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This paper presents a study of quasi-steady spherical accretion in the early Universe, before the formation of the first stars and galaxies. The main motivation is to derive the basic formulas that will be used in a companion paper to calculate the accretion luminosity of primordial black holes and their effect on the cosmic ionization history. The following cosmological effects are investigated: the coupling of the gas to the CMB photon fluid (i.e., Compton drag), Hubble expansion, and the growth of the dark matter halo seeded by the gravitational potential of the central point mass. The gas equations of motion are solved assuming either a polytropic or an isothermal equation of state. We consider the cases in which the accreting object is a point mass or a spherical dark matter halo with power-law density profile, as predicted by the theory of "secondary infall''. Analytical solutions for the sonic radius and fitting formulas for the accretion rate are provided. Different accretion regimes exist depending on the mass of the accreting object. If the black hole mass is smaller than 50-100 Msun, gas accretion is unaffected by Compton drag. A point mass and an extended dark halo of equal mass accrete at the same rate if M>5000 Msun, while smaller mass dark halos accrete less efficiently than the equivalent point mass. For masses M>3 x 10^4 Msun, the viscous term due to the Hubble expansion becomes important and the assumption of quasi-steady flow fails. Hence, the steady Bondi solutions transition to the time-dependent self-similar solutions for "cold cosmological infall"., 10 pages, 6 figures, ApJ in press (Apj, 662, 53)

The power of jets from black holes are expected to depend on both the spin of the black hole and the structure of the accretion disk in the region of the last stable orbit. We investigate these dependencies using two different physical models for the jet power: the classical Blandford-Znajek (BZ) model and a hybrid model developed by Meier. In the BZ case, the jets are powered by magnetic fields directly threading the spinning black hole while in the hybrid model, the jet energy is extracted from both the accretion disk as well as the black hole via magnetic fields anchored to the accretion flow inside and outside the hole's ergosphere. The hybrid model takes advantage of the strengths of both the Blandford-Payne and BZ mechanisms, while avoiding the more controversial features of the latter. We develop these models more fully to account for general relativistic effects and to focus on advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAF) for which the jet power is expected to be a significant fraction of the accreted rest mass energy. We apply the models to elliptical galaxies, in order to see if these models can explain the observed correlation between the Bondi accretion rates and the total jet powers. For typical values of the disk viscosity parameter alpha~0.04-0.3 and mass accretion rates consistent with ADAF model expectations, we find that the observed correlation requires j>0.9; i.e., it implies that the black holes are rapidly spinning. Our results suggest that the central black holes in the cores of clusters of galaxies must be rapidly rotating in order to drive jets powerful enough to heat the intracluster medium and quench cooling flows., 12 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Nesta dissertação discutimos o processo da acreção de materia sobre objetos compactos em suas diferentes abordagens. Iniciando com o caso clássico, estudamos sua contraparte relativística e, por fim, investigamos a acreção de fluidos cosmológicos (energia escura e matéria escura) em buracos negros. Devido a simetria esférica adotada, a formação dos chamados discos de acréscimo é proibida (tanto no caso clássico quanto no relativístico) e, portanto, os problemas relacionados com a física dos discos (sua formação e evolução) não foram investigados. No contexto clássico, analisamos inicialmente a chamada acreçao de Bondi, onde o fluido acretado obedece a uma equação de estado politropica e o processo de acreção é descrito pela hidrodinâmica euleriana. A existância de 6 tipos possíveis de solucões para o campo de velocidades é identicada e suas consequências fsicas são discutidas em detalhe. Apenas uma dessas soluções descreve de forma fisicamente consistente o processo de acreção. A taxa de materia acretada é constante, um resultado esperado devido a hipotese de regime estacionário. O estudo do caso relativstico é completamente baseado na Teoria da Relatividade Geral, com o campo gravitacional do corpo central sendo descrito pela metrica de Schwarzschild. O processo relativstico também ocorre sob condições estacionárias e, portanto, a taxa de acreção resultante também é constante. Uma atenção especial foi dedicada para a acreção de fluidos cosmologicos satisfazendo uma equação de estado linear e tambem para o chamado gás de Chaplygin. Estudamos separadamente o comportamento espacial do fluido na região dominada pela acreção e também a influência da evolução cosmologica nas regiões mais distantes. Mostramos que a massa do buraco negro central pode apresentar uma evolução no tempo em escala cosmológica. Os resultados de Babichev (caso linear) e o gás de Chaplygin foram unicadamente descritos através de uma equacão de estado generalizada. Por fim, determinamos também sob que condições a acreção de matéria pode provocar mudancas significativas na massa do buraco negro. In this dissertation the matter accretion process upon compact objects is discussed in its diferent approaches. Starting with the classical case, the relativistic type was studied and, in the end, the accretion of cosmological fluids (dark energy and dark matter) onto a black hole is investigated. Due to spherical symmetry adopted, the formation of accretion disks is forbidden (both in the classical and relativistic case) and, thus, the problems related to disk physics (the formation and evolution) were not investigated. On the classical approach, the so called Bondi accretion is examined, in which the matter flux occurs according to a polytropic equation of state and the accretion itself is described by the Eulerian hydrodynamic. The existence of 6 possible families of solutions for the velocity field is identied and its physical consequences are thoroughly discussed. Only one of these solutions describes the accretion process in a physically consistent manner. The mass accretion rate is found to be constant, as expected duo to the steady-state hypothesis. The relativistic approach is completely based on the General Relativity Theory. In this case, the gravitational field of the central body is described by the Schwarzschild metric. The relativistic process also occurs in steady-state conditions and, therefore, the accretion flux also is constant. A particular interest is given to the accretion of cosmological fluids with a linear equation of state and of Chaplygin gas. Both the spacial behaviour of the fluids in the accretion dominated region and their cosmological evolution in farther regions are looked into individually. The mass of the central black hole\'s evolution is shown to occur in cosmological times. The Babichev (linear equation of state) and Chaplygin results were unied through a generalised equation of state. At last, it is also determined under which conditions the accretion of cosmological fluids can have astonishing effects on the black hole\'s mass.

Chandra X-ray observations of the nearby brightest cluster galaxy M87 resolve the hot gas structure across the Bondi accretion radius of the central supermassive black hole, a measurement possible in only a handful of systems but complicated by the bright nucleus and jet emission. By stacking only short frame-time observations to limit pileup, and after subtracting the nuclear PSF, we analysed the X-ray gas properties within the Bondi radius at 0.12-0.22 kpc (1.5-2.8 arcsec), depending on the black hole mass. Within 2 kpc radius, we detect two significant temperature components, which are consistent with constant values of 2 keV and 0.9 keV down to 0.15 kpc radius. No evidence was found for the expected temperature increase within ~0.25 kpc due to the influence of the SMBH. Within the Bondi radius, the density profile is consistent with $\rho\propto r^{-1}$. The lack of a temperature increase inside the Bondi radius suggests that the hot gas structure is not dictated by the SMBH's potential and, together with the shallow density profile, shows that the classical Bondi rate may not reflect the accretion rate onto the SMBH. If this density profile extends in towards the SMBH, the mass accretion rate onto the SMBH could be at least two orders of magnitude less than the Bondi rate, which agrees with Faraday rotation measurements for M87. We discuss the evidence for outflow from the hot gas and the cold gas disk and for cold feedback, where gas cooling rapidly from the hot atmosphere could feed the cirumnuclear disk and fuel the SMBH. At 0.2 kpc radius, the cooler X-ray temperature component represents ~20% of the total X-ray gas mass and, by losing angular momentum to the hot gas component, could provide a fuel source of cold clouds within the Bondi radius., Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, accepted by MNRAS

