Formation, Fueling, and Feedback from Supermassive Black Holes - Lecture 1

Delve into the fascinating world of supermassive black holes in this comprehensive graduate-level lecture. Explore current theories on the formation of seed black holes, accretion processes driving their growth, and the impact on their surrounding environment. Learn about key concepts including the Schwarzschild solution, mass distributions of different black hole types, and the physics of accretion discs. Examine observational evidence for stellar mass black holes, intermediate-mass black holes, and the potential existence of primordial black holes. Gain insights into modeling techniques for accreting sources, including Bondi-Hoyle Lyttleton accretion and disc formation. Understand the Eddington limit, emitted spectra of accreting objects, and the universal nature of accretion discs across various cosmic scales.

Lecture 1: Basics of Black Holes & Accretion
Lecture 1: Outline
Key Physics Challenge of Scales for BHs
Schwarzschild Solution space-time geometry point mass
BHs: evidence for stellar mass black holes lognM Black Hole Mass Distribution
BH: evidence for supermassive black holes log nM Black Hole Mass Distribution
BH: primordial black holes: not yet ruled out log nM Black Hole Mass Distribution
Primordial BHs
What are primordial BHs?
Why do we care about PBH
Astrophysical constraints:
Masses in the Stellar Graveyard
Observational Evidence for Stellar Mass Black Holes
Evidence For Elusive Imbhs From An Observed Tidal Disruption Events TDEs
This is the most efficient known way of using mass to get energy:
accretion on to a black hole must power the most luminous phenomena in the universe
Eddington implies limit on growth rate of mass: since
Emitted spectrum of an accrediting object
b Gravitational energy of each accreted electron-proton pair turned directly into heat at shock temperature
For supermassive black holes we have
Modelling accreting sources
examine both problems in the following
Accreting Black Holes in a Nearby Galaxy M1011
Bondi-Hoyle Lyttleton Accretion
Accretion disc formation
Thus in general matter orbits accretor. What happens?
accretion disc structure see APIA Ch 5
disc formation is unavoidable
Accretion discs are universal:
accretion disc structure
Q&A