Related papers: Cyg X-3: can the compact object be a black hole?
We place firm upper limits on the global accretion history of massive black holes at z>5 from the recently measured unresolved fraction of the cosmic X-ray background. The maximum allowed unresolved intensity observed at 1.5 keV implies a…
Recent X-ray observations of intense high-speed outflows in quasars suggest that supercritical accretion on to the central black hole may have an important effect on a host galaxy. I revisit some ideas of Silk and Rees, and assume such…
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…
The effect of AGN wind feedback on the accretion rate and mass evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBH) is considered. It is shown, under reasonable assumptions, that the rate at which gas can be supplied to a SMBH at the center of a…
The spectrum and light curve of the bright X-ray source CG X-1 in the field of the Circinus galaxy are re-examined. Previous analyses have concluded that the source is an accreting black hole of about 50 solar masses although it was noted…
Context: Very high magnetic fields at the surface of neutron stars or in the accretion disk of black holes inhibit the production of jets. Aims: We quantify here the magnetic field strength for jet formation. Methods: By using the Alfven…
We show that black-hole High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) with O- or B-type donor stars and relatively short orbital periods, of order one week to several months may survive spiral in, to then form Wolf-Rayet (WR) X-ray binaries with orbital…
One of the most pressing questions in cosmology is how the black holes (BHs) powering quasars at high redshift grow to supermassive scales within a billion years of the Big Bang. Here we show that sustained super-Eddington accretion can be…
The observational evidence that Super-Massive Black Holes ($M_{\bullet} \sim 10^{9-10} \, \mathrm{M_{\odot}}$) are already in place less than $1 \, \mathrm{Gyr}$ after the Big Bang poses stringent time constraints on the growth efficiency…
Cygnus~X-3 is a Galactic X-ray binary with a 4.8-hr orbital period operating in the ultraluminous regime. Although the system is viewed at relatively low inclination ($i\approx28^\circ$), it exhibits a deep orbital modulation. Recent IXPE…
We calculate the formation rates of low-mass X-ray binaries with a black hole. Both a semi-analytic and a more detailed model predict formation rates two orders of magnitude lower than derived from the observations. Solution of this…
The luminous X-ray binary 47 Tuc X9 shows radio and X-ray emission consistent with a stellar-mass black hole accreting from a carbon-oxygen white dwarf. Its location, in the core of the massive globular cluster 47 Tuc, hints at a dynamical…
The recent discovery of luminous quasars up to a redshift z=6.43 has renewed interest in the formation of black holes massive enough to power quasars. If black holes grow by Eddington-limited gas accretion with a radiative efficiency of at…
Super-Eddington accretion is one scenario that may explain the rapid assembly of $\sim 10^9\rm\, M_\odot$ supermassive black holes (BHs) within the first billion year of the Universe. This critical regime is associated with radiatively…
Black hole accretion flows can be divided into two broad classes: cold and hot. Cold accretion flows, which consist of cool optically thick gas, are found at relatively high mass accretion rates. Prominent examples are the standard thin…
We review and discuss theoretical studies addressing the possibility of gas accretion onto black holes occurring at rates exceeding the Eddington limit. Our focus is on the applications to the growth of black hole seeds at high redshift. We…
The formation path to ultra-compact X-ray binaries (UCXBs) with black hole (BH) accretors is still unclear. In the classical formation scenario, it is difficult to eject the massive envelope of the progenitor star of the BH via common…
We present results of our detailed theoretical study of the observed orbital modulation of the radio emission in Cyg X-1. The modulation occurs due to free-free absorption in the wind from the companion star varying with the orbital phase,…
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…
We use three-dimensional high-resolution adaptive-mesh-refinement simulations to investigate if mechanical feedback from active galactic nucleus jets can halt a massive cooling flow in a galaxy cluster and give rise to a self-regulated…