Multistructured Accretion Flow of Sgr A*. I. Examination of a Radiatively Inefficient Accretion Flow Model

Abstract

The extreme low-luminosity supermassive black hole Sgr A* provides a unique laboratory in which to test models of radiatively inefficient accretion flows (RIAFs). Previous fits to the quiescent Chandra ACIS-S spectrum found that a RIAF model with an equal inflow–outflow balance works well. In this work, we apply the RIAF model to the Chandra HETG-S spectrum obtained through the Chandra X-ray Visionary Program, which displays features suggestive of temperature and velocity structures within the plasma. A comprehensive forward model analysis accounting for the accretion flow geometry and HETG-S instrumental effects is required for a full interpretation of the quiescent Chandra HETG-S spectrum. We present a RIAF model that takes these effects into account. Our fits to the high-resolution grating spectrum indicate an inflow balanced by an outflow ( s ∼ 1) alongside a temperature profile that appears shallower than what would be expected from a gravitational potential following 1/ r . The data require that the abundance of iron relative to solar is Z _Fe < 0.32 Z _⊙ (90% credible interval), much lower than the 2 Z _⊙ metallicity measured in nearby late-type giants. While future missions like NewAthena will provide higher spectral resolution, source separation will continue to be a problem. Leveraging Chandra’s unparalleled spatial resolution, which is not expected to be surpassed for decades, remains essential for detailed investigations of the densely populated Galactic center in X-rays.

Keywords

• Supermassive black holes
• Galactic center
• X-ray astronomy