Accretion disk spectra of super-luminal jet sources and ultra-luminous compact X-ray sources in nearby spiral galaxies

The Ultra-luminous Compact X-ray Sources (ULXs)in nearby spiral galaxies and the Galactic super-luminaljet sources sharethe common spectral characteristic that they haveextremely high disk temperatures which cannot be explainedin the framework of the standard accretion disk modelin the Schwarzschild metric. We have calculated an extreme Kerr disk model to examine if the Kerr disk model can instead explain the observed `too hot' accretion disk spectra.We found that the Kerr disk spectrum becomes significantly hardercompared to the Schwarzschild disk only when the disk is highlyinclined.For super-luminal jet sources, which are known to beinclined systems, the Kerr disk model may thuswork if we choose proper values for the black hole angular momentum. For the ULXs, however, the Kerr disk interpretation will be problematic,as is is highly unlikely that their accretion disks are preferentiallyinclined.     

Influence of the Disk Wind on the Intrinsic Polarization of Young Stars

The behavior of the linear polarization parameters of UX Ori stars during their eclipses by circumstellar dust clouds is studied. A circumstellar disk with a disk wind creating a puffing in the dust sublimation zone is considered. We show that the disk puffing can strongly affect the degree of polarization and color index of the star during its eclipse. A strong wind can change the orientation of the plane of linear polarization. The scattered radiation from a thin disk is polarized perpendicularly to its plane, but the radiation from a disk with a strong wind can be polarized along the disk plane. A situation where the disk-scattered radiation is not polarized in a certain spectral band is possible owing to the disk puffing. There can be different orientations of the linear polarization of the disk radiation in different spectral bands.

     

Numerical simulation of the Hall effect in magnetized accretion disks with the Pluto code

We investigate the Hall effect in a standard magnetized accretion disk which is accompanied by dissipation due to viscosity and magnetic resistivity.By considering an initial magnetic field,using the PLUTO code,we perform a numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulation in order to study the effect of Hall diffusion on the physical structure of the disk.Current density and temperature of the disk are significantly modified by Hall diffusion,but the global structure of the disk is not substantially affected.The changes in the current densities and temperature of the disk lead to a modification in the disk luminosity and radiation.     

On the disk wind mass loss rates in QSOs

We derive here a relatively simple expression for the total wind mass loss rates in QSOs within the accretion disk wind scenario. We show that the simple expression derived here for QSO disk wind mass loss rate is in a very good agreement with the more “exact” values obtained through significantly more complex and detailed numerically intensive 2.5D time-dependent simulations. Additionally we show that for typical QSO parameters, the disk itself will be emitting mostly in the UV/optical spectrum, in turn implying that the X-ray emission from QSOs likely is produced through some physical mechanism acting at radii smaller than the inner disk radius (for a standard accretion disk, half of the initially gravitational potential energy of the accreting disk mass is emitted directly by the disk, while the other half “falls” closer towards the black hole than the inner disk radius). We also show that for typical QSO parameters, the disk itself is dominated by continuum radiation pressure (rather than thermal pressure), resulting in a “flat disk” (except for the innermost disk regions).     

High-Velocity Star Formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Light-echo measurements show that SN 1987A is 425 pc behind the LMC disk. It is continuing to move away from the disk at 18 km s-1. Thus, it has been suggested that SN 1987A was ejected from the LMC disk. However, SN 1987A is a member of a star cluster, so this entire cluster would have to have been ejected from the disk. We show that the cluster was formed in the LMC disk, with a velocity perpendicular to the disk of about 50 km s-1. Such high-velocity formation of a star cluster is unusual, having no known counterpart in the Milky Way.     

Excitation of Orbital Inclinations of Asteroids during Depletion of a Protoplanetary Disk: Dependence on the Disk Configuration

The pumping up of orbital inclinations of asteroids caused by sweeping secular resonances associated with depletion of a protoplanetary disk is discussed, focusing on the dependence on the disk inclinations and surface density distribution. The asteroids have large mean inclinations that cannot be explained by present planetary perturbations alone. It has been suggested that the sweeping secular resonances caused by disk depletion are responsible for these high inclinations. Nagasawa et al. (2000, Astron. J.119, 1480-1497) showed that the inclinations of asteroids are pumped up if the disk is depleted in an inside-out manner on a time scale longer than 3×10⁵ years. Their assumed disk midplane is not on the invariant plane. However, it should be affected by the inclination of the disk plane. Here we investigate the dependence on the disk inclinations. We assume a disk depletion model in which the disk inside the jovian orbit has been removed and the residual outer disk is uniformly depleted. We calculate the locations of the secular resonances and the excitation magnitude of the inclinations with analytical methods. We found that the inclinations are pumped up to the observational level for a depletion time scale longer than 10⁶ years in the case of the disk plane that coincides with the invariant plane. The required time scale is longest (3×10⁶ years) if the disk plane coincides with the jovian orbital plane. However, it is still within the observationally inferred depletion time scale. We also studied dependence on a disk surface density gradient and found that the results do not change significantly as long as the inner disk depletion is faster than the outer disk one.     

