arXiv subjects

Valeriia Rohoza

Publications and source records attributed to Valeriia Rohoza.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Radiative relativistic reconnection powering the hard-state emission of X-ray binaries: synchrotron-driven pair loading, MeV tail, and seed photons

In the hard state, X-ray emission from black hole X-ray binaries is attributed to Comptonization in the corona, a highly magnetized region near the black hole. Relativistic magnetic reconnection drives bulk motions that can upscatter soft photons and reproduce the spectral peak at $\sim 100$ keV for parameters relevant to Cygnus X-1. However, the origin of the seed photons and of the MeV tail above the peak remains unclear. In 3D reconnection, so-called "free" particles escape the flux ropes and accelerate at the maximum rate set by the reconnection electric field. Their synchrotron emission extends to tens of MeV, which enables $γγ$ pair production with the Compton-upscattered photons. We present 3D particle-in-cell simulations of relativistic reconnection in pair plasma, in which particles cool by inverse Compton (IC) scattering below the synchrotron self-absorption threshold and by synchrotron radiation above it. Of the incoming magnetic power, $\sim 40 \%$ is converted to IC radiation and $\gtrsim 10$-$20\%$ to synchrotron. Using analytical estimates and radiative calculations for Cygnus X-1, we model how the radiation from reconnection-accelerated particles is reprocessed in the corona. Pair production attenuates the synchrotron emission above $\sim 1$ MeV, and the escaping $γ$-rays form an MeV tail consistent with the observations, extending up to at least $\sim 10$ MeV. Most of the absorbed power goes into secondary pairs, whose Thomson optical depth can reach order unity. Their synchrotron emission, peaking at $\sim 0.1 \, \text{keV}$, can supply the seed photons for Comptonization. Our results support reconnection-based synchrotron self-Compton models of the hard-state emission in X-ray binaries.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

The Evolution of Binaries Embedded Within Common Envelopes

Triple stellar systems allow us to study stellar processes that cannot be attained in binary stars. The evolutionary phases in which the stellar members undergo mass exchanges can alter the hierarchical layout of these systems. Yet, the lack of a self-consistent treatment of common-envelope (CE) in triple star-systems hinders the comprehensive understanding of their long-term fate. This letter examines the conditions predicted around binaries embedded within CEs using local 3D hydrodynamical simulations. We explore varying the initial binary separation, the flow Mach number, and the background stellar density gradients as informed by a wide array of CE conditions, including those invoked to explain the formation of the triple system hosting PSR J0337+1715. We find that the stellar density gradient governs the gaseous drag force, which determines the final configuration of the embedded binary. We observe a comparable net drag force on the center of mass but an overall reduction in the accretion rate of the binary compared to the single object case. We find that for most CE conditions, and in contrast to the uniform background density case, the binary orbital separation increases with time, softening the binary and preventing it from subsequently merging. We conclude that binaries spiraling within CEs become more vulnerable to be disrupted by tidal interactions. This can have profound implications on the final outcomes of triple star-systems.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

How to Turn Jets into Cylinders near Supermassive Black Holes in 3D GRMHD Simulations

Accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) produce highly magnetized relativistic jets that tend to collimate gradually as they propagate outward. However, recent radio interferometric observations of the 3C 84 galaxy reveal a stunning, cylindrical jet already at several hundred SMBH gravitational radii, $r\gtrsim350r_{\rm g}$. We explore how such extreme collimation emerges via a suite of 3D general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations. We consider an SMBH surrounded by a magnetized torus immersed in a constant-density ambient medium that starts at the edge of the SMBH sphere of influence, chosen to be much larger than the SMBH gravitational radius, $r_{\text{B}}=10^3r_{\text{g}}$. We find that radiatively inefficient accretion flows (e.g., M87) produce winds that collimate the jets into parabolas near the BH. After the disk winds stop collimating the jets at $r\lesssim{}r_\text{B}$, they turn conical. Once outside $r_\text{B}$, the jets run into the ambient medium and form backflows that collimate the jets into cylinders some distance beyond $r_{\text{B}}$. Interestingly, for radiatively-efficient accretion, as in 3C 84, the radiative cooling saps the energy out of the disk winds: at early times, they cannot efficiently collimate the jets, which skip the initial parabolic collimation stage, start out conical near the SMBH, and turn into cylinders already at $r\simeq300r_{\rm g}$, as observed in 3C 84. Over time, jet power remains approximately constant, whereas the mass accretion rate increases: the winds grow in strength and start to collimate the jets, which become quasi-parabolic near the base; the transition point to a nearly cylindrical jet profile moves outward while remaining inside $r_\text{B}$.

astro-ph.HE↗