Emission-line profiles from self-gravitating toroids around black holes

We have computed line profiles from self-gravitating toroids around black holes. The specific angular momentum of the toroids is assumed to be constant in space. The images of the toroids show peculiar features in the far sides of the black holes. Concerning the line profiles, the red wing extends to the very low frequency region because the location of the inner edge is rather near the event horizon of the black hole and consequently the velocity of the inner edges of the toroids can be greater than that of the Kepler discs.     

活动星系核的铁Kα和铁Kβ发射线-Cerenkov线状辐射的进一步证据

最近XMM—Newton观测到了Seyfert 1星系,NGC3783,除存在着6．4keV的铁Kα发射线外,还存在着很强的7．0 keV的铁Kβ发射线,且两者之间的等值宽度(EW) 之比难以由传统的“光电吸收-莹光机制”来解释．利用尤峻汉等人提出的Cerenkov线状发射机制可合理解释EWKα／EWKβ．给出了详细的模型考虑和理论计算,结果表明活动星系核中产生铁K线的机制不只有莹光机制还有Cerenkov线状辐射机制．两者共存于活动星系核(AGNs)中,而且以Cerenkov辐射机制为主．     

黑洞候选体X射线双星Cyg X-1光变曲线的研究

利用Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer(RXTE)卫星从1996年1月到2005年5月的公共资料,研究了黑洞候选体X射线双星Cyg X-1光变曲线的周期性,并且发现了一些有趣的周期特性(T=1．0±0．2天和T=18．0±3．0天)．在硬态时,T=1．0±0．2天和T=18．0±3．0天的周期特性同时出现在它的光变曲线之中,但在软态时仅有T=1．0±0．2天的周期出现．采用一种新的方法(即微分法),同时为了检验微分法的正确性,还利用传统的方法(即快速傅立叶变换和叠加法)分析了相同的资料,并得到了与微分法相同的结果．另外也对Cyg X-1的轨道周期进行了研究,结果发现T=5．6天的轨道周期不仅出现在硬态,同时也出现在软态,只是在硬态时比在软态时明显．     

Do Radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei really follow the same MBH-σ＊ Relation as Normal Galaxies？

In an examination of the relationship between the black hole mass MBH and stellar velocity dispersionσ* in radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we studied two effects which may cause uncertainties in the black hole mass estimates of radio-loud AGNs: the relativistic beaming effect on the observed optical continuum radiation and the orientation effect on the broad emission line width. After correcting these two effects, we re-examined the MBH-σ[OIII] relation for a sample of radio-loud and radio-quiet AGNs, and found the relation for radio-loud AGNs still deviated from that for nearby normal galaxies and radio-quiet AGNs. We also found there is no significant correlation between radio jet power and narrow [OIII] line width, indicating absence of strong interaction between radio jet and narrow line region. It may be that the deviation of the MBH-σ* relation of radio-loud AGNs is intrinsic, or that the [OIII] line width is not a good indicator ofσ* for radio-loud AGNs.     

X-ray observation of XTE J2012+381 during the 1998 outburst

The outburst of X-ray transient source XTE J2012+381 was detected by the RXTE All-Sky Monitor on 1998 May 24th. Following the outburst, X-ray observations of the source were made in the 2–18 keV energy band with the Pointed Proportional Counters of the Indian X-ray Astronomy Experiment (IXAE) on-board the Indian satellite IRS-P3 during 1998 June 2nd–10th. The X-ray flux of the source in the main outburst decreased exponentially during the period of observation. No large amplitude short-term variability in the intensity is detected from the source. The power density spectrum obtained from the timing analysis of the data shows no indication of any quasi-periodic oscillations in 0.002–0.5 Hz band. The hardness ratio i.e. the ratio of counts in 6–18 keV to 2–6 keV band, indicates that the X-ray spectrum is soft with spectral index >2. From the similarities of the X-ray properties with those of other black hole transients, we conclude that the X-ray transient XTE J2012+381 is likely to be a black hole.     

