相关论文: Why Do AGN Lighthouses Switch Off?
Narrow spectral features in the 5--6 keV range were recently discovered in the X-ray spectra of a few active galactic nuclei. We discuss the possibility that these features are due to localized spots which occur on the surface of an…
Dense gas in the centre of galaxies feeds massive black holes, but can also become a source of obscuration and limit our ability to find faint Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). We use a high resolution cosmological radiative hydrodynamics…
We reexamine the hypothesis that the optical/UV/soft X-ray continuum of Active Galactic Nuclei is thermal emission from an accretion disk. Previous studies have shown that fitting the spectra with the standard, optically thick and…
The spectrum of the hard X-ray background records the history of accretion processes integrated over the cosmic time. Several observational and theoretical evidences indicate that a significant fraction of the energy density is obscured by…
The rate at which matter flows into a galactic nucleus during early phases of galaxy evolution can sometimes exceed the Eddington limit of the growing central black hole by several orders of magnitude. We discuss the necessary conditions…
The old, red stars which constitute the bulges of galaxies, and the massive black holes at their centres, are the relics of a period in cosmic history when galaxies formed stars at remarkable rates and active galactic nuclei (AGN) shone…
The quiescent state is the dominant accretion mode for black holes on all mass scales. Our knowledge of the X-ray spectrum is limited due to the characteristic low luminosity in this state. Herein, we present an analysis of the sample of…
It is believed that most giant elliptical galaxies possess nuclear black holes with masses in excess of $10^8\Msun$. Bondi accretion from the interstellar medium might then be expected to produce quasar-like luminosities from the nuclei of…
A large number of neutron stars (NSs), ~10^9, populate the Galaxy, but only a tiny fraction of them is observable during the short radio pulsar lifetime. The majority of these isolated NSs, too cold to be detectable by their own thermal…
We use deep Chandra X-ray imaging to measure the distribution of specific black hole accretion rates ($L_X$ relative to the stellar mass of the galaxy) and thus trace AGN activity within star-forming and quiescent galaxies, as a function of…
The role of star-formation driven outflows in the obscuration of the central source in the Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is discussed. The outflow from a sub-parsec scale accretion disc is numerically modelled for parameters appropriate to…
Hard X-ray emission is ubiquitous in accreting black holes, both in Galactic binary systems and in Active Galactic Nuclei. I review the different spectra which can be seen from these systems, and possible ways of producing this emission.…
The interplay between supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their environments is believed to command an essential role in galaxy evolution. The majority of these SMBHs are in the radiative inefficient accretion phase where this interplay…
The accretion efficiency for individual black holes is very difficult to determine accurately. There are many factors that can influence each step of the calculation, such as the dust and host galaxy contribution to the observed luminosity,…
Galaxies often contain large reservoirs of molecular gas which shape their evolution. This can be through cooling of the gas -- which leads to star formation, or accretion onto the central supermassive black hole -- which fuels AGN activity…
A high density of massive dark objects (MDOs), probably supermassive black holes, in the centres of nearby galaxies has been inferred from recent observations. There are various indications that much of the accretion responsible for…
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…
Changing-look phenomenon observed now in a growing number of active galaxies challenges our understanding of the accretion process close to a black hole. We propose a simple explanation for periodic outbursts in sources operating at a few…
Central cluster galaxies (cDs) in cooling flows are growing rapidly through gas accretion and star formation. At the same time, AGN outbursts fueled by accretion onto supermassive black holes are generating X-ray cavity systems and driving…
Gas clouds are present in the Galactic centre, where they orbit around the supermassive black hole. Collisions between these clumps reduce their angular momentum, and as a result some of the clumps are set on a plunging trajectory.…