Structure Of Accretion Disk Research Articles

EVIDENCE FOR ENHANCED PERSISTENT EMISSION DURING SUB-EDDINGTON THERMONUCLEAR BURSTS

The standard approach for time-resolved X-ray spectral analysis of thermonuclear bursts involves subtraction of the pre-burst emission as background. This approach implicitly assumes that the persistent flux remains constant throughout the burst. We reanalyzed 332 photospheric radius expansion bursts observed from 40 sources by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, introducing a multiplicative factor $f_a$ to the persistent emission contribution in our spectral fits. We found that for the majority of spectra the best-fit value of $f_a$ is significantly greater than 1, suggesting that the persistent emission typically increases during a burst. Elevated $f_a$ values were not found solely during the radius expansion interval of the burst, but were also measured in the cooling tail. The modified model results in a lower average value of the $\chi^2$ fit statistic, indicating superior spectral fits, but not yet to the level of formal statistical consistency for all the spectra. We interpret the elevated $f_a$ values as an increase of the mass accretion rate onto the neutron star during the burst, likely arising from the effects of Poynting-Robertson drag on the disk material. We measured an inverse correlation of $f_a$ with the persistent flux, consistent with theoretical models of the disc response. We suggest that this modified approach may provide more accurate burst spectral parameters, as well as offering a probe of the accretion disk structure.

CVs Around the Minimum Orbital Period

We discussed features of Cataclysmic Variables at the period minimum. In general, most of them must be WZ Sge-type objects. Main characteristics of the prototype star (WZ Sge) are discussed. A part of WZ Sge-type objects has evolved past the period limit and formed the bounce back systems. We also explore conditions and structure of accretion disks in such systems. We show that the accretion disk in a system with extreme mass ratio grows in size reaching a 2:1 resonance radius and are relatively cool. They also become largely optically thin in the continuum, contributing to the total flux less than the stellar components of the system. In contrast, the viscosity and the temperature in spiral arms formed at the outer edge of the disk are higher and their contribution in continuum plays an increasingly important role. We model such disks and generate light curves which successfully simulate the observed double-humped light curves in the quiescence.

A two-dimensional study for cooling and self-gravitating accretion discs

The importance of cooling for the structure and evolution of self-gravitating accretion discs has been confirmed through the use of direct numerical simulations. In this paper, we present a two-dimensional study for self-gravitating accretion discs, to investigate the influence of the cooling rate on the latitudinal structure of such accretion discs. The disc is cooled using a simple parametrization for the cooling function, (de/dt)cool=−e/tcool with e as the internal energy and tcool as the cooling timescale. The cooling timescale is in units of the dynamical timescale, tdyn[=Ω−1], is Ωtcool=β, where β is a free parameter. The mechanism of energy dissipation is assumed to be turbulent viscosity in the disc and an α-prescription is applied for the kinematic coefficient of viscosity. To study the gravitational stability of the self-gravitating disc, we use the Toomre parameter. We obtain the radial dependence of the physical variables through the use of a self-similar method and we numerically solve the equations to obtain the latitudinal dependence of the physical variables. The solutions show that the radial velocity is smaller than the Keplerian rotational velocity; however, the disc, dependent on the values of parameters α and β and only near the zone close to the equatorial plane, can rotate in a super-Keplerian manner. With the magnitude of both parameters α and β, the disc thickness increases due to the increase of the vertical pressure gradient. The dependence of the gas density on the parameters α and β indicates two zones in the accretion disc. In the first zone near the equatorial plane, the mass density decreases by increasing these parameters. However, in the second zone, the regions with higher latitude, the mass density increases with the magnitude of parameters α and β.

HST-COS OBSERVATIONS OF AGNs. II. EXTENDED SURVEY OF ULTRAVIOLET COMPOSITE SPECTRA FROM 159 ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

The ionizing fluxes from quasars and other active galactic nuclei (AGN) are critical for interpreting their emission-line spectra and for photoionizing and heating the intergalactic medium (IGM). Using far-ultraviolet spectra from the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we directly measure the rest-frame ionizing continua and emission lines for 159 AGN at redshifts 0.001 < z_AGN < 1.476 and construct a composite spectrum from 475-1875A. We identify the underlying AGN continuum and strong EUV emission lines from ions of oxygen, neon, and nitrogen after masking out absorption lines from the HI Lya forest, 7 Lyman-limit systems (N_HI > 10^17.2 cm^-2) and 214 partial Lyman-limit systems (15.0 < log N_HI < 17.2). The 159 AGN exhibit a wide range of FUV/EUV spectral shapes, F_nu \propto nu^(alpha_nu), typically with -2 < alpha_nu < 0 and no discernible continuum edges at 912A (H I) or 504A (He I). The composite rest-frame continuum shows a gradual break at 1000 A, with mean spectral index alpha_nu = -0.83 +/- 0.09 in the FUV (1200-2000A) steepening to alpha_nu = -1.41 +/- 0.15 in the EUV (500-1000A). We discuss the implications of the UV flux turnovers and lack of continuum edges for the structure of accretion disks, AGN mass inflow rates, and luminosities relative to Eddington values.

