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Sandip K. Chakrabarti

Publications and source records attributed to Sandip K. Chakrabarti.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

Role of Disk models in Indentifying Astrophysical Black Holes

We discuss how disk models may limit the scope of identifying astrophysical black holes. We show that the standard Keplerian thin disk model, the thick disk model, slim disks, ADAFs etc. are fundamentally limited. We present the most complete solution to date called the advective accretion disk and discuss how it has the scope to address every observational aspects of a black hole. Though the magnetic field is not fully self-consistently taken care of yet, the details with which the present model can handle various issues successfully are astounding. We present some of the examples.

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Spectral Properties of a Two Component and Two Temperature Advective Flow

Low angular momentum accretion flows very often have centrifugal pressure supported standing shock waves which can accelerate flow particles. The accelerated particles in turn emit synchrotron radiation in presence of magnetic fields. Efficient cooling of the electrons reduces its temperature in comparison to the protons. In this paper, we assume two temperature flows to explore this property of shocks and present an example of the emitted radiation spectrum.

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Spectral Signatures of Winds from Accretion Disks Around Black Holes

We show that with the wind/jet activity, the spectral index of hard X-ray is changed in galactic microquasars. When mass loss takes place, the spectrum becomes softer and when mass gain takes place, the spectrum becomes harder. We present examples of such changes in GRS1915+105.

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Signatures of Accretion Shocks in Broadband Spectrum of Advective Flows Around Black Holes

We compute the effects of the centrifugal pressure supported shock waves on the emitted spectrum from an accretion disk primarily consisting of low angular momentum matter. Electrons are very efficiently accelerated by the accretion shock and acquire power-law distribution. The accelerated particles in turn emit synchrotron radiation in presence of a stochastic magnetic field in equipartition with the gas. Efficient cooling of the electrons by these soft photons reduces its temperature in comparison to the protons. We explore the nature of the broadband spectra by using Comptonization, bremsstrahlung and synchrotron emission. We then show that there could be two crossing points in a broadband spectrum, one near $\sim 10 keV$ and the other $\sim 300-400$KeV.

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Radiatively Driven Jets around Black Holes

The hot, puffed up, post-shock region of an advective disc is the source of high energy photons and also the jets and outflows. We study the relativistic equations of motion of jets as these high energy photons interact with them. We show that the much discussed terminal velocity of jets depends on the comparative value of radiative energy density, flux and the radiative pressure. We show that electron-positron pair plasma jets achieves highly relativistic terminal speeds for higher disc luminosities.

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Properties of Accretion Shocks in Viscous Flows with Cooling Effects

Low angular momentum accretion flows can have standing and oscillating shock waves. We study the region of the parameter space in which multiple sonic points occur in viscous flows in presence of various cooling effects such as bremsstrahlung and Comptonization. We also quantify the parameter space in which shocks are steady or oscillating. We find that cooling induces effects opposite to heating by viscosity even in modifying the topology of the solutions, though one can never be exactly balanced by the other due to their dissimilar dependence on dynamic and thermodynamic parameters. We show that beyond a critical value of cooling, the flow ceases to contain a shock wave.

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Study of Accretion Processes on Black Holes: Fifty Years of Developments

Fifty years ago, in 1952, the first significant paper on accretion flows was written by Bondi. The subject has grown exponentially since then. In fact, today many of the satellites engaged in space physics research look for signatures of accretion processes in whatever objects are studied. In this review, I will touch upon the significant developments in these years in this subject, emphasizing mainly on accretion onto black holes. Since winds and accretions are generally studied under similar framework, some references of the winds/outflows studies will also be made.

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Computation of outflow rates from accretion disks around black holes

We self-consistently estimate the outflow rate from the accretion rates of an accretion disk around a black hole in which both the Keplerian and the sub-Keplerian matter flows simultaneously. While Keplerian matter supplies soft-photons, hot sub-Keplerian matter supplies thermal electrons. The temperature of the hot electrons is decided by the degree of inverse Comptonization of the soft photons. If we consider only thermally-driven flows from the centrifugal pressure-supported boundary layer around a black hole, we find that when the thermal electrons are cooled down, either because of the absence of the boundary layer (low compression ratio), or when the surface of the boundary layer is formed very far away, the outflow rate is negligible. For an intermediate size of this boundary layer the outflow rate is maximal. Since the temperature of the thermal electrons also decides the spectral state of a black hole, we predict that the outflow rate should be directly related to the spectral state.

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The effect of cooling on time dependent behaviour of accretion flows around black holes

We present the results of several numerical simulations of two dimensional axi-symmetric accretion flows around black holes using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) in the presence of cooling effects. We consider both stellar black holes and super-massive black holes. We observe that due to {\it both radial and vertical oscillation} of shock waves in the accretion flow, the luminosity and average thermal energy content of the inner disk exhibit very interesting behaviour. When power density spectra are taken, quasi-periodic variabilities are seen at a few Hz and also occasionally at hundreds of Hz for stellar black holes. For super-massive black holes, the time scale of the oscillations ranges from hours to weeks. The power density spectra have a flat top behavior with average {\it rms} amplitude of a few percent and a broken power-law behavior. The break frequency is generally found to be close to the frequency where the shock oscillates.

