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The magnetic nature of disk accretion onto black holes
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Miller, J. M., Raymond, J., Fabian, A. C., Steeghs, D., Homan, J., Reynolds, C. S., van der Klis, M. and Wijnands, R. (2006) The magnetic nature of disk accretion onto black holes. Nature, Vol.441 (No.7096). pp. 953-955. doi:10.1038/nature04912 ISSN 0028-0836.
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WRAP_Steeghs_Accretion_black_holes_0605390v1.pdf - Accepted Version Download (326Kb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature04912
Abstract
Although disk accretion onto compact objects—white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes—is central to much of high-energy astrophysics, the mechanisms that enable this process have remained observationally difficult to determine. Accretion disks must transfer angular momentum in order for matter to travel radially inward onto the compact object1. Internal viscosity from magnetic processes1, 2, 3, 4 and disk winds5 can both in principle transfer angular momentum, but hitherto we lacked evidence that either occurs. Here we report that an X-ray-absorbing wind discovered in an observation of the stellar-mass black hole binary GRO J1655 - 40 (ref. 6) must be powered by a magnetic process that can also drive accretion through the disk. Detailed spectral analysis and modelling of the wind shows that it can only be powered by pressure generated by magnetic viscosity internal to the disk or magnetocentrifugal forces. This result demonstrates that disk accretion onto black holes is a fundamentally magnetic process.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Subjects: | Q Science > QB Astronomy | ||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Physics | ||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Accretion (Astrophysics), Black holes (Astronomy), Double stars, Space plasmas, Cosmic magnetic fields | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Nature | ||||
Publisher: | Nature Publishing Group | ||||
ISSN: | 0028-0836 | ||||
Official Date: | 2006 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Vol.441 | ||||
Number: | No.7096 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 953-955 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1038/nature04912 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 22 December 2015 | ||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 22 December 2015 | ||||
Funder: | United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) |
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