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[104.04] A Self-Consistent Model for Relativistic Outflows from Advection-Dominated Accretion Disks

T. Le, P. A. Becker (GMU)

Relativistic outflows (jets) of matter are commonly observed from systems containing black holes. The strongest outflows occur in the radio-loud systems, which may contain hot, advection-dominated accretion disks. In these systems the binding energy of the accreting gas is emitted primarily in the form of particles rather than radiation. However, no comprehensive model for the disk structure and the associated outflow has yet been produced. In this paper, we construct the first self-consistent model for an inviscid, advection-dominated black hole accretion disk, including a standing shock in which particles are efficiently accelerated up to relativistic energies before escaping from the disk. The shock is supported by the centrifugal barrier in the disk. The theoretical analysis parallels the study of cosmic-ray acceleration in supernova shock waves. We present results for the structure of the disk and for the energy and spatial distribution of the relativistic particles, which may escape to form the observed outflows. We also discuss applications to viscous disks.

The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: tler@gmu.edu

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#5
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.