Accretion (last updated 20056) - UCL：吸积（最后更新20056）-伦敦大学学院.pptVIP

Accretion High Energy Astrophysics jlc@mssl.ucl.ac.uk http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/ Accretion: Accretion by compact objects; Eddington luminosity limit; Emission from black holes and neutron stars; X-ray binary systems – Roche lobe overflow and stellar wind accretion [3] Introduction Mechanisms for high energy radiation Accretion onto a compact object Principal mechanism for producing high-energy radiation Most efficient method for energy production known in the Universe Example - neutron star Accreting mass m = 1kg onto a neutron star: neutron star mass = 1 M? R = 10 km = ~ 10 m Joules, i.e. approx 10 Joules per kg of accreted matter - as electromagnetic radiation Efficiency of accretion Compare this to nuclear fusion H = He releases ~ 0.007 mc ~ 6 x 10 m Joules - 20x smaller Accretion onto white dwarfs For white dwarfs, M~1 solar mass and R~10,000km so nuclear burning more efficient by factor of ~50 Accretion still an important process however: - nuclear burning on surface = nova outburst - accretion important for much of lifetime Origin of accreted matter Given M/R, luminosity produced depends on accretion rate, m Where does accreted matter come from? ISM? No – captured mass too small. Companion Star? Yes Accretion onto AGN Active Galactic Nuclei, M ~ 10 M? - very compact, very efficient (cf nuclear) - accretes surrounding gas and stars Fuelling a neutron star Mass = 1 M? observed luminosity = 10 J/s (in X-rays) Accretion produces ~ 10 J/kg m = 10 / 10 kg/s ~ 3 x 10 kg/year ~ 10 M?/year The Eddington Luminosity There is a limit to the luminosity that can be produced by a given object, known as the Eddington luminosity. Effectively this is when the inward gravitational force on matter is balanced by the