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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 163 records · Page 9
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NASA NTRS2009

Truncation of the Inner Accretion Disk Around a Black Hole at Low Luminosity

Most black hole binaries show large changes in X-ray luminosity caused primarily by variations in mass accretion rate. An important question for understanding black hole accretion and jet production is whether the inner edge of the accretion disk recedes at low accretion rate. Measurements of the location of the inner edge (R(sub in)) can be made using iron emission lines that arise due to fluorescence of iron in the disk, and these indicate that R(sub in) is very close to the black hole at high and moderate luminosities (greater than approximately equal to 1% of the Eddington luminosity, L(sub Edd). Here, we report on X-ray observation of the black hole GX 339-4 in the hard state by Suzaku and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) that extend iron line studies to 0.14% L(sub Edd) and show that R(sub in) increases by a factor of greater than 27 over the value found when GX 339-4 was bright. The exact value of R(sub in) depends on the inclination of the inner disk (i), and we derive 90% confidence limits of R(sub in) greater than 35R(sub g) at i = 0 degrees and R(sub in) greater than 175R(sub g) at i = 30 degrees. This provides direct evidence that the inner portion of the disk is not present at low luminosity, allowing for the possibility that the inner disk is replaced by advection- or magnetically-dominated accretion flows.

Tomsick, John A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Optical polarimetry of PKS 2155 - 304 and constraints on accretion disk models for BL Lacertae objects

Optical broad-band polarimetry and photometry of the BL Lacertae object PKS 2155 - 304 during late 1990 are presented. Variability in both flux and linear polarization was moderate during this period. The optical polarization ranged from 2 to 7 percent while photometric variations were within 0.2 mag (V = 13.2-13.4). Accurate multicolor measurements were made to study any wavelength dependence of the polarization with an eye to using these data to test the model of Wandel and Urry (1991) which proposes that the UV to soft X-ray continuum of this object arises from an accretion disk. Wavelength-dependent polarization (WDP) is observed in PKS 2155 - 304. However, the polarization is always seen to decrease with wavelength when WDP is observed. This is opposite to the expected sense of WDP if the UV continuum is dominated by an accretion disk.

Smith, Paul S.↗
NASA NTRS1981

On the magnetic viscosity in Keplerian accretion disks

The paper develops a model for the anomalous viscosity in accretion disks based on the hypothesis that the hydrodynamic turbulence within the disk takes the form of spatially localized magnetic flux cells. The local shear flow due to Keplerian differential rotation distorts the flux cell topology, converting shear flow energy into magnetic energy. In the radial diffusion approximation, the kinematic viscosity is estimated from the radial displacement and is shown to maximize at flux cell scale lengths for which the shear flow stopping and reconnection times are equal.

Coroniti, F. V.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Hydraulic jumps in 'viscous' accretion disks

It is proposed that the dissipative process necessary for rapid accretion disk evolution is driven by hydraulic jump waves on the surface of the disk. These waves are excited by the asymmetric nature of the central rotator (e.g., neutron star magnetosphere) and spiral out into the disk to form a pattern corotating with the central object. Disk matter in turn is slowed slightly at each encounter with the jump and spirals inward. In this process, the disk is heated by true turbulence produced in the jumps. Additional effects, such as a systematic misalignment of the magnetic moment of the neutron star until it is nearly orthogonal, and systematic distortion of the magnetosphere in such a way as to form an even more asymmetric central 'paddle wheel', may enhance the interaction with inflowing matter. The application to X-ray sources corresponds to the 'slow' solutions of Ghosh and Lamb, and therefore to rms magnetic fields of about 4 x 10 to the 10th gauss. Analogous phenomena have been proposed to act in the formation of galactic spiral structure.

