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The black flash model of QSOs

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Abstract

A model for QSOs and the nuclei of Seyfert Galaxies is proposed in which mass lost from stars in a galactic nucleus repeatedly builds to a critical density and then collapses to the center where it accretes onto a massive black hole (≈108 M ⊙), emitting great luminosity. This model describes a means of starting with an ordinary nucleus and developing conditions found in QSOs. By invoking intermittent flashes we overcome a difficulty previously encountered in similar models in which plausible sources of mass in reasonable galactic nuclei fail by a factor of ≈10−2 in fueling a black hole at QSO luminosities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas

    G. A. Shields & J. C. Wheeler

Authors
  1. G. A. Shields
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  2. J. C. Wheeler
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Additional information

This essay was awarded the fifth prize for 1977 by the Gravity Research Foundation.

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Shields, G.A., Wheeler, J.C. The black flash model of QSOs. Gen Relat Gravit 9, 189–193 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00759373

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00759373

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