Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
1999-12-21
Astrophys.J. 539 (2000) 809-814
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
final version accepted by ApJ; discussion expanded, references added
Scientific paper
10.1086/309267
Non-radiating, advection-dominated, accretion flows are convectively unstable. We calculate the two-dimensional (r-theta) structure of such flows assuming that (1) convection transports angular momentum inwards, opposite to normal viscosity and (2) viscous transport by other mechanisms (e.g., magnetic fields) is weak (alpha << 1). Under such conditions convection dominates the dynamics of the accretion flow and leads to a steady state structure that is marginally stable to convection. We show that the marginally stable flow has a constant temperature and rotational velocity on spherical shells, a net flux of energy from small to large radii, zero net accretion rate, and a radial density profile proportional to r^{-1/2}, flatter than the r^{-3/2} profile characteristic of spherical accretion flows. This solution accurately describes the full two-dimensional structure of recent axisymmetric numerical simulations of advection-dominated accretion flows.
Gruzinov Andrei
Quataert Eliot
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