Galactic Center: Implications of Recent Chandra Observations for Spherical Accretion Models of Sgr A*

Robert F. Coker (1), Sera Markoff (2,3)


(1) Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT UK
(2) Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, 53121 Bonn, Germany
(3) Humboldt Research Fellow

Paper: to appear in Proceedings of IAU 205

EPrint Server: astro-ph/0102488


Abstract:

At the center of the Milky Way lurks a unique compact nonthermal radio source, Sgr A*. It is thought to be powered by a 2.6*106 solar mass black hole that is accreting the stellar winds from the numerous early-type stars that exist in the central parsec. However, until recent high resolution Chandra observations, Sgr A* had never been unequivocably detected at wavelengths shorter than the sub-millimeter. We present a spherical accretion model which is consistent with both the flux and steep spectral shape of the X-ray emission from Sgr A*.


Preprints available from the authors at robc@ast.leeds.ac.uk , or the raw TeX (no figures) if you click here.

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