Gap formation in the dust layer of 3D protoplanetary disks

We numerically model the evolution of dust in a protoplanetary disk using a two-phase (gas+dust) Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) code, which is non-self-gravitating and locally isothermal. The code follows the three dimensional distribution of dust in a protoplanetary disk as it interacts with the gas via aerodynamic drag. In this work, we present the evolution of a disk comprising 1% dust by mass in the presence of an embedded planet for two different disk configurations: a small, minimum mass solar nebular (MMSN) disk and a larger, more massive Classical T Tauri star (CTTS) disk. We then vary the grain size and planetary mass to see how they effect the resulting disk structure. We find that gap formation is much more rapid and striking in the dust layer than in the gaseous disk and that a system with a given stellar, disk and planetary mass will have a different appearance depending on the grain size and that such differences will be detectable in the millimetre domain with ALMA. For low mass planets in our MMSN models, a gap can open in the dust disk while not in the gas disk. We also note that dust accumulates at the external edge of the planetary gap and speculate that the presence of a planet in the disk may facilitate the growth of planetesimals in this high density region.     

Dynamics of the Interstellar Gas in the Vicinity of a Bar

A numerical simulation of the disk dynamics of a flat stellar-gaseous galaxy is presented. This simulation is based on N-body modelling for a stellar disk, together with integration of the two-dimensional hydrodynamic equations for a gaseous disk. The existence of a quasi-periodic regime of disk evolution found earlier in a purely hydrodynamic simulation is confirmed. Intense gas flows in the central area of the disk due to the saddle point of the bar potential can support the active galactic nuclei in Seyfert galaxies and form double nuclei.     

Magnetic Star-Disk Interaction in Classical T Tauri Stars

We carry out 2.5D MHD simulations to study the interaction between a dipolar magnetic field of a T Tauri Star, a circumstellar accretion disk, and the halo above the disk. The initial disk is the result of 1D radiation hydrodynamics computations with opacities appropriate for low temperatures. The gas is assumed resistive, and inside the disk accretion is driven by a Shakura–Sunyaev-type eddy viscosity. Magnetocentrifugal forces due to the rotational shear between the star and the Keplerian disk cause the magnetic field to be stretched outwards and part of the field lines are opened. For a solar-mass central star and an accretion rate of 10^?8 solar masses per year a field strength of 100 G (measured on the surface of the star) launches a substantial outflow from the inner parts of the disk. For a field strength of 1 kG the inner parts of disk is disrupted. The truncation of the disk turns out to be temporary, but the magnetic field structure remains changed after the disk is rebuilt.     

The stellar-disk electric (short) circuit: observational predictions for a YSO jet flow

We discuss the star-disk electric circuit for a young stellar object (YSO) and calculate the expected torques on the star and the disk. We obtain the same disk magnetic field and star-disk torques as given by standard magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) analysis. We show how a short circuit in the star-disk electric circuit may produce a magnetically-driven jet flow from the inner edge of a disk surrounding a young star. An unsteady bipolar jet flow is produced that flows perpendicular to the disk plane. Jet speeds of order hundreds of kilometers per second are possible, while the outflow mass loss rate is proportional to the mass accretion rate and is a function of the disk inner radius relative to the disk co-rotation radius.     

