Thermal disc emission from a rotating black hole: X-ray polarization signatures
Thermal emission from the accretion disc around a black hole can be polarized, due to Thomson scattering in a disc atmosphere. In Newtonian space, the polarization angle must be either parallel or perpendicular to the projection of the disc axis on the sky. As first pointed out by Stark and Connors in 1977, General Relativity effects strongly modify the polarization properties of the thermal radiation as observed at infinity. Among these effects, the rotation of the polarization angle with energy is particularly useful as a diagnostic tool. 
 
 
 
In this paper, we extend the Stark and Connors calculations by including the spectral hardening factor, several values of the optical depth of the scattering atmosphere and rendering the results to the expected performances of planned X-ray polarimeters. In particular, to assess the perspectives for the next generation of X-ray polarimeters, we consider the expected sensitivity of the detectors on board the planned POLARIX and International X-ray Observatory missions. We assume the two cases of a Schwarzschild and an extreme Kerr black hole with a standard thin disc and a scattering atmosphere. We compute the expected polarization degree and the angle as functions of the energy as they could be measured for different inclinations of the observer, optical thickness of the atmosphere and different values of the black hole spin. We assume the thermal emission dominates the X-ray band. Using the flux level of the microquasar GRS 1915+105 in the thermal state, we calculate the observed polarization.

title: Prospects of 3D mapping of the Galactic Centre clouds with X-ray polarimetry
abstract: Despite past panchromatic observations of the innermost part of the Milky Way, the overall structure of the Galactic Centre (GC) remains enigmatic in terms of geometry. In this paper, we aim to show how polarimetry can probe the three-dimensional position of the molecular material in the central ~100 pc of the GC. We investigate a model where the central supermassive black hole Sgr A* is radiatively coupled to a fragmented circumnuclear disc (CND), an elliptical twisted ring representative of the central molecular zone (CMZ), and the two main, bright molecular clouds Sgr B2 and Sgr C. 8 -- 35 keV integrated polarization mapping reveals that Sgr B2 and Sgr C, situated at the two sides of the CMZ, present the highest polarization degrees (66.5 and 47.8 per cent respectively), both associated with a polarization position angle psi = 90deg (normal to the scattering plane). The CND shows a lower polarization degree, 1.0 per cent with psi = -20.5deg, tracing the inclination of the CND with respect to the Galactic plane. The CMZ polarization is spatially variable. We also consider a range of spatial locations for Sgr A* and the reprocessing media, and investigate how the modeled three-dimensional geometry influences the resulting GC polarization. The two reflection nebulae are found to always produce high polarization degrees (>> 10 per cent). We show that a 500 ks observation with a broadband polarimeter could constrain the location and the morphology of the scattering material with respect to the emitting source, revealing the past activity of Sgr A*.

title: Off-equatorial orbits in strong gravitational fields near compact objects
abstract: Near a black hole or an ultracompact star, the motion of particles is governed by a strong gravitational field. Electrically charged particles also feel the electromagnetic force arising due to currents inside the star or plasma circling around. We study the possibility that the interplay between gravitational and electromagnetic actions may allow for the stable, energetically bound off-equatorial motion of charged particles. This would represent the well-known generalized Stormer's 'halo orbits', which have been discussed in connection with the motion of dust grains in planetary magnetospheres. We demonstrate that such orbits exist and can be astrophysically relevant when a compact star or a black hole is endowed with a dipole-type magnetic field. In the case of the Kerr–Newman solution, numerical analysis shows that the mutually connected gravitational and electromagnetic fields do not allow the existence of stable halo orbits above the outer horizon of black holes. Such orbits are either hidden under the inner black-hole horizon, or they require the presence of a naked singularity.

title: Magnetic layers and neutral points near a rotating black hole
abstract: Magnetic layers are narrow regions where the field direction changes sharply. They often occur in the association with neutral points of the magnetic field. We show that an organized field can produce these structures near a rotating black hole (BH), and we identify them as potential sites of magnetic reconnection. To that end, we study the field lines affected by the frame-dragging effect, twisting the magnetic structure and changing the position of neutral points. We consider oblique fields in vacuum. We also include the possibility of translational motion of the black hole which may be relevant when the black hole is ejected from the system. The model settings apply to the innermost regions around black holes with the ergosphere dominated by a super-equipartition magnetic field and loaded with a negligible gas content.

