Line Emission from Optically Thick RelativisticAccretion Tori

Journal Article · Fri Sep 14 04:00:00 EDT 2007 · Astron.Astrophys.474:55-66,2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20066008· OSTI ID:896926

Fuerst, Steven V; Wu, Kinwah

We calculate line emission from relativistic accretion tori around Kerr black holes and investigate how the line profiles depend on the viewing inclination, spin of the central black hole, parameters describing the shape of the tori, and spatial distribution of line emissivity on the torus surface. We also compare the lines with those from thin accretion disks. Our calculations show that lines from tori and lines from thin disks share several common features. In particular, at low and moderate viewing inclination angles they both have asymmetric double-peaked profiles with a tall, sharp blue peak and a shorter red peak which has an extensive red wing. At high viewing inclination angles they both have very broad, asymmetric lines which can be roughly considered as single-peaked. Torus and disk lines may show very different red and blue line wings, but the differences are due to the models for relativistic tori and disks having differing inner boundary radii. Self-eclipse and lensing play some role in shaping the torus lines, but they are effective only at high inclination angles. If inner and outer radii of an accretion torus are the same as those of an accretion disk, their line profiles show substantial differences only when inclination angles are close to 90{sup o}, and those differences are manifested mostly at the central regions of the lines instead of the wings.

• Research Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76SF00515
• OSTI ID: 896926
• Report Number(s): SLAC-PUB-12269; arXiv:0709.2145
• Journal Information: Astron.Astrophys.474:55-66,2007, Journal Name: Astron.Astrophys.474:55-66,2007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ACCRETION DISKS
Astrophysics
ASTRO
BLACK HOLES
EMISSIVITY
INCLINATION
SHAPE
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SPIN