Assume That When a Supermassive Black Hole Accretes Gas, Approximately

Multiple Choice

Assume that when a supermassive black hole accretes gas, approximately 20 percent of the accreted mass is converted directly into energy, which is radiated away.If a quasar has a luminosity of 10¹³ L_SUN, then what must be its mass accretion rate? Note that the Sun has a luminosity of 4 x10²⁶ W, and a mass of 2 x10³⁰ kg.

A) 1 M_SUN per year
B) 3.5 M_SUN per year
C) 1 M_SUN per century
D) 3.5 M_SUN per century
E) 1 M_SUN per million years