Active Galactic Nuclei. V. X-Ray Variability and the Black Hole Cluster Paradigm
Pacholczyk, A. G.; Stoeger, W. R.
United States
Abstract
A random superposition of elementary luminosity bursts of rectangular or triangular shape produces X-ray luminosity flicker curves characterized by features corresponding to those observed in the X-ray- variable Seyfert galaxies and other active galactic nuclei. Such luminosity events could be produced by accretion processes resulting from tidal disruption and consumption of stars by small (~1 M_sun_) black holes, or much more frequently from such holes passing and disrupting accretion disks belonging to large holes in a nuclear cluster.