A Unified Model of Active Galactic Nuclei, Black Hole X-Ray Sources and Gamma-Ray Bursts

I consider models of active galactic nuclei, stellar-mass accreting black holes and microquasars based on a previously developed (Katz (1997)) model of gamma-ray bursts. When energy fluxes exceed a critical value ∼ 10 erg/cms, as in GRB, a black-body equilibrium pair plasma forms. At the lower fluxes found in AGN, BHXS and microquasars accretion power electrodynamically accelerates a small number of very energetic particles, explaining their non-thermal spectra and the high energy gamma-ray emission of blazars. Ultra-high energy cosmic rays may be accelerated by massive black holes, otherwise undetectable, with very low thermal luminosities. New-born fast high-field pulsars may be in the black-body equilibrium regime, resembling SGR in permanent outburst. I also consider the question of whether collisionless plasmas interpenetrate rather than forming hydrodynamic shocks, and propose this as an alternative to internal shock models of gamma-ray bursts. Subject headings: Accretion: Accretion Disks — Galaxies: Active — Galaxies: Nuclei — Gamma Rays: Theory — Gamma Rays: Bursts — Acceleration of Particles