Michel, F. C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The structure and stability of transonic accretion disks surrounding black holes

Stationary transonic alpha-viscosity models of accretion disks surrounding nonrotating black holes have been investigated. The viscosity is modified such that it vanishes in the supersonic region to ensure its effect does not violate the causality condition. In contrast to previous studies, the viscous stress is taken to be explicitly proportional to the angular velocity gradient and is not assumed to depend solely on the local pressure in the disk. The numerical results reveal that the structure of the innermost regions of the disk are more sensitive to the modified form of the viscosity than to the form of the viscous stress. The critical sonic point is located inside the innermost stable circular orbit of a test particle at 3 Schwarzschild radii. In these solutions, the transition from subsonic to supersonic flow results from pressure effects and not viscous effects. The linear stability of these disks has been examined in the local approximation. It is found that radiative energy transport and viscous stresses in the radial direction can have important effects. As a result, it is shown that the growth rate of the inertial-acoustic mode reaches a maximum at a critical wavelength.

Chen, Xingming↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Accretion Disk Wind in the Black Hole GRS 1915 + 105

We report on a 120 kiloseconds Chandra/HETG spectrum of the black hole GRS 1915+105. The observation was made during an extended and bright soft state in 2015 June. An extremely rich disk wind absorption spectrum is detected, similar to that observed at lower sensitivity in 2007. The very high resolution of the third-order spectrum reveals four components to the disk wind in the Fe K band alone; the fastest has a blueshift of v = 0.03 c (velocity equals 0.03 the speed of light). Broadened reemission from the wind is also detected in the first-order spectrum, giving rise to clear accretion disk P Cygni profiles. Dynamical modeling of the re-emission spectrum gives wind launching radii of r approximately equal to 10 (sup 2-4) GM (Gravitational constant times Mass) divided by c (sup 2) (the speed of light squared). Wind density values of n approximately equal to 10 (sup 13-16) per cubic centimeter are then required by the ionization parameter formalism. The small launching radii, high density values, and inferred high mass outflow rates signal a role for magnetic driving. With simple, reasonable assumptions, the wind properties constrain the magnitude of the emergent magnetic field to be B approximately equal to 10 (sup 3-4) G (Gravitational constant) if the wind is driven via magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure from within the disk and B approximately equal to 10 (sup 4-5) G (Gravitational constant) if the wind is driven by magnetocentrifugal acceleration. The MHD estimates are below upper limits predicted by the canonical alpha-disk model. We discuss these results in terms of fundamental disk physics and black hole accretion modes.

accretion↗
NASA NTRS1994

Three-dimensional radiative transfer calculations on an SIMD machine applied to accretion disks

We have developed a tool to solve the radiative transfer equation for a three-dimensional astrophysical object on the SIMD computer MasPar MP-1. With this tool we can rapidly calculate the image of such an object as seen from an arbitrary direction and at an arbitrary wavelength. Such images and spectra can then be used to directly compare observations with the model. This tool can be applied to many different areas in astrophysics, e.g., HI disks of galaxies and polarized radiative transfer of accretion columns onto white dwarfs. Here we use this tool to calculate the image and spectrum of a simple model of an accretion disk.

Vath, H.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Two-temperature accretion disks with winds in a fluid approximation

The polytropic relation between pressure and density of wind gases is used to obtain solutions for optically thin hot accretion disks with winds. It is assumed that the cooling mechanisms in the disks are bremsstrahlung and Compton scattering. This extends the previous work of Takahara et al. (1989) which did not analyze winds within a self-consistent disk model. It is shown that the disks have winds for accretion rates higher than about 10 percent of the Eddington rate, depending on the viscosity parameter of the disks and the polytropic exponent of wind gases. The poloidal velocity of winds at the foot-point is shown to be as high as 10 percent of light speed.

Kusunose, Masaaki↗
NASA NTRS2009

Probing the Accretion Disk and Central Engine Structure of the NGC 4258 with Suzaku and XMM-Newton Observations

