Related papers: Accretion Flows Around Black Holes
In this chapter we discuss the X-ray radiation from relativistic accretion disks around supermassive black holes, supposed to exist in the centers of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). Our focus is on the X-ray radiation, especially in the Fe…
The problem of steady-state accretion to nonrotating black holes is examined. Advection is included and generalized formulas for the radiation pressure in both the optically thick and thin cases are used. Special attention is devoted to…
The evidence for obscured AGN and in particular for obscured quasars is discussed. The spectrum and source modelling of the X-ray Background suggests that most massive black holes grow by obscured accretion. A possible major growth phase…
Recent observations of Sgr A* give strong constraints for possible models of the physical nature of Sgr A* and suggest the presence of a massive black~hole with M<2 10^6 M_sun surrounded by an accretion disk which we estimate to radiate at…
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…
It has long been thought that black hole accretion flows are driven by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, and there are now many general relativistic global simulations illustrating the dynamics of this process. However, many challenges…
We consider a black hole accreting spherically from the surrounding medium. If accretion produces a luminosity close to the Eddington limit the hole acquires a net charge so that electrons and ions can fall with the same velocity. The…
It has been found that a class of optically-thin two-temperature advection-dominated accretion solutions explains many observations of low-luminosity accreting black holes. Here it is shown that these models give a satisfactory description…
Recent X-ray timing and spectral observations of black hole binaries in outburst have redefined methods for investigating the properties of Galactic black holes and the physics of accretion flows. High-frequency X-ray QPOs in 5 systems…
Gas falling quasi-spherically onto a black hole forms an inner accretion disc if its specific angular momentum $l$ exceeds $\lmin\sim r_gc$ where $r_g$ is the Schwarzschild radius. The standard disc model assumes $l\gg\lmin$. We argue that,…
Black holes are superb sources of gravitational wave signals, for example when they are born in stellar collapse. We explore the subtleties that may emerge if mass accretion events increase significantly the mass of the black hole during…
The hard X-ray spectra of accreting black holes systems are generally well-fit by thermal Comptonization models with temperatures $\sim 100$ keV. We demonstrate why, over many orders of magnitude in heating rate and seed photon supply, hot…
A typical galaxy is thought to contain tens of millions of stellar-mass black holes, the collapsed remnants of once massive stars, and a single nuclear supermassive black hole. Both classes of black holes accrete gas from their…
Two interesting hypotheses about black holes have been proposed. The older one states that microscopic black holes can be accountable for the observed dark matter density. The newer one states that black holes are coupled to the expansion…
Hawking radiation of astrophysical black holes is minute and thought to be unobservable. However, different mechanisms could contribute to an anomalously high emission rate: extra dimensions, new "dark" families of bosons or fermions, or a…
The excess radio background seen at $\simeq 0.1-10\,{\rm GHz}$ has stimulated much scientific debate in the past years. Recently, it was pointed out that the soft photon emission from accreting primordial black holes may be able to explain…
The observations and theory of the exciting new class of galactic black hole X-ray transients is reviewed. Seven of these systems have measured mass functions or mass estimates in excess of stable neutron stars, making them excellent black…
The quantum genesis of Hawking radiation is a long-standing puzzle in black hole physics. Semi-classically one can argue that the spectrum of radiation emitted by a black hole look very much sparse unlike what is expected from a thermal…
It is well known that the rotating inviscid accretion flows with adequate injection parameters around black holes could form shock waves close to the black holes, after the flow passes through the outer sonic point and can be virtually…
We propose an eclipsing light-curve diagnosis for black-hole accretion flows. When emission from an inner accretion disk around a black hole is occulted by a companion star, the observed light curve becomes asymmetric at ingress and egress…