General relativistic MHD simulations of black hole accretion disks and jets |
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| Authors: | John F Hawley Kris Beckwith Julian H Krolik |
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| Institution: | (1) Astronomy Department, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400325, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4325, USA;(2) Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA |
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| Abstract: | Accretion disks orbiting black holes power high-energy systems such as X-ray binaries and Active Galactic Nuclei. Observations
are providing increasingly detailed quantitative information about such systems. This data has been interpreted using standard
toy-models that rely on simplifying assumptions such as regular flow geometry and a parameterized stress. Global numerical
simulations offer a way to investigate the basic physical dynamics of accretion flows without these assumptions and, in principle,
lead to a genuinely predictive theory. In recent years we have developed a fully three-dimensional general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic
simulation code that evolves time-dependent inflows into Kerr black holes. Although the resulting global simulations of black
hole accretion are still somewhat simplified, they have brought to light a number of interesting results. These include the
formation of electro-magnetically dominated jets powered by the black hole’s rotation, and the presence of strong stresses
in the plunging region of the accretion flow. The observational consequences of these features are gradually being examined.
Increasing computer power and increasingly sophisticated algorithms promise a bright future for the computational approach
to black hole accretion. |
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| Keywords: | Black holes Magnetohydrodynamics Stars: accretion |
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