The seminar of the Astro & Theory Section takes place normally on TBD. If you would like to suggest a seminar speaker or want to be added to the email list, please contact the organizer (maksat.satybaldiev@ntnu.no).
The (planned) seminars in 2026 are
- 15.01. Teo Muñoz-Darias (Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias): Accretion and outflows in stellar-mass black holes
Abstract: Accreting stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries offer a unique view of black hole accretion in environments that are simpler, and on time-scales that are much shorter, than those typical of AGN and quasars. In recent decades, X-ray and radio continuum observations have been used to study in detail the coupling between accretion and ejection in these systems. Only recently have we begun to systematically explore how their X-ray, optical and infrared spectral lines evolve.
I will briefly review the state of the art in the field and then focus on the dramatic changes now seen in the optical and infrared spectra of X-ray binaries, thanks to dedicated programmes on some of the largest telescopes in the world (e.g. GTC 10.4 m and VLT 8.2 m). I will show that this variability in the spectral lines is, in most cases, linked to the presence of powerful outflows, as inferred from wind-related signatures such as P-Cygni profiles.
I will also discuss the relation between the different kinds of outflows in X-ray binaries (radio jets, X-ray winds and optical–infrared winds), their impact on black hole accretion – including some extreme cases – and how their main observational properties appear to be closely connected with those of the accretion flow.
Add Comment