A two-temperature accretion flow has ions and electrons at substantially different temperatures because their Coulomb equilibration time exceeds the inflow time. Ions can retain most viscous heat while electrons, which radiate more effectively, remain cooler.
The electron--proton thermal equilibration time is the timescale on which Coulomb collisions exchange energy between electron and proton populations. Its inverse dependence on number density helps make dilute accretion flows two-temperature and radiatively inefficient.
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