Work

Direct feeding of the black hole at the Galactic Centre with radial gas streams from close-in stellar winds

Year: 2004

Type: article

Abstract: We show that the recently discovered orbits of massive stars with closest approach of ∼103 Schwarzschild radii from Sgr A* allow winds from these stars to provide the required mass deposition rate near the black hole horizon. The observed luminosity of Sgr A* does not require viscous transport of angular momentum, as long as the total wind mass loss rate reaches ∼10−6 M⊙ yr−1 from the close-in stars. The specific orbits of the nearest stars should cause modulation of the radio and infrared flux from Sgr A* on a time-scale of years in a predictable fashion.

Source: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07684.x

Author: Abraham Loeb

Institution: Harvard University

Language: English

Topic: Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Awards: Evolution of Structure in the Universe from z=30 to z=3, Observable Signatures of Reionization