SELF-GRAVITY IN NEUTRINO-DOMINATED ACCRETION DISKS

We present the effects of the self-gravity on the vertical structure and neutrino luminosity of the neutrino-dominated accretion disks in cylindrical coordinates. It is found that significant changes of the structure appear in the outer region of the disk, especially for high accretion rates (e.g., $\ga 1 M_\odot~\rm s^{-1}$), and thus causes the slight increase of the neutrino luminosity. Furthermore, the gravitational instability of the disk is reviewed by the vertical distribution of the Toomre parameter \citep{Toomre1964}, which may account for the late-time flares in gamma-ray bursts and the extended emission in short-duration gamma-ray bursts.

Phase Resolved X-Ray Spectral Analysis of Intermediate Polars EX Hya and FO Aqr

Intermediate Polars (IPs): EX Hya and FO Aqr whichs are a subclass of Cata- clysmic Variables (CVs) where a white dwarf with magnetic field strength of about 1-10 MG accretes material from a main sequence companion through a truncated disc. In this talk we present orbital and spin phase-resolved X-ray spectroscopy of EX Hya and orbital phase-resolved X-ray spectroscopy of FO Aqr. We utilize XMM-Newton archive data of these objects for analysis. We investigate the change of the source spectrum over the spin and orbital periods. This analysis enhances our understanding about the accretion struc- ture in these systems, temperature and composition of the X-ray emitting region together with the structure of the outer accretion disc and absorption in the system

ACCRETION DISKS WITH A LARGE SCALE MAGNETIC FIELD AROUND BLACK HOLES

We consider accretion disks around black holes at high luminosity, and the problem of the formation of a large-scale magnetic field in such disks, taking into account the non-uniform vertical structure of the disk. The structure of advective accretion disks is investigated, and conditions for the formation of optically thin regions in central parts of the accretion disk are found. The high electrical conductivity of the outer layers of the disk prevents outward diffusion of the magnetic field. This implies a stationary state with a strong magnetic field in the inner parts of the accretion disk close to the black hole, and zero radial velocity at the surface of the disk. The problem of jet collimation by magneto-torsion oscillations is investigated.

Structure of advection-dominated accretion discs with outflows: the role of toroidal magnetic fields

The main aim of this paper is studying the effect of toroidal magnetic field on the structure of Advection-Dominated Accretion Flows (ADAF) in the presence of the turbulence viscosity and diffusivity due to viscosity and magnetic field respectively. We use self-similar assumption in radial direction to solve the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations for hot accretion disk. We use spherical coordinate $ (r, \theta, \varphi) $ to solve our equation. The toroidal component of magnetic field is considered and all three components of the velocity field $ \mathbf{v}\equiv (v_{r}, v_{\theta}, v_{\varphi}) $ are present in our work. We reduce the equations to a set of differential equations about $ \theta $ and apply the symmetric boundary condition at the equatorial plane of the disk. Our results indicate that the outflow region, where the redial velocity becomes positive in a certain inclination angle $ \theta_{0} $, always exist. The results represent that the stronger the magnetic field, the smaller the inclination angle, $ \theta_{0} $ becomes. It means that a magnetized disk is thinner compared to a non-magnetized disk. According to the work by \citealt{jw}, we can define three regions. The first one is called inflow region, which starts from the disk midplane to a certain inclination $ \theta_0 $ where $ v_{r}(\theta_{0}) = 0 $. In this region, the velocity has a negative value and the accretion material moves toward the central object. The outflow region, where $ v_{r}(\theta) > 0 $, is placed between $ \theta_{0} $ and surface of the disk, $ \theta_{0} < \theta < \theta_{s} $. In this area, the accretion flow moves away from the central object. The third region, which is located between the surface of the disk and the polar axis, is called wind region.

