arXiv subjects

G. Lodato

Publications and source records attributed to G. Lodato.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

Black hole mergers: the first light

The coalescence of supermassive black hole binaries occurs via the emission of gravitational waves, that can impart a substantial recoil to the merged black hole. We consider the energy dissipation, that results if the recoiling black hole is surrounded by a thin circumbinary disc. Our results differ significantly from those of previous investigations. We show analytically that the dominant source of energy is often potential energy, released as gas in the outer disc attempts to circularize at smaller radii. Thus, dimensional estimates, that include only the kinetic energy gained by the disc gas, underestimate the real energy loss. This underestimate can exceed an order of magnitude, if the recoil is directed close to the disc plane. We use three dimensional Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations and two dimensional finite difference simulations to verify our analytic estimates. We also compute the bolometric light curve, which is found to vary strongly depending upon the kick angle. A prompt emission signature due to this mechanism may be observable for low mass (10^6 Solar mass) black holes whose recoil velocities exceed about 1000 km/s. Emission at earlier times can mainly result from the response of the disc to the loss of mass, as the black holes merge. We derive analytically the condition for this to happen.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Chaotic star formation and the alignment of stellar rotation with disc and planetary orbital axes

We investigate the evolution of the relative angle between the stellar rotation axis and the circumstellar disc axis of a star that forms in a stellar cluster from the collapse of a turbulent molecular cloud. This is an inherently chaotic environment with variable accretion, both in terms of rate and the angular momentum of the material, and dynamical interactions between stars. We find that the final stellar rotation axis and disc spin axis can be strongly misaligned, but this occurs primarily when the disc is truncated by a dynamical encounter so that the final disc rotation axis depends simply on what fell in last. This may lead to planetary systems with orbits that are misaligned with the stellar rotation axis, but only if the final disc contains enough mass to form planets. We also investigate the time variability of the inner disc spin axis, which is likely to determine the direction of a protostellar jet. We find that the jet direction varies more strongly for lighter discs, such as those that have been truncated by dynamical interactions or have suffered a period of rapid accretion. Finally, we note that variability of the angular momentum of the material accreting by a star implies that the internal velocity field of such stars may be more complicated than that of aligned differential rotation.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2009

Limits on the location of planetesimal formation in self-gravitating protostellar discs

In this Letter we show that if planetesimals form in spiral features in self-gravitating discs, as previously suggested by the idealised simulations of Rice et al, then in realistic protostellar discs, this process will be restricted to the outer regions of the disc (i.e. at radii in excess of several tens of A.U.). This restriction relates to the requirement that dust has to be concentrated in spiral features on a timescale that is less than the (roughly dynamical) lifetime of such features, and that such rapid accumulation requires spiral features whose fractional amplitude is not much less than unity. This in turn requires that the cooling timescale of the gas is relatively short, which restricts the process to the outer disc. We point out that the efficient conversion of a large fraction of the primordial dust in the disc into planetesimals could rescue this material from the well known problem of rapid inward migration at a $\sim$ metre size scale and that in principle the collisional evolution of these objects could help to re-supply small dust to the protostellar disc. We also point out the possible implications of this scenario for the location of planetesimal belts inferred in debris discs around main sequence stars, but stress that further dynamical studies are required in order to establish whether the disc retains a memory of the initial site of planetesimal creation.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2009

Black hole mergers: can gas discs solve the `final parsec' problem?

We compute the effect of an orbiting gas disc in promoting the coalescence of a central supermassive black hole binary. Unlike earlier studies, we consider a finite mass of gas with explicit time dependence: we do not assume that the gas necessarily adopts a steady state or a spatially constant accretion rate, i.e. that the merging black hole was somehow inserted into a pre--existing accretion disc. We consider the tidal torque of the binary on the disc, and the binary's gravitational radiation. We study the effects of star formation in the gas disc in a simple energy feedback framework. The disc spectrum differs in detail from that found before. In particular, tidal torques from the secondary black hole heat the edges of the gap, creating bright rims around the secondary. These rims do not in practice have uniform brightness either in azimuth or time, but can on average account for as much as 50 per cent of the integrated light from the disc. This may lead to detectable high--photon--energy variability on the relatively long orbital timescale of the secondary black hole, and thus offer a prospective signature of a coalescing black hole binary. We also find that the disc can drive the binary to merger on a reasonable timescale only if its mass is at least comparable with that of the secondary black hole, and if the initial binary separation is relatively small, i.e. $a_0 \lesssim 0.05$ pc. Star formation complicates the merger further by removing mass from the disc. In the feedback model we consider, this sets an effective limit to the disc mass. As a result, binary merging is unlikely unless the black hole mass ratio is $\la 0.001$. Gas discs thus appear not to be an effective solution to the `last parsec' problem for a significant class of mergers.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2008

Stellar disruption by a supermassive black hole: is the light curve really proportional to $t^{-5/3}$?

