Transcript Document

Advection-dominated Accretion:
From Sgr A* to Other Low-Luminosity
AGNs
Feng Yuan
(Shanghai Astronomical Observatory)
Collaborators: Ramesh Narayan; Eliot Quataert; Rodrigo Nemmen;
Wei Cui; Zhiqiang Shen; Sera Markoff; Heino Falcke…
Outline
Sgr A* as a unique laboratory for
extremely low luminosity accretion
ADAF models for other low-luminosity
AGNs
Complexity…
Sgr A*: a Unique Laboratory for LowLuminosity Accretion
Best evidence for a BH (stellar orbits)
–
M  4x106 M
Largest BH on the sky (horizon  8 μ"),
thus most detailed constraints on
ambient conditions around BH
– Direct observational determination
to the accretion rate
– Outer boundary conditions
Abundant observational data:
– Detailed SED
– polarization
– X-ray & IR flares probe gas at ~ Rs
Accretion physics at extreme low luminosity (L ~ 10-9 LEDD)
Useful laboratory for other BH systems
Fuel Supply
IR (VLT) image of central ~ pc
Chandra image of central ~ 3 pc
Baganoff et al.
Genzel et al.
Young cluster of massive stars
in the central ~ pc loses ~ 10-3
M yr-1 (  2-10" from BH)
Hot x-ray emitting gas
(T = 1-2 keV; n = 100 cm-3)
produced via shocked
stellar winds
Outer Boundary Conditions at
Bondi Radius
Bondi radius:
GM
R A  2  1"  10 5 Rs
cs
Mass accretion rate estimation
M captured  4R A2 c s |
R  RA
 10 5 M  yr 1
this is roughly consistent
with the numerical simulation of Cuadra et al.
.
(2006):
M  3  10 6 M  yr 1
Temperature: 2keV; Density: 130cm^-3
Angular momentum: quite large, the circularization radius ~10^4 Rs, not
a spherical accretion (Cuadra’s talk)
Observational Results for Sgr A* (I):
Spectrum
flat radio spectrum
submm-bump
two X-ray states
– quiescent: photon indx=2.2
the source is resolved
– flare: phton index=1.3
Total Luminosity ~ 1036 ergs s-1
~ 100 L ~ 10-9 LEDD ~ 10-6 M c2
Flare
VLA
BIMA
SMA
Keck
VLT Quiescence
Observational Results for Sgr A* (II):
Variability & Polarization
1.X-ray flare (Baganoff et al. 2001):
timescale: ~hour timescale (duration) ~10 min (shortest)10Rs;
amplitude: can be ~45
2.IR flare: timescale (Genzel et al 2003):
~30-85 min (duration); ~5 min (shortest)  similar to X-ray flare
amplitude: 1-5, much smaller than X-ray
3. Polarization:
at cm wavelength: no LP but strong CP;
at submm-bump: high LP(7.2% at 230 GHz; <2% at 112
GHz)  a strict constraint to density & B field:
RM (Faraday rotation measure) can not be too large
(Aitken et al. 1999; Bower et al. 2003; Marrone et al. 2007; Zhao’s talk):


RM  8.110  ne B r dr  (5.6  0.7) 105 rad m2
5
The Standard Thin Disk Ruled Out
1. inferred low efficiency
2. where is the expected
blackbody emission?
3. observed gas on ~ 1” scales
is primarily hot & spherical,
not disk-like
4. absence of stellar eclipses
argues against  >> 1 disk
(Cuadra et al. 2003)
Radiation-hydrodynamics Equations
for ADAF(&RIAF)
 R
M  4RH v  M out 
 Rout
dv
1 dp
2
v
  k   2 r 
dr
 dr
p
2
v(r  j )  r
.
Mass accretion rate:
The radial and azimuthal
Components of the momentum
Equations:
.