Constraints on black hole spins with a general relativistic accretion disk corona model

The peaks in the spectra of the accretion disks surrounding massive black holes in quasars are in the far-UV or soft X-ray band, which are usually not observed. However, in the disk corona model, soft photons from the disk are Comptonized to high energy in the hot corona, and the hard X-ray spectra(luminosity and spectral shape) contain information on the incident spectra from the disk. The values of black hole spin parameter a*are inferred from the spectral fitting, which are spread over a large range, ~-0.94 to 0.998. We find that the inclination angles and mass accretion rates are well determined by the spectral fitting, but the results are sensitive to the accuracy of black hole mass estimates. No tight constraints on the black hole spins are achieved, if the uncertainties in black hole mass measurements are a factor of four,which are typical for the single-epoch reverberation mapping method. Recently, the accuracy of black hole mass measurement has been significantly improved to 0.2- 0.4 dex with the velocity resolved reverberation mapping method. The black hole spin can be well constrained if the mass measurement accuracy is50%. In the accretion disk corona scenario, a fraction of power dissipated in the disk is transported into the corona, and therefore the accretion disk is thinner than a bare disk for the same mass accretion rate,because the radiation pressure in the disk is reduced. We find that the thin disk approximation, H/R0.1,is still valid if 0.3 m 0.5, provided half of the dissipated power is radiated in the corona above the disk.     

Correlations Between Color Gradients and Structural Parameters of Disks in Late-type Spiral Galaxies

From the second group of the data released by the Sloan numerical patrol survey (SDSS DR2), 395 face-on late-type spiral galaxies brighter than 15-th magnitude in the waveband r are selected as the sample. The relations between the color gradients and structural parameters of disks are studied. The results indicate the following: (1) The color gradient is independent of the absolute magnitude (mass) of the disk. (2) The color gradient of disk is concerned with the size of disk. The larger the disk, the steeper the color gradient. (3) The color gradient of disk is concerned with the color of disk. The bluer the disk color, the steeper the gradient. (4) The color gradient of disk is related with the surface brightness of disk. The brighter the disk, the steeper the color gradient. Moreover, the historical constraint formed by the relations between the color gradients of disks and various structural parameters is briefly discussed.     

Plasma instability at the inner edge of the accretion disk—I

In this paper, the analytical and numerical results of the stability analysis of the accretion disk at the inner boundary is presented. Including the effect of finite conductivity in the disk dynamics, a simple calculation considering only the radial perturbation has been carried out. Within local approximation, it is concluded that the disk is stable to Kelvin-Helmholtz and resistive electromagnetic modes whereas the magnetosonic mode can destabilise the disk structure.     

Numerical Simulation of Small Perturbation on an Accretion Disk Due to the Collision of a Star with the Disk Near the Black Hole

In this paper, perturbations of an accretion disk by a star orbiting around a black hole are studied. We report on a numerical experiment, which has been carried out by using a parallel-machine code originally developed by Dönmez (2004). An initially steady state accretion disk near a non-rotating (Schwarzschild) black hole interacts with a “star”, modeled as an initially circular region of increased density. Part of the disk is affected by the interaction. In some cases, a gap develops and shock wave propagates through the disk. We follow the evolution for order of one dynamical period and we show how the non-axisymetric density perturbation further evolves and moves downwards where the material of the disk and the star become eventually accreted onto the central body. When the star perturbs the steady state accretion disk, the disk around the black hole is destroyed by the effect of perturbation. The perturbed accretion disk creates a shock wave during the evolution and it loses angular momentum when the gas hits on the shock waves. Colliding gas with the shock wave is the one of the basic mechanism of emitting the X-rays in the accretion disk. The series of supernovae occurring in the inner disk could entirely destroy the disk in that region which leaves a more massive black hole behind, at the center of galaxies.     

具有类偶极磁场的厚吸积盘模型

本文从磁流体力学基本方程组出发,讨论了具有类偶极磁场的厚吸积盘模型。其结果表明:引入这种磁场位形后,会影响盘的位形、光度和吸积率。对光度的影响是通过改变盘的位形实现的,它使盘变厚,会在厚盘的内区形成更窄更陡的漏斗状结构,这对解释类星体的高度准直性的喷流更为有利;并且还预言不对称喷流或单边喷流的存在。     

Evolution of grains in a turbulent solar nebula

In accretion disk models of the solar nebula, turbulence is driven by convective instability. This mechanism requires high opacity, which must be provided by solid grains. Evolution of the grain size distribution in a turbulent disk is computed numerically, using realistic collisional outcomes and strengths of grain aggregates, rather than an arbitrary “sticking efficiency.” The presence of turbulence greatly increases the rate of grain collisions; the coagulation rate is initially much greater than in a nonturbulent disk. Aggregates quickly reach sizes ～0.1–1 cm, but erosion and breakup in collisions prevent growth of larger bodies for plausible aggregate impact strengths. These aggregates are too small to settle to the plane of the disk, and planetesimal formation is impossible as long as the turbulence persists. However, the opacity of the disk is reduced by aggregate formation; some combinations of opacity law and surface density produce an optically thin disk, cutting off turbulent convection. The disk may experience alternating periods of turbulence and quiescence, as grains are depleted by coagulation and replenished by infall from the presolar cloud. Planetesimals can form only during the quiescent intervals; it is argued that such episodes were rare during the lifetime of the accretion disk.     