The mass dependence of the overshooting parameter determined from eclipsing binary data

We report the discovery of emission features in the X-ray spectrum of GRO J1655–40 obtained with RXTE during the observation of 1997 February 26. We have fitted the features first by two Gaussian lines which in four spectra analysed have average energies of 5.85±0.08 and 7.32±0.13 keV, strongly suggestive that these are the red- and blueshifted wings of an iron disc line. These energies imply a velocity of ∼0.33 c . The blue wing is less bright than in the calculated profiles of disc lines near a black hole subject to Doppler boosting; however, known Fe absorption lines in GRO J1655–40 at energies between ∼7 and 8 keV can reduce the apparent brightness of the blue wing. Secondly, we have fitted the spectra using the disc line model of Laor based on a full relativistic treatment plus an absorption line, and show that good fits are obtained. This gives a rest-frame energy of the disc line between 6.4 and 6.8 keV, indicating that the line is iron K α emission probably of significantly ionized material. The Laor model shows that the line originates in a region of the accretion disc extending from ∼10 Schwarzschild radii from the black hole outwards. The line is direct evidence for the black hole nature of the compact object, and is the first discovery of a highly red- and blueshifted iron disc line in a Galactic source.     

The 1989 May outburst of the soft X-ray transient GS 2023+338 (V404 Cyg)

We reanalyse archival Ginga data of the soft X-ray transient source GS 2023+338 covering the beginning of its 1989 May outburst. The source showed a number of rather unusual features: very high and apparently saturated luminosity, dramatic flux and spectral variability (often on ∼1 s time-scale), and generally very hard spectrum, with no obvious soft thermal component characteristic for soft/high state.
We describe the spectrum obtained at the maximum of flux and we demonstrate that it is very different from spectra of other soft X-ray transients at similar luminosity. We confirm previous suggestions that the dramatic variability was the result of heavy and strongly variable photoelectric absorption. We also demonstrate that for a short time the spectrum of the source did look like a typical soft/high state spectrum but that this coincided with very heavy absorption.     

Towards incorporating a turbulent magnetic field in an accreting black hole model

A model proposed by Melia & Ruffert to evaluate the spectrum and radiation flux for accretion on to a black hole makes use of the 'equipartition assumption' in which the magnetic, turbulent and gravitational energy densities are assumed to be in approximate equilibrium for distances below the accretion radius, where Bondi–Hoyle infall begins. As a consequence, the mechanism for the dissipation of the magnetic field and the resulting effect on the flow of the accreting gas have not been treated quantitatively. Here we examine alternative approaches for modelling the dissipation of magnetic fields and turbulent flow to see how these may be incorporated into the model. The results of our study should be immediately applicable to the ever-improving measurements of the spectrum and size of the massive black hole at our Galactic Centre, in particular producing a more accurate estimate of its mass. Combined with greatly refined kinematic studies of this region, our work may constrain the dark matter concentration in the nucleus of our Galaxy.     

Esa Microgravity Research Activities In The Field Of Physical Sciences And Applications

During the eighties, microgravity research focussed predominantly on the investigation of fundamental phenomena, often with limited industrial support. Although this approach led to some rather impressive breakthroughs in terms of new theoretical insights and microgravity experimentation, the need for increased co-ordination and interest from industry became increasingly apparent. In this decade, a user-driven research strategy has been instigated by ESA to promote microgravity research. The objective is to coordinate ESA, national activities and industry into an overall European strategy, which will allow valuable application-oriented microgravity research to be performed aboard the International Space Station (ISS). On this basis, it is expected that scientific progress will evolve even more rapidly due to the easier planning, regular access and longer experiment-durations associated with the ISS. This paper highlights the wealth of microgravity research being co-ordinated by ESA in the field of physical sciences. A number of key areas of research under microgravity conditions are currently being explored such as alloy solidification, crystal growth,measurement of thermophysical properties, combustion mechanisms, fluid flow, cold atom physics and complex plasmas, to name but a few. The following sections will provide background information relating to the various ESA research programmes, as well as emphasising their microgravity relevance. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Hot accretion discs with thermal Comptonization and advection in luminous black hole sources

We solve for the structure of a hot accretion disc with unsaturated thermal Comptonization of soft photons and with advection, generalizing the classical model of Shapiro et al. The upper limit on the accretion rate due to advection constrains the luminosity to ≲ 0.15 y^3/5 α^7/5 of the Eddington limit, where y and α are the Compton and viscosity parameters, respectively. The characteristic electron temperature and Thomson optical depth of the inner flow at accretion rates within an order of magnitude of that upper limit are ∼ 10⁹ K and ∼ 1, respectively. The resulting spectra are then in close agreement with the X-ray and soft γ-ray spectra from black hole binaries in the hard state and Seyferts. At low accretion rates, bremsstrahlung becomes the dominant radiative process.