Issue |
A&A
Volume 495, Number 1, February III 2009
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 113 - 120 | |
Section | Extragalactic astronomy | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:200810043 | |
Published online | 14 January 2009 |
AGN UV and X-ray luminosities in clumpy accretion flows
1
ISDC Data Centre for Astrophysics, ch. d'Ecogia 16, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland
2
Geneva Observatory, Geneva University, ch. des Maillettes 51, 1290 Sauverny, Switzerland e-mail: [Wakiko.Ishibashi;Thierry.Courvoisier]@unige.ch
Received:
24
April
2008
Accepted:
19
November
2008
We consider the fuelling of the central massive black hole in active galactic nuclei (AGN), through an inhomogeneous accretion flow. Performing simple analytical treatments, we show that shocks between elements (clumps) forming the accretion flow may account for the UV and X-ray emission in AGNs. In this picture, a cascade of shocks is expected, where optically thick shocks give rise to optical/UV emission, while optically thin shocks give rise to X-ray emission. The resulting blue bump temperature is found to be quite similar in different AGNs. We obtain that the ratio of X-ray luminosity to UV luminosity is smaller than unity, and that this ratio is smaller in massive objects compared to less massive sources. This is in agreement with the observed ratio and suggests a possible interpretation of the anticorrelation.
Key words: accretion, accretion disks / methods: analytical / galaxies: active / galaxies: quasars: general / galaxies: Seyfert
© ESO, 2009
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