Abstract

Abstract: Classical relativistic theories of accretion are artificially curtailed at the ISCO (innermost stable circular orbit) with all observable quantities set to zero between this radius and the black hole’s event horizon. Real accretion flows (as well as those in simulations) do not behave in this manner and remain hot and (potentially) observable until right up against the black hole’s event horizon. In this talk I will discuss a new theoretical approach which allows existing accretion theories to be extended through the ISCO . I will highlight a number of remarkable self-similar properties of these solutions, which show no explicit dependence on the black hole’s spin parameter. Finally, I will discuss how existing “viscous” theories exterior to the ISCO may need to be revisited to better model the turbulent nature of an accretion flow near to the ISCO .