The influence of the inclination of the accretor’s magnetic axis on the accretion-disk structure in intermediate polars

Typical changes of the accretion-disk structures in intermediate polars are studied as a function of the inclination of the accretor’s magnetic field. Thre-dimensional numerical modeling was performed for seven differentmagnetic-axis inclinations. The results showthat the system forms a magnetosphere region, and that column accretion occurs. The action of the magnetic field tilts the inner parts of the disk along the magnetic axis of the accretor. The magnetic-field inclination appreciably influences matter transfer in the disk and accretion processes. Generation of toroidal magnetic field, magnetic braking, and alignment of the dipole magnetic field result in oscillations of the accretion rate. A direct relationship between the field inclination and the oscillation amplitude is found, as well as an inverse relationship between the field inclination and the oscillation period.

Structure and stability of magnetized accretion disks with anomalous viscosity

The structure and stability of a magnetized accretion disk are numerically examined with anomalous viscosity. The temperature, surface density and radial velocity all decrease with increasing radius r. The results show that the existence of the magnetic field B has an impact on the structure of the disk, which directly results in the variation of the growth rate and the damping rate of the unstable and stable modes. For Inward-moving mode, the magnetic field greatly enhances the instability at short wavelength and acts as a factor of stability at long wavelength. The growth rate of outward-moving unstable mode decreases, while the damping rate of thermally stable mode increases significantly owing to the magnetic field.

EVIDENCE FOR ACCRETION RATE CHANGE DURING TYPE I X-RAY BURSTS

The standard approach for time-resolved X-ray spectral analysis of thermonuclear bursts involves subtraction of the pre-burst emission as background. This approach implicitly assumes that the persistent flux remains constant throughout the burst. We reanalyzed 332 photospheric radius expansion bursts observed from 40 sources by the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer, introducing a multiplicative factor fa to the persistent emission contribution in our spectral fits. We found that for the majority of spectra the best-fit value of fa is significantly greater than 1, suggesting that the persistent emission typically increases during a burst. Elevated fa values were not found solely during the radius expansion interval of the burst, but were also measured in the cooling tail. The modified model results in a lower average value of the χ2 fit statistic, indicating superior spectral fits, but not yet to the level of formal statistical consistency for all the spectra. We interpret the elevated fa values as an increase of the mass accretion rate onto the neutron star during the burst, likely arising from the effects of Poynting–Robertson drag on the disk material. We measured an inverse correlation of fa with the persistent flux, consistent with theoretical models of the disk response. We suggest that this modified approach may provide more accurate burst spectral parameters, as well as offering a probe of the accretion disk structure.

DYNAMO EFFECTS IN MAGNETOROTATIONAL TURBULENCE WITH FINITE THERMAL DIFFUSIVITY

We investigate the saturation level of hydromagnetic turbulence driven by the magnetorotational instability in the case of vanishing net flux. Motivated by a recent paper of Bodo, Cattaneo, Mignone, & Rossi, we here focus on the case of a non-isothermal equation of state with constant thermal diffusivity. The central aim of the paper is to complement the previous result with closure parameters for mean-field dynamo models, and to test the hypothesis that the dynamo is affected by the mode of heat transport. We perform computer simulations of local shearing-box models of stratified accretion disks with approximate treatment of radiative heat transport, which is modeled via thermal conduction. We study the effect of varying the (constant) thermal diffusivity, and apply different vertical boundary conditions. In the case of impenetrable vertical boundaries, we confirm the transition from mainly conductive to mainly convective vertical heat transport below a critical thermal diffusivity. This transition is however much less dramatic when more natural outflow boundary conditions are applied. Similarly, the enhancement of magnetic activity in this case is less pronounced. Nevertheless, heating via turbulent dissipation determines the thermodynamic structure of accretion disks, and clearly affects the properties of the related dynamo. This effect may however have been overestimated in previous work, and a careful study of the role played by boundaries will be required.