Following Paper I we investigate the properties of atmospheres that form around small protoplanets embedded in a protoplanetary disc by conducting hydrodynamical simulations. These are now extended to three dimensions, employing a spherical grid centred on the planet. Compression of gas is shown to reduce rotational motions. Contrasting the 2D case, no clear boundary demarcates bound atmospheric gas from disc material; instead, we find an open system where gas enters the Bondi sphere at high latitudes and leaves through the midplane regions, or, vice versa, when the disc gas rotates sub-Keplerian. The simulations do not converge to a time-independent solution; instead, the atmosphere is characterized by a time-varying velocity field. Of particular interest is the timescale to replenish the atmosphere by nebular gas, $t_\mathrm{replenish}$. It is shown that the replenishment rate, $M_\mathrm{atm}/t_\mathrm{replenish}$, can be understood in terms of a modified Bondi accretion rate, $\sim$$R_\mathrm{Bondi}^2\rho_\mathrm{gas}v_\mathrm{Bondi}$, where $v_\mathrm{Bondi}$ is set by the Keplerian shear or the magnitude of the sub-Keplerian motion of the gas, whichever is larger. In the inner disk, the atmosphere of embedded protoplanets replenishes on a timescale that is shorter than the Kelvin-Helmholtz contraction (or cooling) timescale. As a result, atmospheric gas can no longer contract and the growth of these atmospheres terminates. Future work must confirm whether these findings continue to apply when the (thermodynamical) idealizations employed in this study are relaxed. But if shown to be broadly applicable, replenishment of atmospheric gas provides a natural explanation for the preponderance of gas-rich but rock-dominant planets like super-Earths and mini-Neptunes., Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, submitted to MNRAS. Comments welcome

Feedback from energy liberated by gas accretion onto black holes (BHs) is an attractive mechanism to explain the exponential cut-off at the massive end of the galaxy stellar mass function (SMF). Semi-analytic models of galaxy formation in which this form of feedback is assumed to suppress cooling in haloes where the gas cooling time is large compared to the dynamical time do indeed achieve a good match to the observed SMF. Furthermore, hydrodynamic simulations of individual halos in which gas is assumed to accrete onto the central BH at the Bondi rate have shown that a self-regulating regime is established in which the BH grows just enough to liberate an amount of energy comparable to the thermal energy of the halo. However, this process is efficient at suppressing the growth not only of massive galaxies but also of galaxies like the Milky Way, leading to disagreement with the observed SMF. The Bondi accretion rate, however, is inappropriate when the accreting material has angular momentum. We present an improved accretion model that takes into account the circularisation and subsequent viscous transport of infalling material and include it as a "subgrid" model in hydrodynamic simulations of the evolution of halos with a wide range of masses. The resulting accretion rates are generally low in low mass ($\lsim 10^{11.5} \msun$) halos, but show outbursts of Eddington-limited accretion during galaxy mergers. During outbursts these objects strongly resemble quasars. In higher mass haloes, gas accretion occurs continuously, typically at $~10$ % of the Eddington rate, which is conducive to the formation of radio jets. The resulting dependence of the accretion behaviour on halo mass induces a break in the relation between galaxy stellar mass and halo mass in these simulations that matches observations., 24 pages, 14 figures. Accepted to MNRAS for publication. Updated version with typos corrected

We present numerical models of the gas dynamics in the inner parsec of the Galactic centre. We follow the gas from its origin as stellar winds of several observed young massive stars, until it is either captured by the central black hole, or leaves the system. Unlike our previous models, we include an outflow from the inner accretion flow. Two different kinds of outflows are modelled: (i) an instantaneous-response feedback mode, in which the outflow rate is directly proportional to the current black hole gas capture rate; and (ii) an outburst mode, which is stronger but lasts for a limited time. The latter situation may be particularly relevant to Sgr A*, since there is evidence that Sgr A* was much brighter in the recent past. We find that both types of outflow perturb the gas dynamics near the Bondi radius and the black hole capture rate significantly. The effects persist longer than the outflow itself. We also compare the effects of spherically symmetric and collimated outflows, and find that the latter are far less efficient in transferring its energy to the surrounding gas near the capture radius. Our results imply that accretion feedback is important for non-radiative accretion flows not only within but also outside the capture radius. Steady-state Bondi accretion rate estimates that do not account for feedback outflows over-predict not only the accretion rate onto the black hole but also the capture rate at the Bondi radius itself. Finally, the steady-state assumption under which non-radiative flows have been routinely studied in the literature may have to be abandoned if accretion feedback is bursty in nature., 12 pages, 16 figures. MNRAS accepted

Context. We analyse 134 ks Chandra ACIS-I observations of the Galactic Centre (GC) performed in July 2011. The X-ray image with the field of view 17′ × 17′ contains the hot plasma surrounding the Sgr A*. The obtained surface brightness map allows us to fit the Bondi hot accretion flow to the innermost hot plasma around the GC. Aims. Contrary to the XMM-Newton data where a strong 6.4 keV iron line was observed andinterpreted as a reflection from molecular clouds, we search here for the diffuse X-ray emission with prominent 6.69 keV iron line. We found a surface brightness profile that allowed us to determine the stagnation radius of the flow around Sgr A*. Methods. We fitted spectra from the region up to 5′′ from Sgr A* using a thermal bremsstrahlung model and four Gaussian profiles responsible for Kα emission lines of Fe, S, Ar, and Ca. The X-ray surface brightness profile up to 3′′ from Sgr A* found in our data image was successfully fitted with the dynamical model of Bondi spherical accretion. Results. We show that the temperature of the hot plasma derived from our spectral fitting is of the order of 2.2−2.7 keV depending on the choice of background. By modelling the surface brightness profile, we derived the temperature and number density profiles in the vicinity of the black hole. The best fitted model of spherical Bondi accretion shows that this type of flow works only up to 3′′ and implies that the outer plasma density and temperature are cm-3 and keV, respectively.Conclusions. We show that the Bondi flow can reproduce observed surface brightness profiles up to 3′′ from Sgr A* in the Galactic centre. This result strongly suggests the position of stagnation radius in the complicated dynamics around GC. The temperature at the outer radius of the flow is higher by 1 keV than the value found by our spectral fitting of thermal plasma within the circle of 5′′. The Faraday rotation computed from our model towards the pulsar PSR J1745-2900 near the GC agrees with the observed one, recently reported. We speculate here that the emission lines observed in spectra up to 5′′ can be interpreted as the reflection of the radiation from two-phase regions occurring at distances between 3 − 5′′ of the flow. The hot plasma in Sgr A* illuminated in the past by a strong radiation field may be a seed for thermal instabilities and eventual strong clumpiness.

