Sample interview questions: Explain the concept of accretion disks and their role in astrophysics.
Sample answer:
Accretion Disks: A Cornerstone of Astrophysics
Accretion disks are prevalent structures in astrophysics, playing a crucial role in understanding the dynamics and evolution of various celestial objects. These disks form when matter from a surrounding environment falls onto a central massive object, such as a star, black hole, or white dwarf.
As the infalling matter approaches the central object, it experiences strong gravitational forces, causing it to spiral inward along trajectories determined by conservation of angular momentum. During this inward motion, viscous interactions between the orbiting particles extract energy from the disk, resulting in the emission of thermal radiation.
Accretion disks are characterized by their characteristic temperature and luminosity distributions. The temperature decreases with increasing distance from the central object, giving rise to a conical disk shape with a hot inner region and a cooler outer region. The amount of luminosity emitted depends on the accretion rate, which is determined by the mass of the central object and the rate at which matter is falling o… Read full answer
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