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Possible Photometric Evidence of Ejection of Bullet Like Features in the Relativistic Jet source SS433

SS433 is well-known for its precessing twin jets having optical bullets inferred through {\it spectroscopic} observation of $H_α$ lines. Recently, Chakrabarti et al. (2002) described processes which may be operating in accretion disk of SS433 to produce these bullets. In a recent multi-wavelength campaign, we find sharp rise in intensity in time-scales of few minutes in X-rays, IR and radio waves through {\it photometric} studies. We interpret them to be possible evidence of ejection of bullet-like features from accretion disks.

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Properties of Accretion Shock Waves in Viscous Flows Around Black Holes

Accretion flows having low angular momentum and low viscosity can have standing shock waves. These shocks arise due to the presence of multiple sonic points in the flow. We study the region of the parameter space in which multiple sonic points occur in viscous flows in the absence of cooling. We also separate the parameter space in regions allowing steady shocks and oscillating shocks. We quantify the nature of two critical viscosities which separate the flow topologies. A post-shock region being hotter, it emits harder X-rays and oscillating shocks cause oscillating X-ray intensities giving rise to quasi-periodic oscillations. We show that with the increase in viscosity parameter, the shock always moves closer to the black hole. This implies an enhancement of the quasi-periodic oscillation frequency as viscosity is increased

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Radiatively driven electron-positron jets from two component accretion flows

Matter accreting onto black holes has long been known to have standing or oscillating shock waves. The post-shock matter puffs up in the form of a torus, which intercepts soft photons from the outer Keplerian disc and inverse Comptonizes to produce hard photons. The post-shock region also produces jets. We study the interaction of both hard photons and soft photons, with on-axis electron-positron jets. We show that the radiation from post-shock torus accelerates the flow to relativistic velocities, while that from the Keplerian disc has marginal effect. We also show that, the velocity at infinity or terminal velocity ${\vartheta}$, depends on the shock location in the disc.

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Fast Transition between High-soft and Low-soft States in GRS 1915+105: Evidence for a Critically Viscous Accretion Flow

We present the results of a detailed analysis of RXTE observations of class $ω$ which show an unusual state transition between high-soft and low-soft states in the microquasar GRS 1915+105. Out of about 600 pointed RXTE observations, the source was found to exhibit such state transition only on 16 occasions. An examination of the RXTE/ASM data in conjunction with the pointed observations reveals that these events appeared as a series of quasi-regular dips in two stretches of long duration (about 20 days during each occasions) when hard X-ray and radio flux were very low. The X-ray light curve and color-color diagram of the source during these observations are found to be different from any reported so far. The duration of these dips is found to be of the order of a few tens of seconds with a repetition time of a few hundred seconds. The transition between these dips and non-dips which differ in intensity by a factor of ~ 3.5, is observed to be very fast (~ a few seconds). It is observed that the low-frequency narrow QPOs are absent in the power density spectrum (PDS) of the dip and non-dip regions of class $ω$ and the PDS is a power law in 0.1 - 10 Hz frequency range. There is a remarkable similarity in the spectral and timing properties of the source during the dip and non-dip regions in these set of observations. These properties of the source are distinctly different from those seen in the observations of other classes. This indicates that the basic accretion disk structure during both dip and non-dip regions of class $ω$ is similar, but differ only in intensity. To explain these observations, we invoke a model in which the viscosity is very close to critical viscosity and the shock wave is weak or absent.

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Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in Numerical Simulation of Accretion Flows Around Black Holes

We present results of several numerical simulations of two dimensional axi-symmetric accretion flows around black holes using the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH). We consider both stellar black holes and as well as super-massive black holes. We assume bremsstrahlung to be the only source of cooling as it is simpler to implement in numerical simulations. We observe that due to both radial and vertical oscillation of shock waves in the accretion flow, the luminosity and average thermal energy content of the inner disk exhibit very interesting behaviors. When power density spectra are taken, quasi-periodic oscillations are seen at a few Hz and also occasionally at hundreds of Hz for stellar black holes. For super-massive black holes, the time-scale of the oscillations ranges from hours to weeks. The power density spectra have usual flat top behavior with average {\it rms} amplitude a few percent and a broken power-law behavior. The break frequency is generally found to be close to the QPO frequency as seen in the observed power spectra of black holes.

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On the Ejection Mechanism of Bullets in SS 433

We discuss plausible mechanisms to produce bullet-like ejecta from the precessing disk in the SS 433 system. We show that non-steady shocks in the sub-Keplerian accretion flow can provide the basic timescale of the ejection interval while the magnetic rubber-band effect of the toroidal flux tubes in this disk can yield flaring events.

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State transition between high-soft and low-soft states observed in GRS 1915+105

We present the results of a detailed analysis of RXTE observations which show an unusual state transition between high-soft and low-soft states in the microquasar GRS 1915+105. The RXTE pointed observations reveal that these events appeared as a series of quasi-regular dips when hard X-ray and radio flux were very low. The X-ray light curve and colour-colour diagram of the source during these observations are found to be different from any reported so far. The X-ray spectral and timing properties of the source during these dips are distinctly different from those seen during the other various dips and low intensity states seen in this source. There is, however, a remarkable similarity in the properties during the dip and non-dip regions in these set of observations. This indicates that the basic accretion disk structure is similar, but differ only in intensity. We invoke a model, to explain these observations, in which the viscosity is very close to a critical viscosity and the shock wave is weak or absent.

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