Cloud acceleration by cosmic rays in the vicinity of compact luminous objects

Abstract

Nonrelativistic cosmic rays from a central source exert an outward pressure on the surrounding gas in a Seyfert nucleus or the envelope of a quasi-stellar object. This force is different from radiation pressure in that the momentum transfer to the gas is enhanced rather than reduced when the gas is ionized. Calculations are presented to show that particle energy flux comparable to observed photon luminosities will accelerate gas clouds as large as 100,000 solar masses to velocities on the order of 0.1c in the presence of a central mass of 100 million solar masses.