Similar phenomena at different scales: black holes, the Sun, γ-ray bursts, supernovae, galaxies and galaxy clusters
Abstract
Many similar phenomena occur in astrophysical systems with spatial and mass scales different by many orders of magnitudes. For examples, collimated outflows are produced from the Sun, proto-stellar systems, gamma-ray bursts, neutron star and black hole X-ray binaries, and supermassive black holes; various kinds of flares occur from the Sun, stellar coronae, X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei; shocks and particle acceleration exist in supernova remnants, gamma-ray bursts, clusters of galaxies, etc. In this report I summarize briefly these phenomena and possible physical mechanisms responsible for them. I emphasize the importance of using the Sun as an astrophysical laboratory in studying these physical processes, especially the roles magnetic fields play in them; it is quite likely that magnetic activities dominate the fundamental physical processes in all of these systems.
- Publication:
-
Highlights of Astronomy
- Pub Date:
- August 2007
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S1743921307009842
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0702246
- Bibcode:
- 2007HiA....14...41Z
- Keywords:
-
- Sun: flares;
- Sun: corona;
- Sun: X-rays;
- X-rays: binaries: individual (Cygnus X-1);
- accretion disks;
- magnetic fields;
- gamma rays: bursts: individual (GRB940217);
- supernovae: individual (SN 1987A);
- galaxies: active: individual (M 87);
- black hole physics;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 22 pages, 13 figures, invited discourse for the 26th IAU GA, Prague, Czech Republic, Aug. 2006, to be published in Vol. 14 IAU Highlights of Astronomy, Ed. K.A. van der Hucht. Revised slightly to match the final submitted version, after incorporating comments and suggestions from several colleagues. A full-resolution version is available on request from the author at zhangsn@tsinghua.edu.cn