Orbital periods and accretion disc structure of four AM CVn systems

Phase-resolved spectroscopy of four AM CVn systems obtained with the William Herschel Telescope and the Gran Telescopio de Canarias (GTC) is presented. SDSS\,J120841.96+355025.2 was found to have an orbital period of 52.96$\pm$0.40\,min and shows the presence of a second bright spot in the accretion disc. The average spectrum contains strong Mg\,{\sc i} and Si\,{\sc i/ii} absorption lines most likely originating in the atmosphere of the accreting white dwarf. SDSS\,J012940.05+384210.4 has an orbital period of 37.555$\pm$0.003 min. The average spectrum shows the Stark broadened absorption lines of the DB white dwarf accretor. The orbital period is close to the previously reported superhump period of 37.9\,min. Combined, this results in a period excess $\epsilon$=0.0092$\pm$0.0054 and a mass ratio $q=0.031\pm$0.018. SDSS\,J164228.06+193410.0 displays an orbital period of 54.20$\pm$1.60\,min with an alias at 56.35\,min. The average spectrum also shows strong Mg\,{\sc i} absorption lines, similar to SDSS\,J120841.96+355025.2. SDSS\,J152509.57+360054.50 displays an period of 44.32$\pm$0.18\,min. The overall shape of the average spectrum is more indicative of shorter period systems in the 20-35 minute range. The accretor is still clearly visible in the pressure broadened absorption lines most likely indicating a hot donor star and/or a high mass accretor. Flux ratios for several helium lines were extracted from the Doppler tomograms for the disc and bright spot region, and compared with single-slab LTE models with variable electron densities and path lengths to estimate the disc and bright spot temperature. A good agreement between data and the model in three out of four systems was found for the disc region. All three systems show similar disc temperatures of $\sim$10\,500 K. In contrast, only weak agreement between observation and models was found for the bright spot region.

Transport of magnetic flux and the vertical structure of accretion discs – II. Vertical profile of the diffusion coefficients

We investigate the radial transport of magnetic flux in a thin accretion disc, the turbulence being modelled by effective diffusion coefficients (viscosity and resistivity). Both turbulent diffusion and advection by the accretion flow contribute to flux transport, and they are likely to act in opposition. We study the consequences of the vertical variation of the diffusion coefficients, due to a varying strength of the turbulence. For this purpose, we consider three different vertical profiles of these coefficients. The first one is aimed at mimicking the turbulent stress profile observed in numerical simulations of MHD turbulence in stratified discs. This enables us to confirm the robustness of the main result of Paper I obtained for uniform diffusion coefficients that, for weak magnetic fields, the contribution of the accretion flow to the transport velocity of magnetic flux is much larger than the transport velocity of mass. We then consider the presence of a dead zone around the equatorial plane, where the physical resistivity is high while the turbulent viscosity is low. We find that it amplifies the previous effect: weak magnetic fields can be advected orders of magnitude faster than mass, for dead zones with a large vertical extension. The ratio of advection to diffusion, determining the maximum inclination of the field at the surface of the disc, is however not much affected. Finally, we study the effect of a non-turbulent layer at the surface of the disc, which has been suggested as a way to reduce the diffusion of the magnetic flux. We find that the reduction of the diffusion requires the conducting layer to extend below the height at which the magnetic pressure equals the thermal pressure. As a consequence, if the absence of turbulence is caused by the large-scale magnetic field, the highly conducting layer is inefficient at reducing the diffusion.

Broad-band timing properties of the accreting white dwarf MV Lyrae

We present a broad-band timing analysis of the accreting white dwarf system MV Lyrae based on data obtained with the Kepler satellite. The observations span 633 days at a cadence of 58.8 seconds and allow us to probe 4 orders of magnitude in temporal frequency. The modelling of the observed broad-band noise components is based on the superposition of multiple Lorentzian components, similar to the empirical modelling adopted for X-ray binary systems. We also present the detection of a frequency varying Lorentzian component in the lightcurve of MV Lyrae, where the Lorentzian characteristic frequency is inversely correlated with the mean source flux. Because in the literature similar broad-band noise components have been associated to either the viscous or dynamical timescale for different source types (accreting black holes or neutron stars), we here systematically explore both scenarios and place constraints on the accretion disk structure. In the viscous case we employ the fluctuating accretion disk model to infer parameters for the viscosity and disk scale height, and infer uncomfortably high parameters to be accommodated by the standard thin disk, whilst in the dynamical case we infer a large accretion disk truncation radius of ~10 white dwarf radii. More importantly however, the phenomenological properties between the broad-band variability observed here and in X-ray binaries and Active Galactic Nuclei are very similar, potentially suggesting a common origin for the broad-band variability.

