Accretion flows, X-ray states and jet launching
Gas spiraling into black holes and neutron stars must shed angular momentum (rotation) to fall in; on the way it switches between distinct states, flickers with near-regular rhythms, and part of the released energy is shot out as jets near light speed. Which processes move the angular momentum, set the states and launch the jets is only partly understood.
Why it matters
Accretion powers quasars, X-ray binaries and most bright high-energy sources, and sets how fast compact objects grow.
Review
S. W. Davis, A. Tchekhovskoy, Magnetohydrodynamic simulations of active galactic nucleus disks and jets, Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2020. https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.08839 reference checked
See also
- Related How do Seyfert coronae make neutrinos while hiding gamma rays?
- Related Ion-to-electron heating ratio in collisionless turbulence
Timestamp record
- Signed record
- c6622c49671f…
- Public log
- Entry 28, in checkpoint 2,123
- In the log by
- Block 969,698, 2026-10-03
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