Measuring the Angular Momentum of Supermassive Black Holes

Measuring the Angular Momentum of Supermassive Black Holes PDF Author: Laura Brenneman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461477719
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 57

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Book Description
Measuring the spin distribution of supermassive black holes is of critical importance for understanding how these black holes and their host galaxies form and evolve over time, yet this type of study is only in its infancy. This brief describes how astronomers measure spin in supermassive black holes using X-ray spectroscopy. It also reviews the constraints that have been placed on the spin distribution in local, bright active galaxies over the past six years, and the cosmological implications of these constraints. Finally, it summarizes the open questions that remain in this exciting new field of research and points toward future discoveries soon to be made by the next generation of space-based observatories.

Measuring the Angular Momentum of Supermassive Black Holes

Measuring the Angular Momentum of Supermassive Black Holes PDF Author: Laura Brenneman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461477719
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 57

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Book Description
Measuring the spin distribution of supermassive black holes is of critical importance for understanding how these black holes and their host galaxies form and evolve over time, yet this type of study is only in its infancy. This brief describes how astronomers measure spin in supermassive black holes using X-ray spectroscopy. It also reviews the constraints that have been placed on the spin distribution in local, bright active galaxies over the past six years, and the cosmological implications of these constraints. Finally, it summarizes the open questions that remain in this exciting new field of research and points toward future discoveries soon to be made by the next generation of space-based observatories.

The Galactic Supermassive Black Hole

The Galactic Supermassive Black Hole PDF Author: Fulvio Melia
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691131290
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
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The Galactic Supermassive Black Hole

The Galactic Supermassive Black Hole PDF Author: Fulvio Melia
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691222541
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Here, one of the world's leading astrophysicists provides the first comprehensive and logically structured overview of the many ideas and discoveries pertaining to the supermassive black hole at the galactic center known as Sagittarius A*. By far the closest galactic nucleus in the universe, Sagittarius A* alone can provide us with a realistic expectation of learning about the physics of strong gravitational fields, and the impact of such fields on the behavior of matter and radiation under severe physical conditions. Its proximity may even provide the opportunity to directly test one of general relativity's most enigmatic predictions--the existence of closed pockets of space-time hidden behind an event horizon. The plethora of research on Sagittarius A* since its discovery in 1974 has long seemed an interwoven pattern of loose threads. No one has successfully synthesized this growing body of work into a manageable, coherent book both for professional researchers and for students taking courses focusing on black holes and galactic nuclei--until now. With Fulvio Melia's The Galactic Supermassive Black Hole, readers finally have at their disposal a one-volume crucible of essential ideas, logically streamlined but with thorough references for those wishing to explore the various topics in greater depth.

Supermassive Black Holes in the Distant Universe

Supermassive Black Holes in the Distant Universe PDF Author: A.J. Barger
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402024711
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
Quasars, and the menagerie of other galaxies with "unusual nuclei", now collectively known as Active Galactic Nuclei or AGN, have, in one form or another, sparked the interest of astronomers for over 60 years. The only known mechanism that can explain the staggering amounts of energy emitted by the innermost regions of these systems is gravitational energy release by matter falling towards a supermassive black hole --- a black hole whose mass is millions to billions of times the mass of our Sun. AGN emit radiation at all wavelengths. X-rays originating at a distance of a few times the event horizon of the black hole are the emissions closest to the black hole that we can detect; thus, X-rays directly reveal the presence of active supermassive black holes. Oftentimes, however, the supermassive black holes that lie at the centers of AGN are cocooned in gas and dust that absorb the emitted low energy X-rays and the optical and ultraviolet light, hiding the black hole from view at these wavelengths. Until recently, this low-energy absorption presented a major obstacle in observational efforts to map the accretion history of the universe. In 1999 and 2000, the launches of the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray Observatories finally broke the impasse. The impact of these observatories on X-ray astronomy is similar to the impact that the Hubble Space Telescope had on optical astronomy. The astounding new data from these observatories have enabled astronomers to make enormous advances in their understanding of when accretion occurs.

Supermassive Black Holes

Supermassive Black Holes PDF Author: Andrew King
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108864627
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
Written by an international leader in the field, this is a coherent and accessible account of the concepts that are now vital for understanding cutting-edge work on supermassive black holes. These include accretion disc misalignment, disc breaking and tearing, chaotic accretion, the merging of binary supermassive holes, the demographics of supermassive black holes, and the defining effects of feedback on their host galaxies. The treatment is largely analytic and gives in-depth discussions of the underlying physics, including gas dynamics, ideal and non-ideal magnetohydrodynamics, force-free electrodynamics, accretion disc physics, and the properties of the Kerr metric. It stresses aspects where conventional assumptions may be inappropriate and encourages the reader to think critically about current models. This volume will be useful for graduate or Masters courses in astrophysics, and as a handbook for active researchers in the field. eBook formats include colour figures while print formats are greyscale only.

