The central engine of quasars and AGN's - Shock-accelerated relativistic protonsA simple dynamical model is presented in which protons are Fermi-shock-accelerated to relativistic energies and do not readily fall into the black hole. It is shown that, even though the nonthermal radiation from QSOs and AGNs is generally well below the Eddington limit, it is still highly correlated and proportional to the mass. In the present model, the proportionality constant is determined by the p-p cross-section and the minimum shock radius (in units of the Schwarzschild radius) where a stable shock is assumed to exist. The model predicts a rapid drop off in efficiency as this shock radius increases.
Document ID
19880042580
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Ellison, Donald C. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Kazanas, Demos (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt; Maryland, University, College Park, United States)