In this paper we revisit the arguments for the basis of the time evolution of the flares expected to arise when a star is disrupted by a supermassive black hole. We present a simple analytic model relating the lightcurve to the internal density structure of the star. We thus show that the standard lightcurve proportional to $t^{-5/3}$ only holds at late times. Close to the peak luminosity the lightcurve is shallower, deviating more strongly from $t^{-5/3}$ for more centrally concentrated (e.g. solar--type) stars. We test our model numerically by simulating the tidal disruption of several stellar models, described by simple polytropic spheres with index $γ$. The simulations agree with the analytical model given two considerations. First, the stars are somewhat inflated on reaching pericentre because of the effective reduction of gravity in the tidal field of the black hole. This is well described by a homologous expansion by a factor which becomes smaller as the polytropic index becomes larger. Second, for large polytropic indices wings appear in the tails of the energy distribution, indicating that some material is pushed further away from parabolic orbits by shocks in the tidal tails. In all our simulations, the $t^{-5/3}$ lightcurve is achieved only at late stages. In particular we predict that for solar type stars, this happens only after the luminosity has dropped by at least two magnitudes from the peak. We discuss our results in the light of recent observations of flares in otherwise quiescent galaxies and note the dependence of these results on further parameters, such as the star/hole mass ratio and the stellar orbit.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Self-gravitating accretion discs

I review recent progresses in the dynamics and the evolution of self-gravitating accretion discs. Accretion discs are a fundamental component of several astrophysical systems on very diverse scales, and can be found around supermassive black holes in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), and also in our Galaxy around stellar mass compact objects and around young stars. Notwithstanding the specific differences arising from such diversity in physical extent, all these systems share a common feature where a central object is fed from the accretion disc, due to the effect of turbulence and disc instabilities, which are able to remove the angular momentum from the gas and allow its accretion. In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that the gravitational field produced by the disc itself (the disc's self-gravity) is an important ingredient in the models, especially in the context of protostellar discs and of AGN discs. Indeed, it appears that in many cases (and especially in the colder outer parts of the disc) the development of gravitational instabilities can be one of the main agents in the redistribution of angular momentum. In some cases, the instability can be strong enough to lead to the formation of gravitationally bound clumps within the disc, and thus to determine the disc fragmentation. As a result, progress in our understanding of the dynamics of self-gravitating discs is essential to understand the processes that lead to the feeding of both young stars and of supermassive black holes in AGN. At the same time, understanding the fragmentation conditions is important to determine under which conditions AGN discs would fragment and form stars and whether protostellar discs might form giant gaseous planets through disc fragmentation.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Eccentricity growth of planetesimals in a self-gravitating protoplanetary disc

We investigate the orbital evolution of planetesimals in a self-gravitating circumstellar disc in the size regime ($\sim 1-5000$ km) where the planetesimals behave approximately as test particles in the disc's non-axisymmetric potential. We find that the particles respond to the stochastic, regenerative spiral features in the disc by executing large random excursions (up to a factor of two in radius in $\sim 1000$ years), although typical random orbital velocities are of order one tenth of the Keplerian speed. The limited time frame and small number of planetesimals modeled does not permit us to discern any {\it net} direction of planetesimal migration. Our chief conclusion is that the high eccentricities ($\sim 0.1$) induced by interaction with spiral features in the disc is likely to be highly unfavourable to the collisional growth of planetesimals in this size range while the disc is in the self-gravitating regi me. Thus {\it if}, as recently argued by Rice et al 2004, 2006, the production of planetesimals gets under way when the disc is in the self-gravitating regime (either at smaller planetesimal size scales, where gas drag is important, or via gravitational fragmentation of the solid component), then the planetesimals thus produced would not be able to grow collisionally until the disc ceased to be self-gravitating. It is unclear, however,given the large amplitude excursions undergone by planetesimals in the self-gravitating disc, whether they would be retained in the disc throughout this period, or whether they would instead be lost to the central star.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

