Black Hole Chaos The Environments of the most super- massive black holes in the Universe Belinda Wilkes, Chandra X-ray Center, CfA Francesca Civano, CfA.

Black Hole Chaos

The Environments of the most super-massive black holes in the

UniverseBelinda Wilkes, Chandra X-ray Center, CfA

Francesca Civano, CfA

Black Hole

Matter spiraling inwards → accretion disk

• Nothing beats gravity → collapses forever• Light cannot escape from inside the event horizon

Stellar Mass Black Hole• Big, old star blows up

• Can be seen when in binary star systems

• BH pulls matter from companion star

• Bright, variable/bursting sources

BH and accretion disk

Star Jet

Black Hole: Mass and Spin

• Properties determine their effects on their surroundings• Spinning BH has a smaller “size” (event horizon is closer in)

No spin With spin

Super-massive Black Hole (SMBH) Galaxy-sized!

• Formed in centers of galaxies in early Universe

• 1 million – 1 billion times Sun’s mass

• SMBH size ~ our solar system (15 lt mins)

• SMBH grows as material falls in

Central Regions: Accretion Disk spinning around

SMBH• Matter spirals in to galactic

center and forms an accretion disk (~few lt.yrs.)

• Becomes very hot and outshines the 10 billion stars in the host galaxy → Quasar

• Hottest near center • X-rays good clear view, even

when edge-on• BH grows as matter falls in• Other matter is pushed

outwards: jets, winds

Artist’s Impressions!

But this one is real: Cen A

Model of Polar Jets

Proga et al. 2003

Accretion with latitude-dependent angular momentum and radial magnetic field can launch and sustain a jet

Radio Jets

• Electrons spiral around magnetic field at velocities close to light

• Emit radio-X-rays “non-thermal” emission

radio

Chandra X-ray Observatory

NASA’s X-ray Eye on the Universe

Launched in 1999

Actual Chandra First Light• Point source to focus

telescope• PKS0637-75, quasar at large

distance (z=0.5, 3 Gpc)• Shadow on side!• Known to have radio jet• X-ray Jet visible: 5” long,

200,000 lyrs

X-ray/Radio Jets in Quasars: M87 Galaxy

M87 jet in X-ray, radio and optical

More jets!

Cygnus A radio

3C273 X-ray

MS0735.6Radio/X-ray

Accretion Disk Winds

• Wind blown off surface of accretion disk

• Accelerated by radiation pressure

• High velocity gas observed

Proga et al. 2000AD surface

X-ray source

How do SMBHs form and grow?

• Secular: accreting from within the galaxy• Group: accretes from within the group of galaxies• Cosmological: accretes from cold dark matter filaments• Major Mergers:

Hopkins et al (2008)