Open AccessTurbulent Comptonization in Black Hole Accretion Disks
Author(s) -
Aristotle Socrates,
Shane W. Davis,
Omer Blaes
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
the astrophysical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.376
H-Index - 489
eISSN - 1538-4357
pISSN - 0004-637X
DOI - 10.1086/380301
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , accretion (finance) , magnetorotational instability , turbulence , radiative transfer , thermal , accretion disc , black hole (networking) , active galactic nucleus , thermal radiation , gravitational energy , computational physics , magnetohydrodynamics , gravitational wave , plasma , mechanics , optics , galaxy , nuclear physics , routing protocol , routing (electronic design automation) , meteorology , computer science , computer network , thermodynamics , link state routing protocol
In the inner-most regions of radiation pressure supported accretion disks,the turbulent magnetic pressure may greatly exceed that of the gas. If this isthe case, it is possible for bulk Alfvenic motions driven by themagnetorotational instability (MRI) to surpass the electron thermal velocity.Bulk rather than thermal Comptonization may then be the dominant radiativeprocess which mediates gravitational energy release. For sufficiently largeturbulent stresses, we show that turbulent Comptonization produces asignificant contribution to the far-UV and X-ray emission of black holeaccretion disks. The existence of this spectral component provides a means ofobtaining direct observational constraints on the nature of the turbulenceitself. We describe how this component may affect the spectral energydistributions and variability properties of X-ray binaries and active galacticnuclei.Comment: Submitted to Ap
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