Feeding quasars with stellar winds

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (28) References (43) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Feeding quasars with stellar winds Shull, J. M. Abstract Quasars may be fueled by stellar mass loss from OB stars and red giants: either normal winds and mass loss or X-ray induced stellar winds in luminous quasars with well developed cusps in the stellar density distribution. The X-ray induced mass loss may furnish part of the broad emission-line gas, as well as an accretion supply for a central black hole during transient bursts of quasar luminosity. The importance of a stellar density cusp may couple stellar dynamical processes with gas-radiative processes in the quasar nucleus, accounting for quasar variability. The coupling of X-ray luminosity ratios with mass supply and stellar population may imply evolution of optical-to-X-ray luminosity ratios with redshift. Most importantly, the evolution of the stellar population away from the initial mass function may explain the scarcity of quasars at low redshift. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: January 1983 DOI: 10.1086/160611 Bibcode: 1983ApJ...264..446S Keywords: Galactic Nuclei; Mass To Light Ratios; Quasars; Stellar Winds; X Ray Sources; Accretion Disks; Black Holes (Astronomy); Early Stars; Galactic Evolution; Luminosity; Radiation Effects; Red Giant Stars; Red Shift; Star Distribution; Stellar Mass Ejection; Astrophysics full text sources ADS |