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J. -R. Liu

Publications and source records attributed to J. -R. Liu.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Accretion-modified Stars in Accretion Disks of Active Galactic Nuclei: the Low-luminosity Cases and an Application to Sgr A$\!^{*}$

In this paper, we investigate the astrophysical processes of stellar-mass black holes (sMBHs) embedded in advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAFs) of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The sMBH is undergoing Bondi accretion at a rate lower than the SMBH. Outflows from the sMBH-ADAF dynamically interact with their surroundings and form a cavity inside the SMBH-ADAF, thereby quenching the accretion onto the SMBH. Rejuvenation of the Bondi accretion is rapidly done by turbulence. These processes give rise to quasi-periodic episodes of sMBH activities and create flickerings from relativistic jets developed by the Blandford-Znajek mechanism if the sMBH is maximally rotating. Accumulating successive sMBH-outflows trigger viscous instability of the SMBH-ADAF, leading to a flare following a series of flickerings. Recently, the similarity of near-infrared flare's orbits has been found by GRAVITY/VLTI astrometric observations of Sgr A$\!^{*}$: their loci during the last 4-years consist of a ring in agreement with the well-determined SMBH mass. We apply the present model to Sgr A$\!^{*}$, which shows quasi-periodic flickerings. A SMBHH of $\sim 40 M_{\odot}$ is preferred orbiting around the central SMBH of Sgr A$\!^{*}$ from fitting radio to X-ray continuum. Such an extreme mass ratio inspiraling (EMRI) provides an excellent laboratory for LISA, Taiji and Tianqin detection of mHz gravitational waves with strains of $\sim 10^{-17}$, as well as their polarization.

astro-ph.HE

Star Formation in Self-gravitating Disks in Active Galactic Nuclei. III. Efficient Production of Iron and Infrared Spectral Energy Distributions

Strong iron lines are a common feature of the optical spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and quasars from $z\sim 6-7$ to the local Universe, and [Fe/Mg] ratios do not show cosmic evolution. During active episodes, accretion disks surrounding supermassive black holes (SMBHs) inevitably form stars in the self-gravitating part and these stars accrete with high accretion rates. In this paper, we investigate the population evolution of accretion-modified stars (AMSs) to produce irons and magnesium in AGNs. The AMSs as a new type of stars are allowed to have any metallicity but without significant loss from stellar winds since the winds are choked by the dense medium of the disks and return to the core stars. Mass functions of the AMS population show a pile-up or cutoff pile-up shape in top-heavy or top-dominant forms if the stellar winds are strong, consistent with the narrow range of supernovae (SN) explosions driven by the known pair-instability. This provides an efficient way to produce metals. Meanwhile, SN explosions support an inflated disk as a dusty torus. Furthermore, the evolving top-heavy initial mass functions (IMFs) lead to bright luminosity in infrared bands in dusty regions. This contributes a new component in infrared bands which is independent of the emissions from the central part of accretion disks, appearing as a long-term trending of the NIR continuum compared to optical variations. Moreover, the model can be further tested through reverberation mapping of emission lines, including LIGO/LISA detections of gravitational waves and signatures from spatially resolved observations of GRAVITY+/VLTI.

astro-ph.GA