The evolution of massive black hole seeds

We investigate the evolution of high redshift seed black hole masses at late times and their observational signatures. The massive black hole seeds studied here form at extremely high redshifts from the direct collapse of pre-galactic gas discs. Populating dark matter halos with seeds formed in this way, we follow the mass assembly of these black holes to the present time using a Monte-Carlo merger tree. Using this machinery we predict the black hole mass function at high redshifts and at the present time; the integrated mass density of black holes and the luminosity function of accreting black holes as a function of redshift. These predictions are made for a set of three seed models with varying black hole formation efficiency. Given the accuracy of current observational constraints, all 3 models can be adequately fit. Discrimination between the models appears predominantly at the low mass end of the present day black hole mass function which is not observationally well constrained. However, all our models predict that low surface brightness, bulgeless galaxies with large discs are least likely to be sites for the formation of massive seed black holes at high redshifts. The efficiency of seed formation at high redshifts has a direct influence on the black hole occupation fraction in galaxies at z=0. This effect is more pronounced for low mass galaxies. This is the key discriminant between the models studied here and the Population III remnant seed model. We find that there exists a population of low mass galaxies that do not host nuclear black holes. Our prediction of the shape of the black hole mass - velocity dispersion relation at the low mass end is in agreement with the recent observational determination from the census of low mass galaxies in the Virgo cluster.

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arXiv2007

The response of self-graviting protostellar discs to slow reduction in cooling timescale: the fragmentation boundary revisited

A number of previous studies of the fragmentation of self-gravitating protostellar discs have modeled radiative cooling with a cooling timescale (t_{cool}) parameterised as a simple multiple (beta_{cool}) of the local dynamical timescale. Such studies have delineated the `fragmentation boundary' in terms of a critical value of beta_{cool} (beta_{crit}), where the disc fragments if beta_{cool} < beta_{crit}. Such an approach however begs the question of how in reality a disc could ever be assembled with beta_{cool} < beta_{crit}. Here we adopt the more realistic approach of gradually reducing beta_{cool}, as might correspond to changes in thermal regime due to secular changes in the disc density profile. We find that when beta_{cool} is gradually reduced (on a timescale longer than t_{cool}), the disc is stabilised against fragmentation, compared with models in which beta_{cool} is reduced rapidly. We therefore conclude that a disc's ability to remain in a self-regulated, self-gravitating state (without fragmentation) is partly dependent on its thermal history, as well as its current cooling rate. Nevertheless, a slow reduction in t_{cool} appears only to lower the fragmentation boundary by about a factor two in t_{cool} and thus only permits maximum alpha values (parameterising the efficiency of angular momentum transfer in the disc) that are about a factor two higher than determined hitherto. Our results therefore do not undermine the notion of a fundamental upper limit to the heating rate that can be delivered by gravitational instabilities before the disc is subject to fragmentation. An important implication of this work, therefore, is that self-gravitating discs can enter into the regime of fragmentation via secular evolution and it is not necessary to invoke rapid (impulsive) events to trigger fragmentation.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

The role of the energy equation in the fragmentation of protostellar discs during stellar encounters

In this paper, we use high-resolution smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations to investigate the response of a marginally stable self-gravitating protostellar disc to a close parabolic encounter with a companion discless star. Our main aim is to test whether close brown dwarfs or massive planets can form out of the fragmentation of such discs. We follow the thermal evolution of the disc by including the effects of heating due to compression and shocks and a simple prescription for cooling and find results that contrast with previous isothermal simulations. In the present case we find that fragmentation is inhibited by the interaction, due to the strong effect of tidal heating, which results in a strong stabilization of the disc. A similar behaviour was also previously observed in other simulations involving discs in binary systems. As in the case of isolated discs, it appears that the condition for fragmentation ultimately depends on the cooling rate.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Planetesimal formation via fragmentation in self-gravitating protoplanetary discs