Contains fulltext : 35198.pdf ( ) (Open Access) Contains fulltext : 35198.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) We report the detection of variable linear polarization from Sgr A* at a wavelength of 3.5 mm, the longest wavelength yet at which a detection has been made. The mean polarization is 2.1%+/-0.1% at a position angle of 16�+/-2� with rms scatters of 0.4% and 9� over the five epochs. We also detect polarization variability on a timescale of days. Combined with previous detections over the range 150-400 GHz (750-2000 mum), the average polarization position angles are all found to be consistent with a rotation measure of -(4.4+/-0.3)�05 rad m-2. This implies that the Faraday rotation occurs external to the polarized source at all wavelengths. This implies an accretion rate ~(0.2-4)�0-8 Msolar yr-1 for the accretion density profiles expected of ADAF, jet, and CDAF models and assuming that the region at which electrons in the accretion flow become relativistic is within 10RS. The inferred accretion rate is inconsistent with ADAF/Bondi accretion. The stability of the mean polarization position angle between disparate polarization observations over the frequency range limits fluctuations in the accretion rate to less than 5%. The flat frequency dependence of the interday polarization position angle variations also makes them difficult to attribute to rotation-measure fluctuations and suggests that both the magnitude and position angle variations are intrinsic to the emission.

We present upper-limits on the masses of the putative central intermediate-mass black holes in two nearby Galactic globular clusters: 47Tuc (NGC104), the second brightest Galactic globular cluster, and NGC6397, a core-collapse globular cluster and, with a distance of 2.7 kpc, quite possibly the nearest globular cluster, using a technique suggested by T. Maccarone. These mass estimates have been derived from 3sigma upper limits on the radio continuum flux at 1.4 GHz, assuming that the putative central black hole accretes the surrounding matter at a rate between 0.1% and 1% of the Bondi accretion rate. For 47Tuc, we find a 3sigma upper limit of 2060 - 670 solar masses, depending on the actual accretion rate of the black hole and the distance to 47Tuc. For NGC6397, which is closer to us, we derive a 3sigma upper limit of 1290 - 390 solar masses. While estimating mass upper-limits based on radio continuum observations requires making assumptions about the gas density and the accretion rate of the black hole, their derivation does not require complex and time consuming dynamical modeling. Thus, this method offers an independent way of estimating black hole masses in nearby globular clusters. If, generally, central black holes in stellar systems accrete matter faster than 0.1% of the Bondi accretion rate, then these results indicate the absence of black holes in these globular clusters with masses as predicted by the extrapolated M-sigma relation.

We consider the sample of weakly active galaxies situated in 'Local Universe' collected in the paper of Pellegrini (2005) with inferred accretion efficiencies from $10^{-2}$ to $10^{-7}$. We apply a model of spherically symmetrical Bondi accretion for given parameters ($M_{BH}$,$T_{\infty}$,$\rho_{\infty}$,) taken from observation. We calculate spectra emitted by the gas accreting onto its central objects using Monte Carlo method including synchrotron and bremsstrahlung photons as seed photons. We compare our results with observed nuclear X-ray luminosities $L_{X,nuc}$ (0.3-10 keV) of the sample. Model is also tested for different external medium parameters ($\rho_{\infty}$ and $T_{\infty}$) and different free parameters of the model. Our model is able to explain most of the observed nuclear luminosities $L_X$ under an assumption that half of the compresion energy is transfered directly to the electrons., Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, accepted to A&A

This paper describes how active galactic nuclei can heat galaxy-cluster plasmas by driving convection in the intracluster medium. A model is proposed in which a central supermassive black hole accretes intracluster plasma at the Bondi rate and powers a radio source. The central radio source produces cosmic rays, which mix into the thermal plasma. The cosmic-ray luminosity is proportional to the mass accretion rate. The cosmic-ray pressure gradient drives convection, which causes plasma heating. It is assumed that plasma heating balances radiative cooling. The plasma heating rate is self-regulating because the Bondi accretion rate is a decreasing function of the specific entropy near the cluster center; if heating exceeds cooling, then the central entropy increases, the Bondi rate and cosmic-ray luminosity decrease, and the convective heating rate is reduced. This paper focuses on the role of intracluster magnetic fields, which affect convection by causing heat and cosmic rays to diffuse primarily along magnetic field lines. A new stability criterion is derived for convection in a thermal-plasma/cosmic-ray fluid, and equations for the average fluid properties in a convective cluster are obtained with the use of a nonlocal two-fluid mixing length theory. Numerical solutions of the model equations compare reasonably well with observations without requiring fine tuning of the model parameters., Comment: 30 pages, 4 figures, accepted--ApJ

The luminosities of the centers of nearby elliptical galaxies are very low compared to models of thin disc accretion to their black holes at the Bondi rate, typically a few hundredths to a few tenths of a solar mass per year. This has motivated models of inefficiently-radiated accretion that invoke weak electron-ion thermal coupling, and/or inhibited accretion rates due to convection or outflows. Here we point out that even if such processes are operating, a significant fraction of the accreting gas is prevented from reaching the central black hole because it condenses into stars in a gravitationally unstable disc. Star formation occurs inside the Bondi radius (typically ~100pc in giant ellipticals), but still relatively far from the black hole in terms of Schwarzschild radii. Star formation depletes and heats the gas disc, eventually leading to a marginally stable, but much reduced, accretion flow to the black hole. We predict the presence of cold (~100K), dusty gas discs, containing clustered H-alpha emission and occasional type II supernovae, both resulting from the presence of massive stars. Star formation accounts for several features of the M87 system: a thin disc, traced by H-alpha emission, is observed on scales of about 100pc, with features reminiscent of spiral arms and dust lanes; the star formation rate inferred from the intensity of H-alpha emission is consistent with the Bondi accretion rate of the system. Star formation may therefore help suppress accretion onto the central engines of massive ellipticals. We also discuss some implications for the fueling of the Galactic center and quasars., Comment: 13 pages, accepted to MNRAS

We present X-ray observations of nine Weak-Line Radio Galaxies (WLRGs), optically classified as confirmed or possible Low Ionization Nuclear Emission-line Regions (LINERs). The data were taken from the Chandra, XMM, and BeppoSax archives. The Chandra images typically show complex X-ray morphologies, with hard (2-10 keV) point sources embedded in diffuse soft (0.3-2.0 keV) emission in all cases except 1246-41 (NGC 4696), where only diffuse emission is detected on the scale of the cluster, and 0334-01 (3C 15), where only a point source is detected. The nuclear X-ray spectra are well fitted at hard energies by an absorbed powerlaw, with a wide range of photon indices, Gamma=1.5-2.7. Excess absorption over the Galactic value is detected in 6/9 sources, with column densities NH approximately 10^21-22 cm^-2. A thermal component is required at softer energies, in agreement with the results of the spatial analysis. We find that there is no correlation between the core X-ray luminosity and the radio core dominance parameter, suggesting that the bulk of the core X-ray emission is not beamed, but rather is isotropic and thus likely related to the accretion flow. In an attempt to constrain the nature of the accretion flow, we calculate the ratios of bolometric to Eddington luminosities L_bol/L_Edd, and the radiative efficiency eta based on the Bondi accretion rates. We find that L_bol/L_Edd ~10^-4 - 10^-6 and eta ~10^-2 - 10^-6 for all the objects in our sample, suggesting radiatively inefficient accretion flows.