title: Stellar capture by an accretion disc
abstract: The long-term evolution of a stellar orbit captured by a massive galactic centre via successive interactions with an accretion disc has been examined. An analytical solution describing the evolution of the stellar orbital parameters during the initial stage of the capture has been found. Our results are applicable to thin Keplerian discs with an arbitrary radial distribution of density and a rather general prescription for the star–disc interaction. Temporal evolution is given in the form of quadrature which can be carried out numerically.

title: 2.5-Dimension Numerical Simulation Of Selfmodulation of Relativistic Electron Bunches in a Plasma.

title: Kinetic simulation of fields excitation and particle acceleration by laser beat wave in non-homogeneous plasmas
abstract: Resonance excitation of longitudinal plasma electrostatic wave by double-frequency laser radiation is investigated numerically to study in detail conditions of particle beat wave acceleration. The computer simulation is based on the highly specialized code SUR, using splitting technique. Both the space uniform and slightly non-uniform cases are investigated. Maintaining of phase synchronism between accelerated particles and excited longitudinal wave is provided by a choice of density plasma profile.

title: Focusing of relativistic electron bunches at the wake-field excitation in plasma
abstract: Analytical and numerical investigations of the trajectories of probing beam electrons in a two dimensional wake-field, generated in a plasma by a dense bunch of relativistic electrons with Gaussian longitudinal and transverse distributions of density have been carried out. Based on the calculations of probing beam deviations, the diagnostic instruments are developed for the parameters of experiments conducted at NSC KIPT. The diagnostic instruments include an electron gun generating a 10 keV electron beam with a current of 10 /spl mu/A and 2 mm in diameter, which passes through the chamber of interaction and falls on the collector of 10 mm diameter. The collector (screen) is placed in front of the first plate of a microchannel amplifier which consists of three microchannel plates (MCP) with sizes between 20 and 30 mm. The 3 kV voltage was applied to each plate. The total amplification of MCP amplifier is 10/sup 4/ to 10/sup 5/ depending on the number of particles incident on the first plate. As a result of probing beam deviations due to the excited wake-field, the electrons fall on the first plate of the amplifier and are registered by its anode located behind the third plate. The calculated probing beam deviations and the amplification attained with the MCP amplifier permit one to detect and investigate the electrical wake-fields excited by a sequence of relativistic bunches ( number of particles in a bunch is 2/spl middot/10/sup 9/, energy is 14 MeV) in a plasma of 10/sup 11/-10/sup 13/ cm/sup -3/ density. The intensity of the fields registered by this technique is no less than 2 kV/cm.

title: Numerical simulation of high-current ion linear induction accelerator with additional electron beam injection

title: 2,5-dimensional numerical simulation of propagation of the finite sequence of relativistic electron bunches (REB) in tenuous and dense plasmas
abstract: Particle simulation results on the wake-field excitation with the programmed finite sequence of REB in tenuous and dense plasmas are presented. The REB/background plasma configuration is described by full set of 2D3V relativistic Vlasov equations for each plasma species and nonlinear Maxwell equations for self-consistent electromagnetic field. The physical parameters in runs carried out are close to those used in laboratory experiment at Kharkov IPT (Ya. Fainberg et al., 1994). The simulation points to the fact that the reached value of electric field depends on charge distribution and choice of intervals between bunches in programmed sequence.

title: Optimization of high-current ion beam acceleration and charge compensation in two cusps of induction linac
abstract: Results of the numerical simulation of the hollow high-current ion beam (HHCIB) dynamics in two magnet-isolated accelerating gaps separated by the drift gap are presented. The previous study has shown that the good charge and current compensations of the ion beam by the specially injected electron beam occur in the accelerating gaps of the induction linac. However in the drift gap the high positive electric potential due to the positive space charge of HHCIB was obtained because the essential difference between the electron and ion drift velocities exists under this compensation method. This disadvantage impairing the brightness of the ion beam can be considerably reduced by the additional injection of the thermal electrons into the drift region. In present report the some cases of the cold electron injection into drift gap are considered. The more optimal regime for the effective charge and current compensations of HHCIB without loss in the stability of ion beam was found.