Quasars and Black Holes

Quasars and Black Holes PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780716695899
Category : Black holes (Astronomy)
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
"An introduction to quasars and black holes with information about their formation and characteristics. Includes diagrams, fun facts, a glossary, a resource list, and an index"--Provided by publisher.

Light in the Darkness

Light in the Darkness PDF Author: Heino Falcke
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063020076
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 405

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Book Description
The International Bestseller On April 10, 2019, award-winning astrophysicist Heino Falcke presented the first image ever captured of a black hole at an international press conference—a turning point in astronomy that Science magazine called the scientific breakthrough of the year. That photo was captured with the unthinkable commitment of an intercontinental team of astronomers who transformed the world into a global telescope. While this image achieved Falcke’s goal in making a black hole “visible” for the first time, he recognizes that the photo itself asks more questions for humanity than it answers. Light in the Darkness takes us on Falcke’s extraordinary journey to the darkest corners of the universe. From the first humans looking up at the night sky to modern astrophysics, from the study of black holes to the still-unsolved mysteries of the universe, Falcke asks, in even the greatest triumphs of science, is there room for doubts, faith, and a God? A plea for curiosity and humility, Light in the Darkness sees one of the great minds shaping the world today as he ponders the big, pressing questions that present themselves when we look up at the stars.

Black Hole Survival Guide

Black Hole Survival Guide PDF Author: Janna Levin
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 1984899791
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
From the acclaimed author of Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space—an authoritative and accessible guide to the most alluring and challenging phenomena of contemporary science. "[Levin will] take you on a safe black hole trip, an exciting travel story enjoyed from your chair’s event horizon.” —Boston Globe Through her writing, astrophysicist Janna Levin has focused on making the science she studies not just comprehensible but also, and perhaps more important, intriguing to the nonscientist. In this book, she helps us to understand and find delight in the black hole—perhaps the most opaque theoretical construct ever imagined by physicists—illustrated with original artwork by American painter and photographer Lia Halloran. Levin takes us on an evocative exploration of black holes, provoking us to imagine the visceral experience of a black hole encounter. She reveals the influence of black holes as they populate the universe, sculpt galaxies, and even infuse the whole expanse of reality that we inhabit. Lively, engaging, and utterly unique, Black Hole Survival Guide is not just informative—it is, as well, a wonderful read from first to last.

The Tidal Disruption of Stars by Massive Black Holes

The Tidal Disruption of Stars by Massive Black Holes PDF Author: Peter G. Jonker
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9789402421453
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 589

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Book Description
This volume provides an overview of the fast-developing field of tidal disruption events. For several decades, astronomers speculated that a hapless star could wander too close to a massive black hole and be torn apart by tidal forces. Yet it is only with the recent advent of wide-field transient surveys that such events have been detected. Written by a team of prominent researchers, the chapters detail the discoveries made so far in this burgeoning field of study across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from gamma-rays through X-rays, ultra-violet, optical, infrared, and radio. In addition, they show how tidal disruption events can be used to study the properties of otherwise undetectable supermassive black holes; the populations and dynamics of stars in galactic nuclei; the physics of black hole accretion, including the potential to detect relativistic effects near a SMBH; and the physics of (radio) jet formation and evolution in a pristine environment. Finally, the book outlines important outstanding questions about TDEs. With more than 100 color images, the volume will be useful to researchers and others interested in learning more about this promising area of astrophysics. Previously published in Space Science Reviews in the Topical Collection “The Tidal Disruption of Stars by Massive Black Holes”

Supermassive Black Hole

Supermassive Black Hole PDF Author: Celestial Angell
Publisher: Dedona Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 43

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Book Description
A black hole is a region in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape from it. This occurs when a massive amount of matter is compressed into a very small area, creating a powerful gravitational field. Black holes form through various processes that involve the collapse of massive astronomical objects and the merging of smaller black holes. One primary method is the stellar collapse. Stars, during their lifecycle, fuse hydrogen into helium in their cores. When the hydrogen is depleted, they begin fusing heavier elements until iron is produced. For stars more than 20 times the mass of the Sun, the end of this fusion process leads to a supernova explosion. The core of the star collapses rapidly due to gravity, and if the core's mass is sufficiently large (typically more than about three times the mass of the Sun), it will continue collapsing into a singularity, forming a stellar-mass black hole. Another way black holes can form is through accretion and growth. A compact object like a neutron star or a white dwarf can accumulate matter from a companion star or its surroundings. As this matter accumulates, the mass of the compact object increases, and it may eventually reach a critical mass where it collapses into a black hole.