Conversely, one could perhaps adduce the observed line widths as evidence for a high central mass so compact that it could not be anything other than a black hole. The specific angular momentum of the infalling material, and the extent to which the resulting spin axis possesses long-term stability, depends on the origin of the accreted gas. However, it seems in any case unlikely that the inflow will be smooth or laminar. This possibility would seem to merit further investigation. In principle L Edd can be exceeded in a variety of ways in any non-spherical models.
Supercritical accretion can also readily occur when stellar destruction provides the gas supply.
If this exceeded L Edd then some of the material would be blown off as a wind by the pressure of a supercritical radiation flux, the gravitational energy released by inflow of the remainder providing the power. This process is discussed in detail in the contributions by Goldreich and Kippenhahn. Such effects would be particularly effective in the high-density photospheric region envisaged here.