We present Chandra observations of the nuclear region of nearby inactive galaxies. The sample is selected based on the absence or weakness of optical emission lines in the nucleus. X-ray nuclei are detected in four out of six galaxies. This result, along with previous observations, suggests that more than half of galaxies, for which no evidence for nuclear activity is known, possess an ultra-low-luminosity “active” nucleus. X-ray emission from hot gas is detected in at least four galaxies. We estimate the Bondi accretion rate from the gas density, temperature, and central black hole mass and suggest that the accretion luminosity is not simply determined by the Bondi rate. To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

We present three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of the interaction of a slow wind from an asymptotic giant branch(AGB) star and a jet blown by an orbiting companion. The jet or "Collimated Fast Wind" is assumed to originate from an accretion disk which forms via Bondi accretion of the AGB wind or Roche lobe overflow. We present two distinct regimes in the wind-jet interaction determined by the ratio of the AGB wind to jet momentum flux. Our results show that when the wind momentum flux overwhelms the flux in the jet a more dis-ordered outflow outflow results with the jet assuming a corkscrew pattern and multiple shock structures driven into the AGB wind. In the opposite regime the jet dominates and will drive a highly collimated narrow waisted outflow. We compare our results with scenarios described by Soker & Rappaport (2000) and extrapolate the structures observed in PNe and Symbiotic stars.

We report on the X-ray properties of the radio galaxy NGC 4261, combining information from the XMM, Chandra, and SAX satellites. Goals of this study are to investigate the origin of the X-rays from this low-power radio galaxy and the nature of the accretion process onto the central black hole. The X-ray spectrum of the nuclear source extending up to 100--150 keV is well described by a partially covered (covering factor $>$ 0.8) power law with a photon index \~1.5 absorbed by a column density 5e22 cm^-2. The X-ray luminosity associated with the non-thermal component is ~5e41 erg/s. The nuclear source is embedded in a diffuse hot gas (kT~0.6 keV), whose density profile implies a Bondi accretion rate of 4.5e-2 solar masses/year. For the first time rapid X-ray variability is detected in a low-power radio galaxy at more than 99% confidence level. The observed X-ray spectral and variability properties indicate the accretion flow as the most likely origin of the bulk X-ray continuum.This conclusion is strengthened by energetic considerations based on a comparison between the X-ray luminosity and the kinetic power of the jet, whichalso suggest that the Bondi accretion rate overestimates the actual accretion rate onto the black hole., 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

Isolated old neutron stars moving through the interstellar medium capture matter gravitationally. If the star is unmagnetized, the captured matter accretes to the surface of the star. However, the stars are expected to be magnetized. Moreover, some of the stars may be in the ‘‘ propeller ’’ stage of evolution. Both the magnetic field and the rotation act to decrease the accretion rate to the surface of the star. Here we consider stars that are past the propeller stage, so that rotation is unimportant. The influence of the magnetic field on the accretion rate to the star’s surface is investigated using axisymmetric, resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. Matter is taken to inflow at the Bondi rate for a nonmagnetized star, and we verify that stationary Bondi accretion flows occur in the absence of a magnetic field. For a magnetized star we find that an outward-propagating shock wave forms and that a new stationary, subsonic accretion flow is set up inside this shock, as first pointed out by Toropin et al. in 1999. Accretion to the surface of the star _ M occurs along two columns aligned with the magnetic axis of the star. Only a fraction of the Bondi flux _ MB accretes to the surface of the star. The empirical dependences we find are _ M= _

We present results of our Chandra observation with the ACIS-I instrument centered on the position of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the compact nonthermal radio source associated with the massive black hole (MBH) at the dynamical center of the Milky Way Galaxy. We have obtained the first high-spatial-resolution (~1 arcsec), hard X-ray (0.5-7 keV) image of the central 40 pc (17 arcmin) of the Galaxy and have discovered an X-ray source, CXOGC J174540.0-290027, coincident with the radio position of Sgr A* to within 0.35 arcsec, corresponding to a maximum projected distance of 16 light-days for an assumed distance to the center of the Galaxy of 8.0 kpc. We received 222 +/-17 (1 sigma) net counts from the source in 40.3 ks. Due to the low number of counts, the spectrum is well fit either by an absorbed power-law model with photon index Gamma = 2.7 (1.8-4.0) and column density NH = (9.8 [6.8-14.2]) x 10^22 cm^-2 (90% confidence interval) or by an absorbed optically thin thermal plasma model with kT = 1.9 (1.4-2.8) keV and NH = (11.5 [8.4-15.9]) x 10^22 cm^-2. Using the power-law model, the measured (absorbed) flux in the 2-10 keV band is (1.3 [1.1-1.7]) x 10^-13 ergs cm^-2 s^-1, and the absorption-corrected luminosity is (2.4 [1.8-5.4]) x 10^33 ergs s^-1. We also briefly discuss the complex structure of the X-ray emission from the Sgr A radio complex and along the Galactic plane and present morphological evidence that Sgr A* and Sgr A West lie within the hot plasma in the central cavity of Sgr A East.

This work investigates spherical accretion onto a rotating magnetized star in the "propeller" regime using axisymmetric resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations. In this regime accreting matter tends to be expelled from the equatorial region of the magnetosphere where the centrifugal force on matter corotating with the star exceeds the gravitational force. The regime is predicted to occur if the magnetospheric radius is larger than the corotation radius and less than the light cylinder radius. The simulations show that accreting matter is expelled from the equatorial region of the magnetosphere and that it moves away from the star in a supersonic, disk-shaped outflow. At larger radial distances the outflow slows down and becomes subsonic. The equatorial matter outflow is initially driven by the centrifugal force, but at larger distances the pressure gradient force becomes significant. We find that the star is spun down mainly by the magnetic torques at its surface with the rate of loss of angular momentum proportional to -Ωμ0.8, where Ω* is the star's rotation rate and μ is its magnetic moment. Further, we find that is approximately independent of the magnetic diffusivity of the plasma ηm for a factor ~30 range of this parameter, which corresponds to a range of magnetic Reynolds numbers ~1 to 1. The fraction of the Bondi accretion rate that accretes to the surface of the star is found to be ∝ Ωμ-2.1η. Predictions of this work are important for the observability of isolated old neutron stars and for wind-fed pulsars in X-ray binaries.

