Paczyński-Wiita circular orbit
ID: paczynski-wiita-circular-orbit
Let . In the Paczyński-Wiita potential, circular orbit balance and the radial epicyclic frequency formula giveThus the innermost stable circular orbit lies at . Its specific orbital energy is , giving a zero-torque radiative efficiency of black-hole accretion of . The model reproduces the Schwarzschild inner orbit exactly but approximates its relativistic energy and frequency. Abramowicz's derivation explains the potential's relation to the Schwarzschild effective potential.
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