Related papers: Spectral variability in transonic discs around bla…
Thermal instability driven by radiation pressure might be relevant for intrinsically bright accreting sources. The most promising candidate where this instability seems to be at work is one of the two known galactic superluminal sources,…
We are carrying out a programme of non-linear time-dependent numerical calculations to study the evolution of the thermal instability driven by radiation pressure in transonic accretion discs around black holes. In our previous studies we…
We present HST, RXTE, and UKIRT observations of the broad band spectra of the black hole X-ray transient XTE J1859+226 during the decline from its 1999-2000 outburst. Our UV spectra define the 2175A interstellar absorption feature very well…
Black hole binary transients undergo dramatic evolution in their X-ray timing and spectral behaviour during outbursts. In recent years a paradigm has arisen in which "soft" X-ray states are associated with an inner disc radius at, or very…
Irradiation of the accretion disc causes reflection signatures in the observed X-ray spectrum, encoding important information about the disc structure and density. A Type I X-ray burst will strongly irradiate the accretion disc and alter…
Some ultraluminous X-ray sources in nearby galaxies show soft components resembling thermal disc emission. Calculations based on blackbody emission then indicate that the accreting black holes at the centres of these discs have masses of…
Nonlinear time-dependent calculations have been carried out in order to study the evolution of the thermal instability for optically thick, transonic, slim accretion discs around black holes. In the present calculations we have investigated…
We derive simple and explicit expressions for the high frequency spectrum of a classical accretion disc. Both stress-free and finite stress inner boundaries are considered. A classical accretion disc spectrum with a stress-free inner…
The standard thin accretion disc model predicts that discs around stellar mass black holes become radiation pressure dominated and thermally unstable once their luminosity exceeds L>0.02 L_Edd. Observationally, discs in the high/soft state…
We use global magnetohydrodynamic simulations, in a pseudo-Newtonian potential, to investigate the temporal variability of accretion discs around Schwarzschild black holes. We use the vertically-averaged magnetic stress in the simulated…
Protoplanetary disks are mainly heated by radiation from the central star. Since the incident stellar flux at any radius is sensitive to the disk structure near that location, an unstable feedback may be present. Previous investigations…
Nonlinear time-dependent calculations are being carried out in order to study the evolution of vertically-integrated models of non-selfgravitating, transonic accretion discs around black holes. In this paper we present results from a new…
Observations of tidal disruption events (TDEs) on a timescale of years after the main flare show evidence of continued activity in the form of optical/UV emission, quasi-periodic eruptions, and delayed radio flares. Motivated by this, we…
The standard accretion discs are known to be thermally and viscously unstable over a certain range of temperatures. In the inner disc regions there may develop radiation pressure driven instability, which is possibly related to the rapid…
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…
A critical review is presented of the current status of our understanding of the the spectral output of thermally-radiating accretion disks around black holes, with special attention to those around supermassive black holes in active…
Constraining the accretion flow geometry of black hole binaries in outburst is complicated by the inability of simplified multi-colour disc models to distinguish between changes in the inner disc radius and alterations to the emergent…
This thesis investigates phenomena occurring in black-hole accretion discs which are likely to induce high-frequency quasi-periodic variability. Two classes of pseudo-relativistic theoretical models are studied. The first is based on the…
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…
The evolution of an accretion disk, formed as a consequence of the disruption of a star by a black hole, is followed by solving numerically the hydrodynamic equations. The present investigation aims to study the dependence of resulting…