Accretion powered spherical wind in general relativity

¹ Astronomy Unit, Queen Mary & Westfield College, Mile End Rd, London E1 4NS, UK e-mail: T.Das@qmw.ac.uk
² Inter University Centre For Astronomy And Astrophysics, Post Bag 4 Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, India e-mail: tapas@iucaa.ernet.in

Corresponding author: Tapas K. Das, tapas@iucaa.ernet.in

Received: 9 May 2001
Accepted: 20 June 2001

Abstract

Using full general relativistic calculations, we investigate the possibility of generation of mass outflow from spherical accretion onto non-rotating black holes. Introducing a relativistic hadronic-pressure-supported steady, standing, spherically-symmetric shock surface around a Schwarzschild black hole as the effective physical barrier that may be responsible for the generation of spherical wind, we calculate the mass outflow rate R_{\dot m} in terms of three accretion parameters and one outflow parameter by simultaneously solving the set of general relativistic hydrodynamic equations describing spherically symmetric, transonic, polytropic accretion and wind around a Schwarzschild black hole. Not only do we provide a sufficiently plausible estimation of R_{\dot m}, we also successfully study the dependence and variation of this rate on various physical parameters governing the flow. Our calculation indicates that independent of initial boundary conditions, the baryonic matter content of this shock-generated wind always correlates with post-shock flow temperature.