Cygnus X-1 is a Black Hole Binary

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Cygnus X-1 is a Black Hole Binary
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Accretion Disks are Efficient

• E mc2
• Complete conversion of mass to energy is only
  possible in matter-antimatter annihilation
• But normal accretion disks can convert gt 5.7 but
  lt 32 of mass to energy
• This is far better than chemical reactions
  ( 0.0001 ) or even nuclear fusion (0.7 )
• Full conversion of 1 M? /year 5.7 ? 1039W

3
Accretion Disks Can Launch Jets

• Numerical simulations of jet launching and
  propagation. (PLATON Stone)

4
Q4 Quasars Require

• Tremendous powers 1039 Watts gt 1012 L?
• Small volumes because of rapid variations
• Jet production (frequently)
• THEREFORE, the standard model now involves BHs
  Accretion Disks
• Accretion disks are very compact, with most
  energy coming out within 20 RS or 5 light-hours
  for 108 M? BH

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Evidence for Supermassive Black Holes
NGC 4261 at core of radio emitting jets is a
clear disk 300 lt-yrs across and knot of
emission near BH
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Direct Evidence for Rotating Disk
Masers formed in warped disk in NGC 4258 (and a
few other Seyfert galaxies)
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Supermassive BH at Core of Milky Way
Radio core of Sgr A is unresolved at 43 GHz,
very close to RS for a 2.6 million solar mass BH
weighed by orbits of stars measured over a
decade in the infrared.
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Active Galactic Nucleus Model
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Different AGN from Different Angles
Luminous Quasars seen close to perpendicular to
disk and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies near
disk plane Weaker Type 1 or Type 2 Seyferts If
jets are important BL Lacs along jet
axis, Quasars at modest angles Radio Galaxies
at larger angles
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CONCLUSIONS

• Black holes are the natural endpoint of massive
  star evolution and they have been detected in our
  galaxy and nearby ones.
• Quasars are distant, extremely powerful cores of
  galaxies.
• Accretion disks are efficient and ubiquitous.
• Accretion disks around supermassive BHs (106 to
  1010 M?) are the source of the tremendous powers
  emitted by quasars and other active galactic
  nuclei.