Hoyle-Lyttleton Accretion onto Accretion Disks

Abstract

We investigate Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion for the case where the central source is a luminous accretion disk. %In classical Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion onto a ``spherical'' source, accretion takes place in an axially symmetric manner around a so-called accretion axis. The accretion rate of the classical Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion onto a non-luminous object and $\Gamma$ the luminosity of the central object normalized by the Eddington luminosity. %If the central object is a compact star with a luminous accretion disk, the radiation field becomes ``non-spherical''. %Although the gravitional field remains spherical. In such a case the axial symmetry around the accretion axis breaks down; the accretion radius $R_{acc}$ generally depends on an inclination angle $i$ between the accretion axis and the symmetry axis of the disk and the azimuthal angle $\phi$ around the accretion axis. %That is, the cross section of accretion changes its shape. Hence, the accretion rate $\dot{M}$, which is obtained by integrating $R_{acc}$ around $\phi$, depends on $i$. % as well as $M$, $\Gamma$, and $v_\infty$. %In the case of an edge-on accretion ($i=90^{\circ}$), The accretion rate is larger than that of the spherical case and approximately expressed as $\dot{M} \sim \dot{M}_{HL} (1-\Gamma)$ for $\Gamma \leq 0.65$ and $\dot{M} \sim \dot{M}_{HL} (2-\Gamma)^2/5$ for $\Gamma \geq 0.65$. %Once the accretion disk forms and the anisotropic radiation fields are produced around the central object,the accretion plane will be maintained automatically (the direction of jets associated with the disk is also maintained). %Thus, the anisotropic radiation field of accretion disks drastically changes the accretion nature, that gives a clue to the formation of accretion disks around an isolated black hole.