The linear stability of isothermal Bondi accretion with a shock is studied analytically in the asymptotic limit of high incident Mach number M_1. The flow is unstable with respect to radial perturbations as expected by Nakayama (1993), due to post-shock acceleration. Its growth time scales like the advection time from the shock r_sh to the sonic point r_son. The growth rate of non-radial perturbations l=1 is higher by a factor M_1^{2/3}, and is therefore intermediate between the advection and acoustic frequencies. Besides these instabilities based on post-shock acceleration, our study revealed another generic mechanism based on the cycle of acoustic and vortical perturbations between the shock and the sonic radius, independently of the sign of post-shock acceleration. The vortical-acoustic instability is fundamentally non-radial. It is fed by the efficient excitation of vorticity waves by the isothermal shock perturbed by acoustic waves. The growth rate exceeds the advection rate by a factor log M_1. Unstable modes cover a wide range of frequencies from the fundamental acoustic frequency ~c/r_sh up to a cut-off ~c/r_son associated with the sonic radius. The highest growth rate is reached for l=1 modes near the cut-off. The additional cycle of acoustic waves between the shock and the sonic radius is responsible for variations of the growth rate by a factor up to 3 depending on its phase relative to the vortical-acoustic cycle. The instability also exists, with a similar growth rate, below the fundamental acoustic frequency down to the advection frequency, as vorticity waves are efficiently coupled to the region of pseudosound. These results open new perspectives to address the stability of shocked accretion flows., Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

New X-ray observations with XMM-Newton show a lack of spectral evidence for large amounts of cooling and condensing gas in the centers of galaxy clusters believed to harbour strong cooling flows. The paper reexplores the cooling flow scenario in the light of the new observations. We explore the diagnostics of the temperature structure of cooling cores with XMM-spectroscopy, tests for intracluster X-ray absorption towards central AGN, the effect of metal abundance inhomogeneities, and the implications of high resolution images in the centers of clusters. We find no evidence of intrinsic absorption in the center of the cooling flows of M87 and the Perseus cluster. We further consider the effect of cluster rotation in cooling flow regions in the frame of cosmic structure evolution models. Also the heating of the core regions of clusters by jets from a central AGN is reconsidered. We find that the power of the AGN jets as estimated by their interaction effects with the intracluster medium in several examples is more then sufficient to heat the cooling flows and to reduce the mass deposition rates. We explore in more detail which requirements such a heating model has to fulfill to be consistent with all observations, point out the way such a model could be constructed, and argue that such model building seems to be successful. In summary it is argued that most observational evidence points towards much lower mass deposition rates than previously inferred in the central region of clusters thought to contain strong cooling flows., 19 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Astronomy and Astrophysics

The Bondi solution, which describes the radial inflow of a gas onto a non-rotating black hole, provides a powerful test for numerical relativistic codes. However, the Bondi solution is usually derived in Schwarzschild coordinates, which are not well suited for dynamical spacetime evolutions. Instead, many current numerical relativistic codes adopt moving-puncture coordinates, which render black holes in trumpet geometries. Here we transform the Bondi solution into trumpet coordinates, which result in regular expressions for the fluid flow extending into the black-hole interior. We also evolve these solutions numerically and demonstrate their usefulness for testing and calibrating numerical codes., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures; matches version published in CQG

We investigate the role of Compton heating in radiation-regulated accretion on to black holes from a neutral dense medium using 1D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations. We focus on the relative effects of Compton-heating and photo-heating as a function of the spectral slope {\alpha}, assuming a power-law spectrum in the energy range of 13.6 eV--100 keV. While Compton heating is dominant only close to the black hole, it can reduce the accretion rate to 0.1 % ($l \propto \dot{m}^2$ model)--0.01 % ($l \propto \dot{m}$ model) of the Bondi accretion rate when the BH radiation is hard ({\alpha} ~ 1), where $l$ and $\dot{m}$ are the luminosity and accretion rate normalised by Eddington rates, respectively. The oscillatory behaviour otherwise typically seen in simulations with {\alpha} > 1, become suppressed when {\alpha} ~ 1 only for the $l \propto \dot{m}$ model. The relative importance of the Compton heating over photo-heating decreases and the oscillatory behaviour becomes stronger as the spectrum softens. When the spectrum is soft ({\alpha} > 1.5), photo-heating prevails regardless of models making the effect of Compton heating negligible. On the scale of the ionization front, where the gas supply into the Str\"omgren sphere from large scale is regulated, photo-heating dominates. Our simulations show consistent results with the advection-dominated accretion flow ($l \propto \dot{m}^2$) where the accretion is inefficient and the spectrum is hard ({\alpha} ~ 1)., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present the first constraint on Faraday rotation measure (RM) at submillimeter wavelengths for the nucleus of M 87. By fitting the polarization position angles ($\chi$) observed with the SMA at four independent frequencies around $\sim$230 GHz and interpreting the change in $\chi$ as a result of \emph{external} Faraday rotation associated with accretion flow, we determine the rotation measure of the M 87 core to be between $-$7.5$\times$10$^{5}$ and 3.4$\times$10$^{5}$ rad/m$^{2}$. Assuming a density profile of the accretion flow that follows a power-law distribution and a magnetic field that is ordered, radial, and has equipartition strength, the limit on the rotation measure constrains the mass accretion rate $\dot{M}$ to be below 9.2$\times$10$^{-4}$ M$_{\odot}$~yr$^{-1}$ at a distance of 21 Schwarzchild radii from the central black hole. This value is at least two orders of magnitude smaller than the Bondi accretion rate, suggesting significant suppression of the accretion rate in the inner region of the accretion flow. Consequently, our result disfavors the classical \emph{advection dominated accretion flow} (ADAF) and prefers the \emph{adiabatic inflow-outflow solution} (ADIOS) or \emph{convection-dominated accretion flow} (CDAF) for the hot accretion flow in M 87., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, accepted by ApJL

The late time accelerated expansion of the Universe demands that even in local galactic-scales it is desirable to study astrophysical phenomena, particularly relativistic accretion related phenomena in massive galaxies or in galaxy mergers and the dynamics of the kiloparsecs-scale structure and beyond, in the local-galaxies in Schwarzschild-de Sitter (SDS) background, rather than in Schwarzschild or Newtonian paradigm. Owing to the complex and nonlinear character of the underlying magnetohydrodynamical equations in general relativistic (GR) regime, it is quite useful to have an Newtonian analogous potential containing all the important GR features that allows to treat the problem in Newtonian framework for study of accretion and its related processes. From the principle of conserved Hamiltonian of the test particle motion, here, a three dimensional Newtonian analogous potential has been obtained in spherical geometry corresponding to SDS/Schwarzschild anti-de Sitter (SADS) spacetime, that reproduces almost all of the GR features in its entirety with remarkable accuracy. The derived potential contains an explicit velocity dependent term of the test particle that renders an approximate relativistic modification of Newtonian like potential. The complete orbital dynamics around SDS geometry and the epicyclic frequency corresponding to SDS metric have been extensively studied in the Newtonian framework using the derived potential. Applying the derived analogous potential it is found that the current accepted value of $\Lambda \sim 10^{-56} \rm cm^{-2}$ moderately influences both sonic radius as well as Bondi accretion rate, especially for spherical accretion with smaller values of adiabatic constant and temperature, which might have interesting consequences on the stability of accretion disk in AGNs/radio galaxies., Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures

Spherical accretion of ionized gas onto a gravitating object is examined under the influence of central radiation. In classical Bondi accretion onto a non-luminous source with mass M, the accretion rate M_B is expressed as M_B = lambda(gamma) x 4piG^2M^2 pi_(infty)c^(-3)_s(infty), where pi_infty is the density at infinity and C_s(infty) the sound speed at infinity. We first found that the normalized accretion rate lambda(gamma) is approximated by lambda(gamma) = -(5/4)_gamma + (19/8), instead of a rigorous expression. When the central object is a "spherical" source, the accretion rate M reduces to M_B(1-Gamma)^2, where Gamma is the central luminosity normalized by the Eddington one. If the central luminosity is produced by the accretion energy, the steady canonical luminosity is determined and the normalized luminosity does not exceed unity, as expected. On the other hand, when the central object is a "disk" source, such as an accretion disk, the accretion rate becomes M/M_B =1 - 2(Gamma)_d + (4/3)(Gamma)^2_d for Gamma_d 1/2, where Gamma_d is the normalized disk luminosity. We also found steady canonical solutions, where the normalized luminosity can exceed unity for sufficiently large accretion rates. The anisotropic radiation field of accretion disks greatly modifies the accretion nature.

