Exploring plasma evolution during Sagittarius A* flares

Authors
  • N.M. Barrière
  • J.A. Tomsick
Publication date 2014
Journal Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Event Symposium of the International Astronomical Union (IAU); 303 (Santa Fe, NM): 2013.09.30-10.04
Volume | Issue number 9 | S303
Pages (from-to) 293-297
Organisations
  • Faculty of Science (FNWI) - Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy (API)
Abstract
We present a new way of describing the flares occurring from Sgr A* within a single zone with a self-consistent calculation of the particle distribution. The results allow us to give an interpretation to the flaring events generated very close to the supermassive black hole (SMBH) without assuming a specific particle distribution. We conclude that the flare data are more likely generated by a weakly magnetized plasma in which the particles flow in and out as expected from an accretion flow. Such a plasma, with prescription for non-thermal acceleration, injection, escape, and cooling losses, gives a spectrum with a break between the infra-red and the X-ray, allowing a better simultaneous match in the different wavelengths. The parameters favor the non-thermal synchrotron spectrum, and a decrease/increase of the magnetic field and plasma density are not favored for producing the flare event, but particle acceleration must be happening by other means. We show that under certain conditions, the real particle distribution can differ significantly from the standard distributions used in such studies.
Document type Article
Note In Volume 9, S303 (October 2013) © 2014. - Part of Symposium: The galactic center: feeding and feedback in a normal galactic nucleus.
Language English
Published at
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743921314000763 (Final published version)
Permalink to this page
Back