s

The electron energy equation:
The ions energy equation:
 d e p e d 
  q   qie  q 
 2
 dr  dr 
 d
p d 
  (1   )q   qie
v i  2i
 dr  dr 
v
“old” ADAF: s=0; δ<<1
“new” ADAF (RIAF): s>0; δ≤1
“Old” ADAF Model for Sgr A*
Narayan et al., 1995;1998; Manmoto et al. 1997
The “old” ADAF (e.g., Ichimaru 1977; Rees et al. 1982; Narayan & Yi
1994;1995; Abramowicz et al. 1995…)
– ADAF: most of the viscously dissipated energy is stored in the thermal
energy and advected into the hole rather than radiated away.
– Tp=1012K;Te=109—1010K; geometrically thick
– Accretion rate = const.
– Efficiency<<0.1, because electron heating is inefficient (adiabatic)
Success of this ADAF model:
– low luminosity of Sgr A*;
– rough fitting of SED;
Problems of this ADAF model:
– predicted LP is too low because RM is too large;
– predicted radio flux is too low.
Theoretical Developments of ADAF
Outflow/convection
Very little mass supplied at large
radii accretes into the black hole
(outflows/convection suppress
accretion: Narayan & Yi 1994; Blandford &
MHD numerical simulation result:
(however, collisionlesskinetic theory?)
Begelman 1999; Narayan, Igumenshchev &
Abramowicz 2000; Quataert & Gruzinov 2000)
Electron heating
mechanism: direct viscous
heating?
turbulent dissipation & magnetic
reconnection
 ~ 0.5
Particle distribution:
nonthermal?
(Stone & Pringle 2001; Hawley & Balbus 2002; Igumenshchev et al. 2003)
– weak shocks & magnetic
reconnection
– collisionless plasmanonthermal?
RIAF Model for the Quiescent State
Yuan, Quataert & Narayan 2003
total emission from both
thermal and power-law electrons
synchrotron emission from
power-law electrons
synchrotron, bremsstrahlung
and their Comptonization from
thermal electrons
bremsstrahlung from the
transition region around the
Bondi radius
RIAF Model for Sgr A*: Interpreting the
Polarization Result
Yuan, Quataert & Narayan 2003
Summary: the efficiency of RIAF in
Sgr A*
-6
Mdot ~ 10 Msun/yr, L ~ 1036erg/s, so efficiency ~10-6
In the “old” ADAF(no outflow), this low efficiency is due
to the inefficient electron heating (or ion energy
advection)
In the “new” ADAF (with outflow and  ~ 0.5),
MdotBH ~ 10-8Msun/yr, so outflow contributes a factor of
0.01
The other factor of ~10-4 is due to electron energy
advection: the energy heating electrons is stored as their
thermal energy rather than radiated away (electron
energy advection)
Understanding the IR & X-ray flares
of Sgr A*: Basic Scenario
Yuan, Quataert & Narayan 2003; 2004; Yuan et al. 2007
At the time of flares, at the innermost region of accretion
flow, ≤10Rs, some transient events, such as magnetic
reconnection (------solar flares!), occur.
During this process, some fraction of thermal electrons will
be heated & accelerated (reconnection current sheet?
shock?)
The synchrotron & its inverse Compton emissions from
these high-energy electrons can explain the IR & X-ray
flares detected in Sgr A*
Testing the RIAF Model with the Size Measurements
Yuan, Shen, & Huang 2006, ApJ
Input intensity profile
Simulation result
7mm
3.5mm
7mm(up) & 3.5mm(lower) simulation results
Gaussian fit
When the luminosity/accretion rate
increases…...
Low-luminosity AGNs: Observations
LLAGNs are very common, over 40% of nearby
galaxies contain LLAGNs (Ho et al. 1997)
Lbol / LEdd ~ 10-5 -- 10-3
Given the available accretion rates, the
efficiency should be 1-4 orders of magnitude
lower than 0.1 (Ho 2005)
Unusual SED: no BBB
No broad iron K line
Double-peaked Hline  Rin ~ (100-1000)Rs
Average SED of Low-luminosity
AGNs
Radio-loud AGNs
low-luminosity AGNs, no BBB!
L
Radio-quiet AGNs
Ho (1999)
Current Accretion Scenario
for Low-luminosity AGNs
Jet: radio
Transition radius
ADAF: X-ray
Truncated standard thin disk:
T~106Koptical&UV
The Transition Radius
Two mechanisms for the
transition:
Evaporation
(e.g.,Meyer & MeyerHofmeister, 1994; Liu, Meyer &
Meyer-Hofmeister, 1995; Liu et al.
1999; Rózanska & Czerny 2000)
Turbulent energy
transportation
(e.g., Honma 1996; Manmoto
& Kato 2000)
Transition radius vs. luminosity;
from Yuan & Narayan 2004
M 81
Quataert et al. 1999
Rtr ~ 100 Rs
NGC 1097: the best example?
Nemmen et al. 2006
From a truncated thin
disk, with Rtr = 225 Rs
Double peaked Balmer line Rtr=225Rs, consistent
with spectral fitting result!
Hard state of black hole X-ray
binary: XTE J1118-480
Hard state of black hole X-ray
binary is generally assumed to
be the analogy of LLAGNs or
Seyfert galaxies.
The value of the transition
radius is well determined by
the EUV data, Rtr ~ 300 Rs
A QPO of frequency 0.07--0.15 Hz is detected
If we explain the QPO as the
p-mode oscillation of the
ADAF, this QPO frequency
also suggests that the
transition radius to be ~300 Rs
Yuan, Cui & Narayan 2005
Radiation from the truncated thin disk,
with Rtr = 300 Rs
Other examples include:
Ellipticals: Fabian & Rees 1995
FRI: Reynolds et al 1996; Begelman & Celloti 2004; Wu, Yuan &
Cao 2007
XBONGs: Yuan & Narayan 2004
Seyfert 1 galaxies: Chiang & Blaes 2003
Blazar: Maraschi & Tavecchio 2003
However:
Many questions remain unsolved:
The X-ray emission from luminous sources such as quasar and the
very high state of X-ray binaries
The broad iron line detected in the hard state (if it is true)
How to form a jet
……
One example of complexity: the role
of jet in LLAGNs
It is almost certain the radio
emission comes from jets; but
it is possible that for some
sources jets also dominate the
emission at other wavebands.
One example: NGC 4258
– The IR spectrum and the
mass accretion rate seem to
be hard to explain by an ADAF
– A jet can interpret the
spectrum if
a significant fraction of
accretion flow is transferred
into the jet; and
the underlying accretion flow
is described by an ADAF.
Yuan, Markoff, Falcke & Biermann 2002
Thank you!