Elliptical galaxy nuclei are the sites of the largest black holes known, but typically show little or no nuclear activity. We investigate this extreme quiescence using Chandra X-ray Observatory observations of the giant elliptical galaxies NGC 1399, NGC 4472, and NGC 4636. The unique Chandra imaging power enables us to place upper limits of 7.3, 15 and 28 X 10^-9 the Eddington luminosity for the 0.1-1 billion solar mass black holes in NGC 1399, NGC 4472, and NGC 4636, respectively. The corresponding radiative efficiencies in this band are 4.1, 24, and 620 X 10^-6 using Bondi accretion rates derived from the Chandra hot interstellar gas surface brightness profiles. These limits are inconsistent with basic advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) models for NGC 1399 and NGC 4472, indicating accretion onto the black hole at 10% of the Bondi rate., Comment: 12 pages including two embedded figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

In the radial flow of gas into a black hole (i.e. Bondi accretion), the infall of any entropy or vorticity perturbation produces acoustic waves propagating outward. The dependence of this acoustic flux on the shape of the perturbation is investigated in detail. This is the key process in the mechanism of the entropic-acoustic instability proposed by Foglizzo & Tagger (2000) to explain the instability of Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion. These acoustic waves create new entropy and vorticity perturbations when they reach the shock, thus closing the entropic-acoustic cycle. With an adiabatic index 1, Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

Mini-black holes made of dark matter that can potentially form in the interior of neutron stars have been always thought to grow by accreting the matter of the core of the star via a spherical Bondi accretion. However, neutron stars have sometimes significant angulal velocities that can in principle stall the spherical accretion and potentially change the conclusions derived about the time it takes for black holes to destroy a star. We study the effect of the star rotation on the growth of such black holes and the evolution of the black hole spin. Assuming no mechanisms of angular momentum evacuation, we find that even moderate rotation rates can in fact destroy spherical accretion at the early stages of the black hole growth. However, we demonstrate that the viscosity of nuclear matter can alleviate the effect of rotation, making it possible for the black hole to maintain spherical accretion while impeding the black hole from becoming maximally rotating., 9 pages

Quasi-spherical supersonic (Bondi-type) accretion to a star with a dipole magnetic field is investigated using resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations. A systematic study is made of accretion to a non-rotating star, while sample results for a rotating star are also presented. A new stationary subsonic accretion flow is found with a steady rate of accretion to the magnetized star smaller than the Bondi accretion rate. Dependences of the accretion rate and the flow pattern on the magnetic momentum of the star and the magnetic diffusivity are presented. For slow star's rotation the accretion flow is similar to that in non-rotating case, but in the case of fast rotation the structure of the subsonic accretion flow is fundamentally different and includes a region of ``propeller'' outflow. The methods and results described here are of general interest and can be applied to systems where matter accretes with low angular momentum., Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures, used emulapj.sty

The radio source Sagittarius A* at the center of our Galaxy is believed to be a 2.6×106 M black hole that accretes gas from the winds of nearby stars. We show that limits on the X-ray and infrared emission from the Galactic center provide an upper limit of ~8×10-5 M yr-1 on the mass accretion rate in Sgr A*. The advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) model favors a rate of 10-5 M☉ yr-1. In comparison, the Bondi accretion rate onto Sgr A*, estimated using the observed spatial distribution of mass-losing stars and assuming noninteracting stellar winds, is ~3×10-5 M☉ yr-1. Thus, there is rough agreement between the Bondi, the ADAF, and the X-ray-inferred accretion rates for Sgr A*. We discuss uncertainties in these estimates, emphasizing the importance of upcoming observations by the Chandra X-ray Observatory for tightening the X-ray-derived limits.

Gas supplied conservatively to a black hole at rates well below the Eddington rate may not be able to radiate effectively and the net energy flux, including the energy transported by the viscous torque, is likely to be close to zero at all radii. This has the consequence that the gas accretes with positive energy so that it may escape. Accordingly, we propose that only a small fraction of the gas supplied actually falls onto the black hole and that the binding energy it releases is transported radially outward by the torque so as to drive away the remainder in the form of a wind. This is a generalization of and an alternative to an "ADAF" solution. Some observational implications and possible ways to distinguish these two types of flow are briefly discussed., 5 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters

We examine the spatial stability of spherical adiabatic Bondi accretion on to a point gravitating mass against external perturbations. Both transonic critical and subsonic subcritical accretion are shown to be stable against purely radial acoustic, vortex or entropy perturbations. In the case of non-radial perturbations the amplitude of the perturbations grows without limit with smaller radii. Instability manifests itself only if the size of the accreting body is much less than the Bondi radius so that the inflow is highly supersonic or highly subsonic at the surface of the accretor in the case of critical or subcritical accretion respectively. These asymptotics hold and consequently the instability may develop for adiabatic index of accreting gas γ

Binary systems consisting of a secondary accreting form a wind-emitting primary are ubiquitous in astrophysics. The phenomenology of such Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton (BHL) accretors is particularly rich when an accretion disc forms around the secondary. The outer radius of such discs is commonly estimated from the net angular momentum produced by a density variation of material across the BHL or Bondi accretion cylinder, as the latter is tilted with respect to the direction to the primary due to orbital motion. But this approach has ignored the fact that the wind experiences an outward driving force that the secondary does not. In actuality, the accretion stream falls toward a retarded point in the secondary's orbit as the secondary is pulled toward the primary relative to the stream. The result is a finite separation or "accretion stream impact parameter" (ASIP) separating the secondary and stream. When the orbital radius a_o exceeds the BHL radius r_b, the ratio of outer disc radius estimated as the ASIP to the conventional estimate a_o^{1/2}/r_b^{1/2}>1. We therefore predict that discs will form at larger radii from the secondary than traditional estimates. This agrees with the importance of the ASIP emphasized by Huarte-Espinosa et al. (2013) and the practical consequence that resolving the initial outer radius of such an accretion disc in numerical simulations can be less demanding than what earlier estimates would suggest., 8 pages, 2 figures, accepted by MNRAS; in press

In this paper we investigate a steady accretion within the Einstein-Straus vacuole, in the presence of the cosmological constant. The dark energy damps the mass accretion rate and --- above certain limit --- completely stops the steady accretion onto black holes, which in particular is prohibited in the inflation era and after (roughly) $10^{12}$ years from Big Bang (assuming the presently known value of the cosmological constant). Steady accretion would not exist in the late phases of the Penrose's scenario - known as the Weyl curvature hypothesis - of the evolution of the Universe., misprints corrected, matches published version

