Accretion process onto super-spinning objects

Oct, 2009
11 pages
Published in:
  • Phys.Rev.D 80 (2009) 104023
e-Print:
Report number:
  • IPMU09-0113

Citations per year

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Abstract: (arXiv)
The accretion process onto spinning objects in Kerr spacetimes is studied with numerical simulations. Our results show that accretion onto compact objects with Kerr parameter (characterizing the spin) a<M|a| < M and a>M|a| > M is very different. In the super-spinning case, for a|a| moderately larger than MM, the accretion onto the central object is extremely suppressed due to a repulsive force at short distance. The accreting matter cannot reach the central object, but instead is accumulated around it, forming a high density cloud that continues to grow. The radiation emitted in the accretion process will be harder and more intense than the one coming from standard black holes/ e.g. γ\gamma-rays could be produced as seen in some observations. Gravitational collapse of this cloud might even give rise to violent bursts. As a|a| increases, a larger amount of accreting matter reaches the central object and the growth of the cloud becomes less efficient. Our simulations find that a quasi-steady state of the accretion process exists for a/M1.4|a|/M \gtrsim 1.4, independently of the mass accretion rate at large radii. For such high values of the Kerr parameter, the accreting matter forms a thin disk at very small radii. We provide some analytical arguments to strengthen the numerical results/ in particular, we estimate the radius where the gravitational force changes from attractive to repulsive and the critical value a/M1.4|a|/M \approx 1.4 separating the two qualitatively different regimes of accretion. We briefly discuss the observational signatures which could be used to look for such exotic objects in the Galaxy and/or in the Universe.
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