Neutron production in black hole coronae and proton loading of jets

Abstract

We study the production of neutrons in the corona of an accreting black hole through theinteraction of locally accelerated protons with matter and radiation. A fraction of theseneutrons may escape and penetrate into the base of the jet, later decaying into protons.This is a possible mechanism for loading Poynting-dominated outflows with baryons.We characterize the spatial and energy distribution of neutrons in the corona andthat of the protons injected in the jet by neutron decay. We assess the contribution ofthese protons to the radiative spectrum of the jet. We also investigate the fate of theneutrons that escape the corona into the external medium.