Radiative transfer and acceleration in magnetocentrifugal winds

John E. Everett*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

156 Scopus citations

Abstract

Detailed photoionization and radiative acceleration of self-similar magnetocentrifugal accretion disk winds are explored. First, a general-purpose hybrid magnetocentrifugal and radiatively driven wind model is defined. Solutions are then examined to determine how radiative acceleration modifies magnetocentrifugal winds and how those winds can influence radiative driving in active galactic nuclei. For the models studied here, both radiative acceleration by bound-free ("continuum driving") and bound-bound ("line driving") processes are found to be important, although magnetic driving dominates the mass outflow rate for the Eddington ratios studied (L/L Edd = 0.001-0.1). The solutions show that shielding by a magnetocentrifugal wind can increase the efficiency of a radiatively driven wind, and also that within a magnetocentrifugal wind, radiative acceleration is sensitive to both the column in the shield, the column of the wind, and the initial density at the base of the wind.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)689-706
Number of pages18
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume631
Issue number2 I
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2005

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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