Spherically Symmetric Accretion with Self-Gravity: Analytical Formulae and Numerical Validation

TL;DR

This paper develops a self-consistent analytical and numerical framework for spherically symmetric accretion with self-gravity, identifying key parameters and limits, and validating results with astrophysical applications.

Contribution

It introduces a new TPBVP formulation for self-gravitating accretion, derives approximate analytical formulae, and clarifies the role of a dimensionless parameter in accretion dynamics.

Findings

Identified a critical parameter $eta$ governing self-gravity effects.

Derived approximate formulae for rapid estimation of self-gravity influence.

Validated theoretical predictions with numerical solutions and applied to astrophysical scenarios.

Abstract

Spherically symmetric accretion incorporating self-gravity constitutes a three-point boundary value problem (TPBVP) governed by constraints at the outer boundary, sonic point, and accretor surface. Previous studies have two limitations: either employing an incorrect formula for self-gravity potential in analytical treatments, or introducing additional input parameters in numerical implementations to circumvent solving the full TPBVP. To address these issues, we present a self-consistent TPBVP formulation, solved using the relaxation method. We also derive approximate analytical formulae that enable rapid estimates of self-gravity effects. Our analysis identifies a dimensionless parameter $\beta \equiv 2G \bar{\rho} r_\mathrm{out}^2/a_\mathrm{out}^2$ that characterizes the strength of self-gravity, where $\bar{\rho}$ and $r_\mathrm{out}$ are the mean density and outer radius of the flow, respectively, and $a_\mathrm{out}$ is the adiabatic sound speed of the external medium. For practical estimation, $\bar{\rho}$ may be approximated by the external medium density $\rho_\mathrm{out}$. We identify an upper limit for $\beta$, beyond which steady accretion becomes unsustainable -- a behavior consistent with classical gravitational instability that previous studies failed to capture. The accretion rate enhancement decreases monotonically as the adiabatic index $\gamma$ increases. For $\gamma=5/3$, self-gravity ceases to augment the accretion rate. These theoretical predictions are validated by our numerical solutions. We further apply our results to two astrophysical scenarios: hyper-Eddington accretion onto supermassive black hole seeds in the early Universe, where self-gravity is significant; and accretion onto stellar-mass objects embedded in active galactic nuclei (AGN) disks, where self-gravity is non-negligible under certain conditions and should be evaluated using $\beta$.