Recent models of black hole growth in a cosmological context have forwarded a paradigm in which the growth is self-regulated by feedback from the black hole itself. Here we use cosmological zoom simulations of galaxy formation down to z = 2 to show that such strong self-regulation is required in the popular spherical Bondi accretion model, but that a plausible alternative model in which black hole growth is limited by galaxy-scale torques does not require self-regulation. Instead, this torque-limited accretion model yields black holes and galaxies evolving on average along the observed scaling relations by relying only on a fixed, 5% mass retention rate onto the black hole from the radius at which the accretion flow is fed. Feedback from the black hole may (and likely does) occur, but does not need to couple to galaxy-scale gas in order to regulate black hole growth. We show that this result is insensitive to variations in the initial black hole mass, stellar feedback, or other implementation details. The torque-limited model allows for high accretion rates at very early epochs (unlike the Bondi case), which if viable can help explain the rapid early growth of black holes, while by z = 2 it yields Eddington factors of 1%-10%. This model also yields a less direct correspondence between major merger events and rapid phases of black hole growth. Instead, growth is more closely tied to cosmological disk feeding, which may help explain observational studies showing that, at least at z > 1, active galaxies do not preferentially show merger signatures., 20 pages, 15 figures, published in The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 770, Issue 1, article id. 5 (2013)

In a recent paper we investigated stationary, relativistic Bondi-type accretion in Schwarzschild-(anti-)de Sitter spacetimes. Here we study their stability, using the method developed by Moncrief. The analysis applies to perturbations satisfying the potential flow condition. We prove that global isothermal flows in Schwarzschild-anti-de Sitter spacetimes are stable, assuming the test-fluid approximation. Isothermal flows in Schwarzschild-de Sitter geometries and polytropic flows in Schwarzschild-de Sitter and Schwarzschild-anti-de Sitter spacetimes can be stable, under suitable boundary conditions., 6 pages

We study the X-ray emission from NGC1277, a galaxy in the core of the Perseus cluster, for which van den Bosch et al. have recently claimed the presence of an UltraMassive Black Hole (UMBH) of mass 1.7 times 10^10 Msun, unless the IMF of the stars in the stellar bulge is extremely bottom heavy. The X-rays originate in a power-law component of luminosity 1.3 times 10^40 erg/s embedded in a 1 keV thermal minicorona which has a half-light radius of about 360 pc, typical of many early-type galaxies in rich clusters of galaxies. If Bondi accretion operated onto the UMBH from the minicorona with a radiative efficiency of 10 per cent, then the object would appear as a quasar with luminosity 10^46 erg/s, a factor of almost 10^6 times higher than observed. The accretion flow must be highly radiatively inefficient, similar to past results on M87 and NGC3115. The UMBH in NGC1277 is definitely not undergoing any significant growth at the present epoch. We note that there are 3 UMBH candidates in the Perseus cluster and that the inferred present mean mass density in UMBH could be 10^5 Msun/Mpc^3, which is 20 to 30 per cent of the estimated mean mass density of all black holes. We speculate on the implied growth of UMBH and their hosts, and discuss the possibiity that extreme AGN feedback could make all UMBH host galaxies have low stellar masses at redshifts around 3. Only those which end up at the centres of groups and clusters later accrete large stellar envelopes and become Brightest Cluster Galaxies. NGC1277 and the other Perseus core UMBH, NGC1270, have not however been able to gather more stars or gas owing to their rapid orbital motion in the cluster core., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, MNRAS in press

We have carried out a numerical study of the effect of large scale magnetic fields on the rate of accretion from a uniform, isothermal gas onto a resistive, stationary point mass. Only mass, not magnetic flux, accretes onto the point mass. The simulations for this study avoid complications arising from boundary conditions by keeping the boundaries far from the accreting object. Our simulations leverage adaptive refinement methodology to attain high spatial fidelity close to the accreting object. Our results are particularly relevant to the problem of star formation from a magnetized molecular cloud in which thermal energy is radiated away on time scales much shorter than the dynamical time scale. Contrary to the adiabatic case, our simulations show convergence toward a finite accretion rate in the limit in which the radius of the accreting object vanishes, regardless of magnetic field strength. For very weak magnetic fields, the accretion rate first approaches the Bondi value and then drops by a factor ~ 2 as magnetic flux builds up near the point mass. For strong magnetic fields, the steady-state accretion rate is reduced by a factor ~ 0.2 \beta^{1/2} compared to the Bondi value, where \beta is the ratio of the gas pressure to the magnetic pressure. We give a simple expression for the accretion rate as a function of the magnetic field strength. Approximate analytic results are given in the Appendixes for both time-dependent accretion in the limit of weak magnetic fields and steady-state accretion for the case of strong magnetic fields., Comment: Accepted to ApJ

Bondi accretion theory is excellent for estimating the general properties of accreting black holes, particularly their accretion rate, luminosity, and long-term variability (e.g., over weeks and months for X-ray binaries and several millions of years for quasars). However, it cannot tell us about the spectral properties and short-term variability.

The early-type galaxy NGC 3115, at a distance of 10.2 Mpc, hosts the nearest billion-solar-mass black hole. Wong et al. recently inferred a substantial Bondi accretion rate near the black hole. Bondi-like accretion is thought to fuel outflows, which can be traced through their radio emission. This paper reports the discovery of a radio nucleus in NGC 3115, with a diameter less that 0.17 arcsec (8.4 pc), a luminosity at 8.5 GHz of 3.1 x 10^35 ergs/s and a flat spectrum (alpha = -0.23+/-0.20, flux density ~ frequency^alpha). The radio source coincides with the galaxy's photocenter and candidate X-ray nucleus. The emission is radio-loud, suggesting the presence of an outflow on scales less than 10 pc. On such scales, the Bondi accretion could be impeded by heating due to disruption of the outflow., Comment: 4 pages; 1 figure; emulateapj.cls; to appear in AJ

Steady accretion of a radiating gas onto a central mass point is described and compared to classic Bondi accretion. Radiation losses are essential for accretion flows to be observed. Unlike Bondi flows, radiating Bondi flows pass through a sonic point at a finite radius and become supersonic near the center. The morphology of all radiating Bondi flows is described by a single dimensionless parameter. In radiating Bondi flows the mass accretion rate varies approximately as the first power of the central mass -- this differs significantly from the quadratic dependence on the central mass in classical Bondi flows. Mass accretion rates onto galaxy or cluster-centered black holes estimated from traditional and radiating Bondi flows are significantly different. In radiating Bondi flows the gas temperature increases at large radii, as in the cores of many galaxy groups and clusters, allowing radiating Bondi flows to merge naturally with gas arriving from their cluster environments. Some radiating flows cool completely before reaching the center of the flow, and this also occurs in cooling site flows in which there is no central gravitating mass., Comment: 9 pages with 3 figures; accepted by ApJ

