The Rate of Turbulent Spherical Accretion

The rate of turbulent spherical accretion onto a compact object might be much smaller than the Bondi rate. It is suggested that the rate of accretion onto Sgr A is much smaller than the Bondi rate. Subject headings: accretion − turbulence 1. The rate of spherical accretion The rate of adiabatic inviscid spherical accretion onto an object of mass M is given by the Bondi formula ṀBondi ∼ ρcsR 2 A, (1) where ρ is the density of the accreting gas, cs is the speed of sound, and RA is the accretion radius RA ∼ GMc −2 s . (2) We show that turbulent heat conduction reduces the rate of accretion onto a compact object