Thick Accretion Disk Model for Ultraluminous Supersoft Sources
Abstract
We propose a geometrically thick, super-Eddington accretion disk model, where an optically thick wind is not necessary, to understand ultraluminous supersoft sources (ULSs). For high mass accretion rates \dot{M}≳ 30{\dot{M}}{{Edd}} and not small inclination angles θ ≳ 25^\circ , where {\dot{M}}{{Edd}} is the Eddington accretion rate, the hard photons from the hot inner region may be shaded by the geometrically thick inner disk, and therefore only the soft photons from the outer thin disk and the outer photosphere of the thick disk can reach the observer. Our model can naturally explain the approximate relation between the typical thermal radius and the thermal temperature, {R}{{bb}}\propto {T}{{bb}}-2. Moreover, the thick disk model can unify ULSs and normal ultraluminous X-ray sources, where the different observational characteristics are probably related to the inclination angle and the mass accretion rate. By comparing our model with the optically thick outflow model, we find that a lower mass accretion rate is required in our model.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- February 2016
- DOI:
- 10.3847/2041-8205/818/1/L4
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1601.04750
- Bibcode:
- 2016ApJ...818L...4G
- Keywords:
-
- accretion;
- accretion disks;
- black hole physics;
- X-rays: binaries;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- 13 pages, 3 figures, accepted by ApJ Letters