Hot Accretion Flows Around Black Holes

Abstract

Black hole accretion flows can be divided into two broad classes: cold and hot. Cold accretion flows, which consist of cool optically thick gas, are found at relatively high mass accretion rates. Prominent examples are the standard thin disk, which occurs at a fraction of the Eddington mass accretion rate, and the slim disk at super-Eddington rates. These accretion flows are responsible for luminous systems such as active galactic nuclei radiating at or close to the Eddington luminosity and black hole X-ray binaries in the soft state. Hot accretion flows, the topic of this review, are virially hot and optically thin. They occur at lower mass accretion rates, and are described by models such as the advection-dominated accretion flow and luminous hot accretion flow. Because of energy advection, the radiative efficiency of these flows is in general lower than that of a standard thin accretion disk. Moreover, the efficiency decreases with decreasing mass accretion rate. Detailed modeling of hot accretion flows is hampered by theoretical uncertainties on the heating of electrons, equilibration of electron and ion temperatures, and relative roles of thermal and non-thermal particles. Observations show that hot accretion flows are associated with jets. In addition, theoretical arguments suggest that hot flows should produce strong winds. This link between the hot mode of accretion and out- flows of various kinds is currently being explored via hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic computer simulations. Hot accretion flows are believed to be present in low-luminosity active galactic nuclei and in black hole X-ray binaries in the hard and quiescent states. The prototype is Sgr A*, the ultra-low-luminosity supermassive black hole at our Galactic center. The jet, wind and radiation from a supermassive black hole with a hot accretion flow can interact with the external interstellar medium and modify the evolution of the host galaxy. Details of this “maintenance-mode feedback” could, in principle, be worked out through theoretical studies and numerical simulations of hot accretion flows.