that interprets jets as accretion-powered,…
The continuum-fitting method is one of the two most advanced methods of determining the black hole spin in accreting X-ray binary systems. There are, however, still some unresolved issues with the underlying disk models. One of them…
Accretion onto black holes is one of the most efficient energy source in the Universe. Black hole accretion powers some of the most luminous objects in the universe, including quasars, active galactic nuclei, tidal disruption events,…
X-ray binary accretion disk winds can carry away a significant fraction of the matter transferred from the companion and hence strongly affect the accretion flow and the long-term evolution of the binary. However, accurate mass outflow rate…
Galactic black hole (BH) X-ray binaries are known to exhibit episodic outbursts, during which accretion and spectral mode distinctively transition between low/hard and high/soft state. X-ray observations during high/soft state occasionally…
X-ray disk winds are detected in spectrally soft, disk-dominated phases of stellar-mass black hole outbursts. In contrast, compact, steady, relativistic jets are detected in spectrally hard states that are dominated by non-thermal X-ray…
Recent X-ray observations of blue-shifted absorption lines revealed an existence of the extremely fast disk winds with outflow velocities of ~0.1-0.3c. Such fast outflows would have a large impact on the coevolution of black holes and host…
Observations of accreting systems often show significant variability (10-20 percent of accretion luminosity) on timescales much longer than expected for the disc regions releasing most of the luminosity. We propose an explicit physical…
Optical emission from actively accreting X-ray binaries is dominated by X-ray reprocessing on the outer disk. In the regime of supercritical accretion, strong radiation will power a massive wind that is optically thick and nearly spherical,…
Tidal forces close to massive black holes can violently disrupt stars that make a close approach. These extreme events are discovered via bright X-ray and optical/UV flares in galactic centers. Prior studies based on modeling decaying flux…
High resolution X-ray spectra of black hole X-ray binaries (BHBs) show blueshifted absorption lines from disk winds which seem to be equatorial. Winds occur in the Softer (disk-dominated) states of the outburst and are less prominent or…
Supergiant High Mass X-ray Binary systems (sgHMXBs) consist of a massive, late type, star and a neutron star. The massive stars exhibits strong, radiatively driven, stellar winds. Wind accretion onto compact object triggers X-ray emission,…
Recent multi-band variability studies have revealed that active galactic nucleus (AGN) accretion disc sizes are generally larger than the predictions of the classical thin disc by a factor of $2\sim 3$. This hints at some missing key…
Although disk accretion onto compact objects - white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes - is central to much of high energy astrophysics, the mechanisms which enable this process have remained observationally elusive. Accretion disks…
We report on simultaneous Chandra/HETGS and RXTE observations of the transient stellar-mass black hole GRO J1655-40, made during its 2005 outburst. Chandra reveals a line-rich X-ray absorption spectrum consistent with a disk wind. Prior…
Despite the prevalence of jets in accreting systems and their impact on the surrounding medium, the fundamental physics of how they are launched and collimated is not fully understood. Radio observations of local compact objects, including…
Quantifying the variability, measured as the root mean square (rms), of accreting systems as a function of energy is a powerful tool for constraining the physical properties of these objects. Here, we present the first application of this…
The theory of magnetically accelerated outflows and jets from accretion disks is reviewed at an introductory level, with special attention to problem areas like the launching conditions of the flow at the disk surface, stability of the…