No Arabic abstract
We present preliminary results and observables from a model of microquasar based on a theoretical framework where stationary, powerful, compact jets are launched and then accelerated from an inner magnetized disk. This model aim at providing a consistent picture of microquasars in all their spectral states. It is composed of an outer standard accretion disk down to a variable transition radius where it changes to a magnetized disk, called the Jet Emitting Disk (JED). The theoretical framework providing the heating, we solve the radiative equilibrium and obtain the JED structure. Our JED solutions are rich, and reproduce the already known scheme where a cold optically-thick and a hot optically-thin solutions bracket a thermally unstable one. We present the model and preliminary results, whith a first attempt at reproducing the observed SED of XTE J1118+480.
Based on a dynamical model describing how stationary, powerful and self-collimated jets are being launched from a magnetized disk, we build a consistent disk+jet microquasar picture. Our disk is a new type of disk solution called the Jet Emitting Disk (JED), and whose characteristics are directly constrained by the presence of a jet. We assume a one-temperature plasma with thermal particles only. By solving the radiative equilibrium of the disk, we obtain three branches of solutions, a hot and a cold ones (both thermally stable), and an intermediate one, thermally unstable. The hot solution possess the global observed characteristics of what has been often called a corona located above the inner disk region. We present this new disk solution, and how the radiative equilibrium is computed. We discuss the richness of the solution, and show the ability of the model to reproduce an observed spectral energy distribution of XTE J1118+480 with reasonable parameters. We finally outline some perspectives of the model.
We present a new picture for the central regions of Black Hole X-ray Binaries. In our view, these central regions have a multi-flow configuration which consists in (1) an outer standard accretion disc down to a transition radius r_J, (2) an inner magnetized accretion disc below r_J driving (3) a non relativistic self-collimated electron-proton jet surrounding, when adequate conditions for pair creation are met, (4) a ultra relativistic electron-positron beam. This accretion-ejection paradigm provides a simple explanation to the canonical spectral states, from radio to X/gamma-rays, by varying the transition radius r_J and disc accretion rate independently. Large values of r_J and low accretion rate correspond to Quiescent and Hard states. These states are characterized by the presence of a steady electron-proton MHD jet emitted by the disc below r_J. The hard X-ray component is expect to form at the jet basis. When r_J becomes smaller than the marginally stable orbit r_i, the whole disc resembles a standard accretion disc with no jet, characteristic of the Soft state. Intermediate states correspond to situations where r_J ~ r_i. At large accretion rate, an unsteady pair cascade process is triggered within the jet axis, giving birth to flares and ejection of relativistic pair blobs. This would correspond to the luminous intermediate state, with its associated superluminal motions.
We present here the results of a search for new microquasars at low galactic latitudes, based on a cross-identification between the ROSAT all sky Bright Source Catalog (RBSC) and the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) and follow-up observations. The results obtained up to now suggest that persistent/silent microquasars such as LS 5039 are rare objects in our Galaxy, and indicate that future deeper surveys, and harder than the RBSC in X-rays, will play a fundamental role in order to discover them.
We carried out a critical appraisal of the two theoretical models, Kurucz ATLAS9 and PHOENIX/NextGen, for stellar atmosphere synthesis. Our tests relied on the theoretical fit of SEDs for a sample of 334 target stars along the whole spectral-type sequence. The best-fitting physical parameters of stars allowed a calibration of the temperature and bolometric scale. The main conclusions of our analysis are: i) the fitting accuracy of both theoretical libraries drastically degrades at low Teff; ii) comparing with empirical calibrations, both ATLAS and NextGen fits tend to predict slightly warmer Teff, but ATLAS provides in general a sensibly better fit; iii) there is a striking tendency of NextGen to label target stars with an effective temperature and surface gravity in excess with respect to ATLAS. This is a consequence of some ``degeneracy in the solution space, partly induced by the different input physics and geometry constraints. A different T(tau) vertical structure of stellar atmosphere seems also required for NextGen synthetic SEDs in order to better account for limb-darkening effects in cool stars, as supported by the recent observations of the EROS BLG2000-5 microlensing event.
The processes responsible for the effective longitudinal transport of solar energetic particles (SEPs) are still not completely understood. We address this issue by simulating SEP electron propagation using a spatially 2D transport model that includes perpendicular diffusion. By implementing, as far as possible, the most reasonable estimates of the transport (diffusion) coefficients, we compare our results, in a qualitative manner, to recent observations {at energies of 55 -- 105 keV}, focusing on the longitudinal distribution of the peak intensity, the maximum anisotropy and the onset time. By using transport coefficients which are derived from first principles, we limit the number of free parameters in the model to: (i) the probability of SEPs following diffusing magnetic field lines, quantified by $a in [0,1]$, and (ii) the broadness of the Gaussian injection function. It is found that the model solutions are extremely sensitive to the magnitude of the {perpendicular} diffusion coefficient and relatively insensitive to the form of the injection function as long as a reasonable value of $a=0.2$ is used. We illustrate the effects of perpendicular diffusion on the model solutions and discuss the viability of this process as a dominant mechanism by which SEPs are transported in longitude. Lastly, we try to quantity the effectiveness of perpendicular diffusion as an interplay between the magnitude of the relevant diffusion coefficient and the SEP intensity gradient driving the diffusion process. It follows that perpendicular diffusion is extremely effective early in a SEP event when large intensity gradients are present, while the effectiveness quickly decreases with time thereafter.