An unsolved issue in the standard core accretion model for gaseous planet formation is how kilometre-sized planetesimals form from, initially, micron-sized dust grains. Solid growth beyond metre sizes can be difficult both because the sticking efficiency becomes very small, and because these particles should rapidly migrate into the central star. We consider here how metre-sized particles evolve in self-gravitating accretion discs using simulations in which the gravitational influence of the solid particles is also included. Metre-sized particles become strongly concentrated in the spiral structures present in the disc and, if the solid to gas density ratio is sufficiently high, can fragment due to their own self-gravity to form planetesimals directly. This result suggests that planetesimal formation may occur very early in the star formation process while discs are still massive enough to be self-gravitating. The dependence of this process on the surface density of the solids is also consistent with the observation that extrasolar planets are preferentially found around high metallicity stars.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Disks around Young O-B (Proto)Stars: Observations and Theory

Disks are a natural outcome of the star formation process in which they play a crucial role. Luminous, massive stars of spectral type earlier than B4 are likely to be those that benefit most from the existence of accretion disks, which may significantly reduce the effect of radiation pressure on the accreting material. The scope of the present contribution is to review the current knowledge about disks in young high-mass (proto)stars and discuss their implications. The issues of disk stability and lifetime are also discussed. We conclude that for protostars of less than ~20 solar masses, disks with mass comparable to that of the central star are common. Above this limit the situation is unclear and there are no good examples of proto O4-O8 stars surrounded by accretion disks: in these objects only huge, massive, toroidal, non-equilibrium rotating structures are seen. It is clear on the other hand that the observed disks in stars of 10-20 solar masses are likely to be unstable and with short lifetimes.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

The evolution of misaligned accretion discs and spinning black holes

In this paper we consider the process of alignment of a spinning black hole and a surrounding misaligned accretion disc. We use a simplified set of equations, that describe the evolution of the system in the case where the propagation of warping disturbances in the accretion disc occurs diffusively, a situation likely to be common in the thin discs in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). We also allow the direction of the hole spin to move under the action of the disc torques. In such a way, the evolution of the hole-disc system is computed self-consistently. We consider a number of different situations and we explore the relevant parameter range, by varying the location of the warp radius $R_{\rm w}$ and the propagation speed of the warp. We find that the dissipation associated with the twisting of the disc results in a large increase in the accretion rate through the disc, so that AGN accreting from a misaligned disc are likely to be significantly more luminous than those accreting from a flat disc. We compute explicitly the time-scales for the warping of the disc and for the alignment process and compare our results with earlier estimates based on simplified steady-state solutions. We also confirm earlier predictions that, under appropriate circumstances, accretion can proceed in a counter-aligned fashion, so that the accreted material will spin-down the hole, rather than spinning it up. Our results have implication in a number of different observational features of AGN such as the orientation and shape of jets, the shape of X-ray iron lines, and the possibility of obscuration and absorption of X-ray by the outer disc as well as the general issue of the spin history of black holes during their growth.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Constraints on the formation mechanism of the planetary mass companion of 2MASS 1207334-393254

In this paper we discuss the nature and the possible formation scenarios of the companion of the brown dwarf 2MASS 1207334-393254. We initially discuss the basic physical properties of this object and conclude that, although from its absolute mass ($5M_{\rm Jup}$), it is a planetary object, in terms of its mass ratio $q$ and of its separation $a$ with respect to the primary brown dwarf, it is consistent with the statistical properties of binaries with higher primary mass. We then explore the possible formation mechanism for this object. We show that the standard planet formation mechanism of core accretion is far too slow to form this object within 10 Myr, the observed age of the system. On the other hand, the alternative mechanism of gravitational instability (proposed both in the context of planet and of binary formation) may, in principle, work and form a system with the observed properties.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Investigating fragmentation conditions in self-gravitating accretion discs

The issue of fragmentation in self-gravitating gaseous accretion discs has implications both for the formation of stars in discs in the nuclei of active galaxies, and for the formation of gaseous planets or brown dwarfs in circumstellar discs. It is now well established that fragmentation occurs if the disc is cooled on a timescale smaller than the local dynamical timescale, while for longer cooling times the disc reaches a quasi-steady state in thermal equilibrium, with the cooling rate balanced by the heating due to gravitational stresses. We investigate here how the fragmentation boundary depends on the assumed equation of state. We find that the cooling time required for fragmentation increases as the specific heat ratio, gamma, decreases, exceeding the local dynamical timescale for gamma = 7/5. This result can be easily interpreted as a consequence of there being a maximum stress (in units of the local disc pressure) that can be sustained by a self-gravitating disc in quasi-equilibrium. Fragmentation occurs if the cooling time is such that the stress required to reach thermal equilibrium exceeds this value, independent of gamma. This result suggest that a quasi-steady, self-gravitating disc can never produce a stress that results in the viscous alpha parameter exceeding ~ 0.06.

