• DOI:10.1086/524190
• Corpus ID: 7699211

The Spatial Structure of an Accretion Disk

@article{Poindexter2008TheSS,
  title={The Spatial Structure of an Accretion Disk},
  author={Shawn Poindexter and Nicholas D. Morgan and Christopher S. Kochanek},
  journal={The Astrophysical Journal},
  year={2008},
  volume={673},
  pages={34-38}
}

• S. Poindexter, N. Morgan, C. Kochanek
• Published 29 June 2007
• Physics
• The Astrophysical Journal

Based on the microlensing variability of the two-image gravitational lens HE 1104-1805 observed between 0.4 and 8 μm, we have measured the size and wavelength-dependent structure of the quasar accretion disk. Modeled as a power law in temperature, T ∝ R−β, we measure a B-band (0.13 μm in the rest frame) half-light radius of R1/2,B = 6.7+ 6.2−3.2 × 1015 cm (68% confidence level) and a logarithmic slope of β = 0.61+ 0.21−0.17 (68% confidence level) for our standard model with a logarithmic prior on the disk size. Both the scale and the slope are consistent with simple thin disk models where β = 3/4 and R1/2,B = 5.9 × 1015 cm for a Shakura-Sunyaev disk radiating at the Eddington limit with 10% efficiency. The observed fluxes favor a slightly shallower slope, β = 0.55+ 0.03−0.02, and a significantly smaller size for β = 3/4.