Remarkable Correspondence of the Sagittarius A* Submillimeter Variability with a Stellar-wind-fed Accretion Flow Model
Abstract
We compare the 230 GHz near-horizon emission from Sagittarius A* to simulations representing three classes of accretion flows. Using the structure function to capture the variability statistics of the light curve, we find a noticeable discrepancy between the observations and models based on torus-fed accretion disks, whether those disks bring in a small or large amount of net magnetic flux. On the other hand, the simulations that are fed more realistically by stellar winds match the observed structure function very well. We describe the differences between models, arguing that feeding by stellar winds may be a critical component in constructing theoretical models for accretion in the Galactic Center.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- June 2022
- DOI:
- 10.3847/2041-8213/ac75c3
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2204.06170
- Bibcode:
- 2022ApJ...932L..21M
- Keywords:
-
- Supermassive black holes;
- Low-luminosity active galactic nuclei;
- Galactic center;
- Magnetohydrodynamics;
- Astrophysical fluid dynamics;
- Astrophysical black holes;
- Accretion;
- General relativity;
- Stellar winds;
- Magnetohydrodynamical simulations;
- 1663;
- 2033;
- 565;
- 1964;
- 101;
- 98;
- 14;
- 641;
- 1636;
- 1966;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
- E-Print:
- 13 pages, 4 figures, 1 appendix