Abstract
In this chapter, I present a summary of observational tests of the basic picture of disk accretion. An emphasis is placed on tests relevant to black holes, but many of the fundamental results are drawn from studies of other classes of systems. Evidence is discussed for the basic structures of accretion flows. The cases of systems with and without accretion disks are discussed, as is the evidence that disks actually form. Also discussed are the hot spots where accretion streams impact the disks, and the boundary layers in the inner parts of systems where the accretors are not black holes. The nature of slow, large amplitude variability is discussed. It is shown that some of the key predictions of the classical thermal-viscous ionization instability model for producing outbursts are in excellent agreement with observational results. It is also show that there are systems whose outbursts are extremely difficult to explain without invoking variations in the rate of mass transfer from the donor star into the outer accretion disk, or tidally induced variations in the mass transfer rates. Finally, I briefly discuss recent quasar microlensing measurements which give truly independent constraints on the inner accretion geometry around black holes.
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Notes
Many other authors decompose neutron star spectra in different ways—White et al. 1986; Church and Balucińska-Church (2004), and there remains debate about the right spectral models for accreting low magnetic field neutron stars. There is widespread agreement that neutron star spectra usually require at least two thermal or quasi-thermal spectral components.
One exception is the surface layer fusion that can take place in supersoft sources. Another exception is in classical nova explosions. Novae can actually dominate the total energy output from accreting white dwarfs, but they have very low duty cycles, and hence are negligible most of the time for most CVs.
Classical novae are runaway nuclear fusion episodes on the surface of white dwarfs (Schatzman 1949), and hence have nothing to do with accretion disks, apart from that disks are usually the means by which the has is transported to the white dwarf.
In the longer wavelength radio bands, an alternative indirect imaging technique has recently been applied—the examination of the details of interstellar scintillation properties of a source (Macquart et al. 2013). This technique is useful only for very compact radio bright objects—i.e. core dominated active galactic nucleus jets—and since this article is concerned with disks, we do not discuss the technique except to point out that it exists.
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The author thanks the conference organizers for having promoted a series of stimulating discussions. He also thanks the Avett Brothers,, whose sublime Magpie and the Dandelion made the process of finalizing this manuscript far more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise.
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Maccarone, T.J. Observational Tests of the Picture of Disk Accretion. Space Sci Rev 183, 101–120 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-013-0032-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-013-0032-4