A GENERAL RELATIVISTIC MODEL OF ACCRETION DISKS WITH CORONAE SURROUNDING KERR BLACK HOLES

We calculate the structure of a standard accretion disk with corona surrounding a massive Kerr black hole in general relativistic frame, in which the corona is assumed to be heated by the reconnection of the strongly buoyant magnetic fields generated in the cold accretion disk. The emergent spectra of the accretion disk-corona systems are calculated by using the relativistic ray-tracing method. We propose a new method to calculate the emergent Comptonized spectra from the coronae. The spectra of the disk-corona systems with a modified $\alpha$-magnetic stress show that both the hard X-ray spectral index and the hard X-ray bolometric correction factor $L_{\rm bol}/L_{\rm X,2-10keV}$ increase with the dimensionless mass accretion rate, which are qualitatively consistent with the observations of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The fraction of the power dissipated in the corona decreases with increasing black hole spin parameter $a$, which leads to lower electron temperatures of the coronas for rapidly spinning black holes. The X-ray emission from the coronas surrounding rapidly spinning black holes becomes weak and soft. The ratio of the X-ray luminosity to the optical/UV luminosity increases with the viewing angle, while the spectral shape in the X-ray band is insensitive with the viewing angle. We find that the spectral index in the infrared waveband depends on the mass accretion rate and the black hole spin $a$, which deviates from $f_\nu\propto\nu^{1/3}$ expected by the standard thin disk model.

Microlensing evidence for super-Eddington disc accretion in quasars

Microlensing by the stellar population of lensing galaxies provides an important opportunity to spatially resolve the accretion disc structure in strongly lensed quasars. Disc sizes estimated this way are on average larger than the predictions of the standard Shakura-Sunyaev accretion disk model. Analysing the observational data on microlensing variability allows to suggest that some fraction of lensed quasars (primarily, smaller-mass objects) are accreting in super-Eddington regime. Super-Eddington accretion leads to formation of an optically-thick envelope scattering the radiation formed in the disc. This makes the apparent disc size larger and practically independent of wavelength. In the framework of our model, it is possible to make self-consistent estimates of mass accretion rates and black hole masses for the cases when both amplification-corrected fluxes and radii are available.

Reconstruction of the Structure of Accretion Disks in Dwarf Novae from the Multi-Band Light Curves of Early Superhumps

Abstract We propose a new method to reconstruct the structure of accretion disks in dwarf novae using multi-band light curves of early superhumps. Our model assumes that early superhumps are caused by the rotation effect of non-axisymmetrically flaring disks. We have developed a Bayesian model for this reconstruction, in which a smoother disk-structure tends to have a higher prior probability. We analyzed simultaneous optical and near-infrared photometric data of early superhumps of the dwarf nova, V455 And using this technique. The reconstructed disk has two flaring parts in the outermost region of the disk. These parts are responsible for the primary and secondary maxima of the light curves. The height-to-radius ratio is $ h/r$$ =$ 0.20–0.25 in the outermost region. In addition to the outermost flaring structures, flaring arm-like patterns can be seen in an inner region of the reconstructed disk. The overall profile of the reconstructed disk is reminiscent of the disk structure that is deformed by the tidal effect. However, an inner arm-like pattern, which is responsible for the secondary minimum in the light curve, cannot be reproduced only by the tidal effect. It implies the presence of another mechanism that deforms the disk structure. Alternatively, the temperature distribution of the disk could be non-axisymmetric. We demonstrate that the disk structure with weaker arm-like patterns is optimal in the model including the irradiation effect. However, the strongly irradiated disk gives quite blue colors, which may conflict with the observation. Our results suggest that the amplitude of early superhumps depends mainly on the height of the outermost flaring regions of the disk. We predict that early superhumps can be detected with an amplitude of $ \gt$ 0.02 mag in about 90% of WZ Sge stars.

Accretion Disks of Bounce-Back CVs

AbstractWe explore conditions and structure of accretion disks in the short-period Cataclysmic Variables, which have evolved beyond the period minimum. We show that the accretion disk in a system with extreme mass ratio grows in the size reaching 2:1 resonance radius and are relatively cool. They also become largely optically thin in the continuum, contributing to the total flux less than the stellar components of the system. In contrast, the viscosity and the temperature in spiral arms formed at the outer edge of the disk are higher and their contribution in continuum plays an increasingly important role. We model such disks and generate light curves which successfully simulate the observed double-humped light curves in the quiescence.

Microlensing evidence for super-Eddington disk accretion in quasars

AbstractGravitational microlensing by the stellar population of lensing galaxies provides an important opportunity to spatially resolve the accretion disk structure in strongly lensed quasars. Some of the objects (like Einstein's cross) are reasonably consistent with the predictions of the standard accretion disk model. In other cases, the size of the emitting region is larger than predicted by the standard thin disk theory and practically independent on wavelength. This may be interpreted as an observational manifestation of an optically-thick scattering envelope possibly related to super-Eddington accretion with outflows.