Nonthermal processes in microquasars

Radiative Processes in Microquasars

Recent advances in the X-ray and soft γ-ray observations of accreting black holes and microquasars, in particular, are reviewed. The radiative processes responsible for the emission are discussed briefly. The hybrid thermal/nonthermal Comptonization model is shown to describe well the observed broad-band spectra. We also comments on alternative phenomenological and physical models that are used...

High energy processes in microquasars

Microquasars are X-ray binary stars with the capability to generate relativistic jets. It is expected that microquasars are γ-ray sources, because of the analogy with quasars and because the theoretical models predict emission at such energy range. In addition, from observational arguments, there are two microquasars that appear as the possible counterparts for two unidentified high-energy γ-ra...

Shocks and Nonthermal Processes in Clusters

Nonthermal Radiation Processes in X-ray Jets

Analytic approximations for synchrotron, synchrotron self-Compton (SSC), and external Compton (EC) processes are used to constrain model parameters for knot and hot-spot emission in extended jets of radio galaxies. Equipartition formulas are derived that relate the Doppler factor δ and comoving magnetic field B assuming a nonthermal synchrotron origin of the radio emission, and synchrotron, SSC...

Gerbal, in press SHOCKS AND NONTHERMAL PROCESSES IN CLUSTERS

Clusters of galaxies generally form by the gravitational merger of smaller clusters and groups. Major cluster mergers are the most energetic events in the Universe since the Big Bang. Mergers drive shocks into the intracluster gas, and these shocks heat the intracluster gas, and should also accelerate nonthermal relativistic particles. The X-ray signatures of the thermal effects of merger shock...