We study Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) activity in the fossil galaxy cluster, RX J1416.4+2315. Radio observations were carried out using Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at two frequencies, 1420 MHz and 610 MHz. A weak radio lobe that extends from the central nucleus is detected in 610 MHz map. Assuming the radio lobe originated from the central AGN, we show the energy injection into the Inter Galactic Medium (IGM) is only sufficient to heat up the central 50 kpc within the cluster core, while the cooling radius is larger ( $\sim$ 130 kpc). In the hardness ratio map, three low energy cavities have been identified. No radio emission is detected for these regions. We evaluated the power required to inflate the cavities and showed that the total energy budget is sufficient to offset the radiative cooling. We showed that the initial conditions would change the results remarkably. Furthermore, efficiency of Bondi accretion to power the AGN has been estimated., Comment: Accepted for publication in AJ

Gas undergoing Bondi accretion onto a supermassive black hole (SMBH) becomes hotter toward smaller radii. We searched for this signature with a Chandra observation of the hot gas in NGC 3115, which optical observations show has a very massive SMBH. Our analysis suggests that we are resolving, for the first time, the accretion flow within the Bondi radius of an SMBH. We show that the temperature is rising toward the galaxy center as expected in all accretion models in which the black hole is gravitationally capturing the ambient gas. There is no hard central point source that could cause such an apparent rise in temperature. The data support that the Bondi radius is at about 4 arcsec-5 arcsec (188-235 pc), suggesting an SMBH of 2 x 10^9 M_sun that is consistent with the upper end of the optical results. The density profile within the Bondi radius has a power-law index of 1.03^{+0.23}_{-0.21} which is consistent with gas in transition from the ambient medium and the accretion flow. The accretion rate at the Bondi radius is determined to be {\dot M}_B = 2.2 x 10^{-2} M_sun yr^{-1}. Thus, the accretion luminosity with 10% radiative efficiency at the Bondi radius (10^{44} erg s^{-1}) is about six orders of magnitude higher than the upper limit of the X-ray luminosity of the nucleus., 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. Version 2 is slightly modified to match the publication

Utilizing $\sim 50$ ks of Chandra X-ray Observatory imaging, we present an analysis of the intracluster medium (ICM) and cavity system in the galaxy cluster RBS 797. In addition to the two previously known cavities in the cluster core, the new and deeper X-ray image has revealed additional structure associated with the active galactic nucleus (AGN). The surface brightness decrements of the two cavities are unusually large, and are consistent with elongated cavities lying close to our line-of-sight. We estimate a total AGN outburst energy and mean jet power of $\approx 3 - 6 \times 10^{60}$ erg and $\approx 3 - 6 \times 10^{45}$ erg s$^{-1}$, respectively, depending on the assumed geometrical configuration of the cavities. Thus, RBS 797 is apparently among the the most powerful AGN outbursts known in a cluster. The average mass accretion rate needed to power the AGN by accretion alone is $\sim 1 M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$. We show that accretion of cold gas onto the AGN at this level is plausible, but that Bondi accretion of the hot atmosphere is probably not. The BCG harbors an unresolved, non-thermal nuclear X-ray source with a bolometric luminosity of $\approx 2 \times 10^{44}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The nuclear emission is probably associated with a rapidly-accreting, radiatively inefficient accretion flow. We present tentative evidence that star formation in the BCG is being triggered by the radio jets and suggest that the cavities may be driving weak shocks ($M \sim 1.5$) into the ICM, similar to the process in the galaxy cluster MS 0735.6+7421., Accepted to ApJ; 20 pages, 11 low-resolution figures

Essentially all stars form in giant molecular clouds (GMCs). However, inside GMCs, most of the gas does not participate in star formation; rather, denser gas accumulates in clumps in the GMC, with the bulk of the stars in a given GMC forming in a few of the most massive clumps. In the Milky Way, these clumps have masses $M_{\rm cl}\lesssim 5\times 10^{-2}$ of the GMC, radii $r_{\rm cl} \sim 1$pc, and free-fall times $\tau_{\rm cl} \sim 2\times 10^5\yr$. We show that clumps inside giant molecular clouds should accrete at a modified Bondi accretion rate, which depends on clump mass as $\dot M_{\rm cl}\sim M_{\rm cl}^{5/4}$. This rate is initially rather slow, usually slower than the initial star formation rate inside the clump (we adopt the common assumption that inside the clump, $\dot M_*=\epsilon_{\rm ff} M_{\rm cl}/\tau_{\rm cl}$, with $\epsilon_{\rm ff} \approx 0.017$). However, after $\sim 2$ GMC free-fall times $\tau_{\rm GMC}$, the clump accretion rate accelerates rapidly; formally, the clump can accrete the entire GMC in $\sim 3\tau_{\rm GMC}$. At the same time, the star formation rate accelerates, tracking the Bondi accretion rate. If the GMC is disrupted by feedback from the largest clump, half the stars in that clump form in the final $\taug$ before the GMC is disrupted. The theory predicts that the distribution of effective star formation rates, measured per GMC free-fall time, is broad, ranging from $\sim 0.001$ up to 0.1 or larger and that the mass spectrum of star clusters is flatter than that of clumps, consistent with observations., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, submitted to ApJ

An orbiting object in a gas rich environment creates a gravitational density wake containing information about the object and its orbit. Using linear perturbation theory, we analyze the observable properties of the gravitational wake due to the object circularly moving in a static homogeneous gaseous medium, in order to derive the Bondi accretion radius $r_B$, the orbital distance $r_p$, and the Mach number of the object. Supersonic motion, producing a wake of spiral-onion shell structure, exhibits a single-armed Archimedes spiral and two-centered circular arcs with respect to the line of sight. The pitch angle, arm width, and spacing of the spiral pattern are entirely determined by the orbital distance $r_p$ and Mach number of the object. The arm-interarm density contrast is proportional to the Bondi accretion radius, decreasing as a function of distance with a power index of -1. The background density distribution is globally changed from initially uniform to centrally concentrated. The vertical structure of the wake is manifested as circular arcs with the center at the object location. The angular extent of the arcs is determined by the Mach number of the object motion. Diagnostic probes of nonlinear wakes such as a detached bow shock, an absence of the definite inner arm boundary, the presence of turbulent low density eddies, and elongated shapes of arcs are explained in the extension of the linear analysis. The density enhancement at the center is always $r_B/r_p$ independent of the nonlinearity, suggesting that massive objects can substantially modify the background distribution. These detailed understanding of the wake characteristics will provide an interpretative framework for both further theoretical works under more complicated situations and future observations to detect the gravitational wakes of hidden objects., Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal

We present deep GMOS-S/Gemini optical broad-band images for a complete sample of 46 southern 2Jy radio galaxies at intermediate redshifts (0.05

In this paper we continue our study on the accretion process onto super-spinning Kerr objects with no event horizon (super-spinars). We discuss the counterpart of the Bondi accretion onto black holes. We first report the results of our numerical simulations. We found a quasi steady-state configuration for any choice of the parameters of our model. The most interesting feature is the presence of hot outflows. Unlike jets and outflows produced around black holes, which are thought to be powered by magnetic fields and emitted from the poles, here the outflows are produced by the repulsive gravitational force at a small distance from the super-spinar and are ejected around the equatorial plane. In some circumstances, the amount of matter in the outflow is considerable, which can indeed significantly reduce the gas mass accretion rate. Finally, we discuss a possible scenario of the accretion process in more realistic situations, which cannot be simulated by our code., 14 pages, 11 figures. v2: published version with typos corrected