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arXiv2005

The photometric evolution of FU Orionis objects: disc instability and wind-envelope interaction

We present the results of a photometric monitoring campaign of three well studied FU Orionis systems (FU Orionis, V1057 Cygni and V1515 Cygni) undertaken at Maidanak Observatory between 1981 and 2003. When combined with photometric data in the literature, this database provides a valuable resource for searching for short timescale variability - both periodic and aperiodic - as well as for studying the secular evolution of these systems. In the case of V1057 Cyg (which is the system exhibiting the largest changes in brightness since it went into outburst) we compare the photometric data with time dependent models. We show that prior to the end of the `plateau' stage in 1996, the evolution of V1057 Cyg in the $V-(B-V)$ colour-magnitude diagram is well represented by disc instability models in which the outburst is triggered by some agent - such as an orbiting planet - in the inner disc. Following the end of the plateau phase in 1996, the dimming and irregular variations are consistent with occultation of the source by a variable dust screen, which has previously been interpreted in terms of dust condensation events in the observed disc wind. Here we instead suggest that this effect results from the interaction between the wind and an infalling dusty envelope, the existence of this envelope having been previously invoked in order to explain the mid infrared emissio of FU Orionis systems. We discuss how this model may explain some of the photometric and spectroscopic characteristics of FU Orionis systems in general.

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arXiv2005

Testing the locality of transport in self-gravitating accretion discs - II. The massive disc case

In this paper, we extend our previous analysis (Lodato & Rice 2004) of the transport properties induced by gravitational instabilities in cooling, gaseous accretion discs to the case where the disc mass is comparable to the central object. In order to do so, we have performed global, three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of massive discs. These new simulations show a much more complex temporal evolution with respect to the less massive case. Whereas in the low disc mass case a self-regulated, marginally stable state (characterized by an approximately constant radial profile of the stability parameter $Q$) is easily established, in the high disc mass case we observe the development of an initial transient and subsequent settling down in a self-regulated state in some simulations, or a series or recurrent spiral episodes, with low azimuthal wave number $m$, in others. Accretion in this last case can therefore be a highly variable process. On the other hand, we find that the secular evolution of the disc is relatively slow. In fact, the time-average of the stress induced by self-gravity results in accretion time-scales much longer than the dynamical timescale, in contrast with previous isothermal simulations of massive accretion discs. We have also compared the resulting stress tensor with the expectations based on a local theory of transport, finding no significant evidence for global wave energy transport.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Accelerated planetesimal growth in self-gravitating protoplanetary discs

In this paper we consider the evolution of small planetesimals in marginally stable, self-gravitating protoplanetary discs. The drag force between the disc gas and the embedded planetesimals generally causes the planetesimals to drift inwards through the disc at a rate that depends on the particle size. In a marginally stable, self-gravitating disc, however, the planetesimals are significantly influenced by the non-axisymmetric spiral structures resulting from the growth of the gravitational instability. For small particles, that are strongly coupled to the disc gas, and for large particles, that have essentially decoupled from the disc gas, the effect is not particularly significant. Intermediate sized particles, which would generally have the largest radial drift rates, do, however, become significantly concentrated at the peaks of the spiral arms. These high density regions may persist for, of order, an orbital period and may attain densities comparable to that of the disc gas. Although at the end of the simulation only ~ 25 % of the planetesimal particles lie in regions of enhanced density, during the course of the simulation at least 75 % of the planetesimal particles have at some stage been in a such a region. We find that the concentration of particles in the spiral arms results in an increased collision rate, an effect that could significantly accelerate planetesimal growth. The density enhancements may also be sufficient for the growth of planetesimals through direct gravitational collapse. The interaction between small planetesimals and self-gravitating spiral structures may therefore play an important role in the formation of large planetesimals that will ultimately coagulate to form terrestrial planets or the cores of gas/ice giant planets.

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