21 April 2005

Speaker: Chris Done (University of Durham)

Title: Accretion onto black holes: from galactic binaries to AGN

Abstract: Black holes come in two major size scales. Small ones form as the endpoint of massive star evolution, while much larger ones can grow in the centers of galaxies. Despite the difference in mass, the relative strength of their gravitational fields are the same, so the physical processes occurring should be similar. Hence progress in understanding accretion flows in any black hole, stellar or supermassive, should give us pointers to understanding accretion in all of them. I will review the recent advances in understanding the bewildering variety of spectra from the galactic black holes, and then go on to apply these models of accretion to AGN.

Video of the Presentation (Talks can be viewed with RealPlayer. Free download is available from www.real.com )

References for students: