Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011head...12.3504d&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, HEAD meeting #12, #35.04
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
We consider an Extreme Mass-Ratio Inspiral (EMRI) binary system formed by a star orbiting a massive black hole in a circular, equatorial orbit. This stellar orbit shrinks due to the loss of angular momentum and energy through gravitational radiation. New fitting formulae are presented for the radiation power and radiation reaction torque in the relativistic regime. When the inspiraling star fills its Roche lobe outside the Innermost Stable Circular Orbit (ISCO) of the hole, gas will flow through the inner Lagrange point (L1) onto the hole. If this mass-transfer happens on a time scale faster than the thermal time scale but slower than the dynamical time scale, the star will evolve adiabatically, and, in most cases, will recede from the hole filling its Roche lobe. We study how various stars react to the mass-loss, and give new relativistic interpolation formulae for the densities of the stars when they reach the Roche limit. We also calculate the time scales and mass-transfer rates of such Roche accretion for various types of stars, in the relativistic regime. We envisage that the mass stream flowing out of L1 eventually hits the accretion disc, where it forms a hot spot that orbits the hole and may ultimately modulate the luminosity with the stellar orbital frequency. The observability of such a modulation is discussed along with possible interpretation of an intermittent 1 hour period in the X-ray emission of RE J1034+396.
Blandford Roger
Dai Lixin
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