We present an X-ray study of the low-luminosity active galactic nucleus (AGN) in NGC 4258 using data from Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and the Swift/Burst Alert Telescope survey. We find that signatures of X-ray reprocessing by cold gas are very weak in the spectrum of this Seyfert-2 galaxy; a weak, narrow fluorescent K(alpha) emission line of cod iron is robustly detected in both the Suzaku and XMM-Newton spectra but at a level much below that of most other Seyfert-2 galaxies. We conclude that the circumnuclear environment of this AGN is very "clean" and lacks the Compton-thick obscuring torus of unified Seyfert schemes. From the narrowness of the iron line, together with evidence of line flux variability between the Suzaku and XMM-Newton observations, we constrain the line emitting region to be between 3 x 10(exp 3)r(sub g) and 4 x 10(exp 4)r(sub g), from the black hole. We show that the observed properties of the iron line can be explained if the line originates from the surface layers of a warped accretion disk. In particular, we present explicit calculations of the expected iron line from a disk warped by Lens-Thirring precession from a misaligned central black hole. Finally, the Suzaku data reveal clear evidence of large amplitude 2-10 keV variability on timescales of 50 ksec and smaller amplitude flares on timescales as short as 5-10 ksec. If associated with accretion disk processes, such rapid variability requires an origin in the innermost regions of the disk (r approx. equals 10(r(sub g) or less). Analysis of the difference spectrum between a high- and low-flux states suggests that the variable component of the X-ray emission is steeper and more absorbed than the average AGN emission, suggesting that the primary X-ray source and absorbing screen have a spatial structure on comparable scales. We note the remarkable similarity between the circumnuclear environment of NGC 4258 and another well studied low-luminosity AGN, M81*.

Reynolds, Christopher S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Transonic disk accretion onto black holes

The solution for the radial drift velocity of thin disk accretion onto black holes must be transonic, and is analogous to the critical solution in spherical Bondi accretion, except for the presence of angular momentum. The transonic requirement yields a correct treatment of the inner region of the disk not found in the conventional Keplerian models and may lead to significantly different overall disk structures. Possible observational consequences, relevant to the black hole hypothesis for Cyg X-1 and other candidates, are discussed.

Liang, E. P. T.↗
NASA NTRS1986

IUE/Voyager observations of luminous accretion disk systems

The importance of simultaneous IUE and Voyager observations of luminous accretion disk systems is shown. The composite spectra of SS Cyg, VW Hyi, CPD-48 1577, and V3895 Sgr show the changes which occur in the continuum flux distributions from 3200 A down to the Lyman limit. Results imply that current disk ingredients (i.e., blackbodies and Kurucz atmospheres) cannot explain the IUE/Voyager observations.

Carone, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Higher Resolution Observatories of the Accretion Disk in NGC 4261

The physical conditions in the inner parsec of accretion disks believed to orbit the central black holes in active galactic nuclei can be probed by imaging the absorption of background radio emission by ionized gas in the disk. We will present high angular resolution observations of the nearby galaxy NGC 4261 that show evidence for free-free absorption by a thin, nearly edge-on disk at several frequencies. Because free-free absorption is much larger at lower frequencies, the longest possible baselines are needed to provide adequate angular resolution; observing at higher frequencies to improve resolution does not help. We used trans-Pacific baselines and the HALCA satellite to obtain higher resolution than was previously available at 1.6 and 4.9 GHz. The angular width and the depth of the absorption appears to increase with decreasing frequency, as expected.

Jones, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Evolution of Pre-Main Sequence Accretion Disks

The aim of this project was to develop a comprehensive global picture of the physical conditions in, and evolutionary timescales of, pre-main sequence accretion disks. The results of this work will help constrain the initial conditions for planet formation. To this end we: (1) Developed detailed calculations of disk structure to study physical conditions and investigate the observational effects of grain growth in T Tauri disks; (2) Studied the dusty emission and accretion rates in older disk systems, with ages closer to the expected epoch of (giant) planet formation at 3-10 Myr, and (3) Began a project to develop much larger samples of 3-10 Myr-old stars to provide better empirical constraints on protoplanetary disk evolution.

Hartmann, Lee W.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Accretion disks and periodic outbursts of active galactic nuclei

The local thermal stability of accretion disks around supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei is examined. Such disks are unstable at radii where the surface temperature is several thousand degrees. Supermassive disks therefore should undergo limit-cycle outbursts similar to those believed to occur in dwarf novae. Operating on a time scale of about 10,000 to 10 million yr and at radii of about 10 to the 15th to 10 to the 16th cm, this mechanism will result in alternating periods of higher and lower accretion rate onto the black hole and, consequently, higher and lower luminosity. Quasi-periodic outbursts on this time scale may be recorded in the structure of extended radio sources, a possible example being 4C 29.47. For accretion rates greater than 0.1 solar masses/yr, the situation is complicated by instabilities caused by self-gravitation and by the dominance of radiation pressure and electron scattering opacity.

