Conical accretion column geometry
Laser Beams from the Accretion Columns Each of the two cameras now fires magical laser beams that show exactly where the light is coming from and how much weight it carries (this weight, or "amplitude", tells us which "sub-profile" contributes to the twinkling effect from there). It's like these invisible lasers give back what each beam said about their position: "I'm coming from here!
Technical definition
Conical accretion column geometry refers to a mathematical model that approximates the shape of an accretion column as a cone, which is used in analytical calculations.