Towards a new standard model for black hole accretion

We briefly review recent developments in black hole accretion disk theory, emphasizing the vital role played by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stresses in transporting angular momentum. The apparent universality of accretion-related outflow phenomena is a strong indicator that large-scale MHD torques facilitate vertical transport of angular momentum. This leads to an enhanced overall rate of angular momentum transport and allows accretion of matter to proceed at an interesting rate. Furthermore, we argue that when vertical transport is important, the radial structure of the accretion disk is modified at small radii and this affects the disk emission spectrum. We present a simple model demonstrating how energetic, magnetically-driven outflows modify the emergent disk emission spectrum with respect to that predicted by standard accretion disk theory. A comparison of the predicted spectra against observations of quasar spectral energy distributions suggests that mass accretion rates inferred using the standard disk model may be severely underestimated.     

Dynamical friction on a satellite of a disk galaxy: The circular orbit

In a previous paper, we have studied dynamical friction during a parabolic passage of a companion galaxy past a disk galaxy. This paper continues with the study of satellites in circular orbits around the disk galaxy. Simulations of orbit decay in a self gravitating disk are compared with estimates based on two-body scattering theories; the theories are found to give a satisfactory explanation of the orbital changes. The disk friction is strongly dependent on the sense of rotation of the companion relative to the rotation of the disk galaxy as well as on the amount of mass in a spherical halo. The greatest amount of dynamical friction occurs in direct motion if no spherical halo is present. Then the infall time from the edge of the disk is about one half of the orbital period of the disk edge. A halo twice as massive as the disk increases the infall time four fold. The results of Quinn and Goodman, obtained with a non-self-gravitating method, agree well with our experiments with massive halos (Q ₀ 1.5), but are not usable in a more general case. We give analytic expressions for calculating the disk friction in galaxies of different disk/halo mass ratios.     

Warped polar ring in the Arp 212 galaxy

The Fabry-Perot scanning interferometer mounted on the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences is used to study the distribution and kinematics of ionized gas in the peculiar galaxy Arp 212 (NGC 7625, IIIZw 102). Two kinematically distinct subsystems—the inner disk and outer emission filaments—are found within the optical radius of the galaxy. The first subsystem, at galactocentric distances r < 3.5 kpc, rotates in the plane of the stellar disk. The inner part of the ionized-gas disk (r<1.5–2 kpc) exactly coincides with the previously known disk consisting of molecular gas. The second subsystem of ionized gas is located at galactocentric distances 2–6 kpc. This subsystem rotates in a plane tilted by a significant angle to the stellar disk. The angle of orbital inclination in the outer disk increases with galactocentric distance and reaches 50° at r ≈ 6 kpc. The ionized fraction of the gaseous disk does not show up beyond this galactocentric distance, but we believe that the HI disk continues to warp and approaches the plane that is polar with respect to the inner disk of the galaxy. Hence Arp 212 can be classified as a galaxy with a polar ring (or a polar disk). The observed kinematics of the ionized and neutral gas can be explained assuming that the distribution of gravitational potential in the galaxy is not spherically symmetric. Most probably, the polar ring have formed via accretion of gas from the dwarf satellite galaxy UGC 12549.     

Anisotropic illumination of a circumbinary disk in the presence of a low-mass companion

The model of a young star with a protoplanetary disk and a low-mass companion (q ≤ 0.1) moving in a circular orbit inclined to the disk plane is considered. Hydrodynamic models of such a system have been calculated by the SPH method. The perturbations in the disk caused by the orbital motion of the companion are shown to lead to a strong dependence of the disk illumination conditions on azimuth (because of extinction variations between the star and the disk surface) and, as a result, to the appearance of a large-scale asymmetry in the disk images. Calculations show that the dependence of the disk illumination on azimuth is stronger in the central part of the disk than on the periphery. The bright and dark (shadow) regions are located asymmetrically relative to the line of nodes. The sizes of these regions and their positions on the disk depend on model parameters and orbital phase. During the orbital motion, the bright and dark regions do not follow the companion but execute small-amplitude oscillations relative to some direction. The model properties described above open up new possibilities for detecting low-mass companions in the vicinity of young stars. Stars with protoplanetary disks seen face-on or at low inclinations i are best suited for this purpose.