Lin, D. N. C.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Probing the Inflow/Out-flow and Accretion Disk of Cyg X-1 in the High State with HETG/Chandra

Cyg X- 1 was observed in the high state at the conjunction orbital phase (0) with HETG/Chandra. Strong and asymmetric absorption lines of highly ionized species were detected, such as Fe XXV, Fe XXIV, Fe XXIII, Si XIV, S XVI, Ne X, and etc. In the high state the profile of the absorption lines are composed of an extended red wing and a less extended blue wing. The red wings of higher ionized species are more extended than that of lower ionized species. The detection of these lines provides a way to probe the properties of the flow around the companion and the black hole in Cyg X-1 during the high state. A broad emission feature around 6.5 keV was significantly detected from the both spectra of HETG/Chandra and PCA/RXTE. This feature appears to be symmetric and can be fitted with a Gaussian function rather than the Laor disk line model of fluorescent Fe K$ \alpha$ line from an accretion disk. The implications of these results on the structure of the accretion flow of Cyg X-1 in the high state are discussed.

Feng, Y. X.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Why Do T Tauri Disks Accrete?

Observations of T Tauri stars and young brown dwarfs suggest that the accretion rates of their disks scales roughly with the square of the central stellar mass. No dependence of accretion rate on stellar mass is predicted by the simplest version of the Gammie layered disk model, in which nonthermal ionization of upper disk layers allows accretion to occur via the magnetorotational instability. We show that a minor modification of Gaminie's model to include heating by irradiation from the central star yields a modest dependence of accretion on the mass of the central star. A purely viscous disk model could provide a strong dependence of accretion rate on stellar mass if the initial disk radius (before much viscous evolution has occurred) has a strong dependence on stellar mass. However, it is far from clear that at least the most massive pre-main-sequence disks can be totally magnetically activated by X-rays or cosmic rays. We suggest that a combination of effects are responsible for the observed dependence, with the lowest mass stars having the lowest mass disks, which can be thoroughly magnetically active, while the higher mass stars have higher mass disks that have layered accret,ion and relatively inactive or "dead" central zones at some radii. In such dead zones, we suggest that gravitational instabilities may play a role in allowing accretion to proceed. In this connection, we emphasize the uncertainty in disk masses derived from dust emission and argue that T Tauri disk masses have been systematically underestimated by conventional analyses. Furtlier study of accretion rates, especially in the lowest mass stars, would help to clarify the mechanisms of accretion in T Tauri stars.

Hartmann, Lee↗
NASA NTRS1995

Optically thin accretion disks in the Kerr metric

We calculate the structure of an effectively optically thin and geometrically thin accretion disk in the Kerr geometry, including electron-positron pairs. We show that the properties of the disk solutions are strongly dependent on the angular momentum of the central black hole. We find that close to a rapidly rotating hole there can be an appreciable pair density even for modest accretion rates. Pair critical accretion rates recently discovered in Newtonian disk models are also shown to be present in the general relativistic models, and we show that the geometrically thin disk approximations easily break down for rapidly rotating holes.

Bjornsson, G.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Polarization of thermal radiation from accretion disks in dwarf novae

Theoretical calculations of linear polarization of thermal radiation from accretion disks in nova-like variables and dwarf novae in eruption are presented. The primary source of polarization is due to electron scattering in the disk's photosphere. It is shown that the degree of polarization can be used as a powerful probe of the structure and evolution of the disk atmosphere. The degree of polarization is considerably higher in the ultraviolet than at optical wavelengths, and the degree of polarization may be higher in an eclipsing system when the central region of the disk is eclipsed. The orbital phase dependence distinguishes intrinsic polarization from the disk to that due to interstellar medium.

Cheng, F. H.↗