We study the evolution in axisymmetry of accretion disks formed self-consistently through collapse of magnetized hypermassive neutron stars to black holes. Such stars can arise following the merger of binary neutron stars. They are differentially rotating, dynamically stable, and have rest masses exceeding the mass limit for uniform rotation. However, hypermassive neutron stars are secularly unstable to collapse due to MHD-driven angular momentum transport. The rotating black hole which forms in this process is surrounded by a hot, massive, magnetized torus and a magnetic field collimated along the spin axis. This system is a candidate for the central engine of a short-hard gamma-ray burst (GRB). Our code integrates the coupled Einstein-Maxwell-MHD equations and is used to follow the collapse of magnetized hypermassive neutron star models in full general relativity until the spacetime settles down to a quasi-stationary state. We then employ the Cowling approximation, in which the spacetime is frozen, to track the subsequent evolution of the disk. This approximation allows us to greatly extend the disk evolutions and study the resulting outflows, which may be relevant to the generation of a GRB. We find that outflows are suppressed when a stiff equation of state is assumed for low density disk material and are sensitive to the initial magnetic field configuration.
Hypermassive neutron stars (HMNSs) are equilibrium configurations supported against collapse by rapid differential rotation and likely form as transient remnants of binary neutron star mergers. Though HMNSs are dynamically stable, secular effects such as viscosity or magnetic fields tend to bring HMNSs into uniform rotation and thus lead to collapse. We simulate the evolution of magnetized HMNSs in axisymmetry using codes which solve the Einstein-Maxwell-MHD system of equations. We find that magnetic braking and the magnetorotational instability (MRI) both contribute to the eventual collapse o…
Hypermassive neutron stars (HMNSs) -- equilibrium configurations supported against collapse by rapid differential rotation -- are possible transient remnants of binary neutron star mergers. Using newly developed codes for magnetohydrodynamic simulations in dynamical spacetimes, we are able to track the evolution of a magnetized HMNS in full general relativity for the first time. We find that secular angular momentum transport due to magnetic braking and the magnetorotational instability results in the collapse of an HMNS to a rotating black hole, accompanied by a gravitational wave burst. The …
A hypermassive neutron star (HMNS) is a possible transient formed after the merger of a neutron star binary. In the latest magnetohydrodynamic simulations in full general relativity, we find that a magnetized HMNS undergoes `delayed' collapse to a rotating black hole (BH) as a result of angular momentum transport via magnetic braking and the magnetorotational instability. The outcome is a BH surrounded by a massive, hot torus with a collimated magnetic field. The torus accretes onto the BH at a quasi-steady accretion rate ~10 solar mass/s; the lifetime of the torus is ~10 ms. The torus has a t…
We study the effects of magnetic fields on the evolution of differentially rotating neutron stars, which can form in stellar core collapse or binary neutron star coalescence. Magnetic braking and the magnetorotational instability (MRI) both redistribute angular momentum; the outcome of the evolution depends on the star's mass and spin. Simulations are carried out in axisymmetry using our recently developed codes which integrate the coupled Einstein-Maxwell-MHD equations. For initial data, we consider three categories of differentially rotating, equilibrium configurations, which we label normal…
Binary neutron stars (NSNS) are expected to be among the leading sources of gravitational waves observable by ground-based laser interferometers and may be the progenitors of short-hard gamma ray bursts. We present a series of general relativistic NSNS coalescence simulations both for unmagnetized and magnetized stars. We adopt quasiequilibrium initial data for circular, irrotational binaries constructed in the conformal thin-sandwich (CTS) framework. We adopt the BSSN formulation for evolving the metric and a high-resolution shock-capturing scheme to handle the magnetohydrodynamics. Our simul…
The capacity to model magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) flows in dynamical, strongly curved spacetimes significantly extends the reach of numerical relativity in addressing many problems at the forefront of theoretical astrophysics. We have developed and tested an evolution code for the coupled Einstein-Maxwell-MHD equations which combines a BSSN solver with a high resolution shock capturing scheme. As one application, we evolve magnetized, differentially rotating neutron stars under the influence of a small seed magnetic field. Of particular significance is the behavior found for hypermassive neutr…
We discuss the propagation of radiative MHD jets and outflows focusing on outflows driven by magneto-centrifugal rotators. Our goal is to link the properties of the jets with the physics of the sources which produce them. We find that density and magnetic field stratification (with radius) in jets from magnetized rotators leads to new behavior including the development of a dense inner jet core and a low density collar. We also report on more general studies of ambipolar diffusion and field geometry in pulsed jets. Finally we describe a new work designed to study the effects of magnetized wind…
We show that the absence of the bright optical flashes in most {\it Swift} Gamma-ray Burst (GRB) afterglows can be explained, if the reverse shock region is magnetized with a $σ\sim 1$, or the emission spectrum of the electrons accelerated in the mildly magnetized ($0.1<σ<1$) reverse shock front is very soft, or the reverse shock of a non-magnetized outflow is sub-relativistic, where $σ$ is the ratio of the magnetic energy flux to the particle energy flux. We also find that for $σ\gg 1$, the energy transfer between the magnetized ejecta and the forward shock may be too quick to account for the…
We study a self-similar circulation model for protostellar bipolar outflows. The model is axisymmetric and stationary, and now includes Poynting flux. Compared to an earlier version of the model, this addition produces faster and more collimated outflows. Moreover the luminosity needed for the radiative heating is smaller. The model has been applied to both low and high mass protostars. Monte Carlo methods have been used to explore systematically the parameter space. An inflow/outflow pattern including collimation of high speed material and an infalling toroidal disc arises naturally. The disc…
In the Poynting Flux dominated outflow (the initial ratio of the electromagnetic energy flux to the particle energy flux $σ_0\gg1$) model for Gamma-ray bursts, nearly half of the internally dissipated magnetic energy is converted into the prompt $γ-$ray energy emission and the rest is converted into the kinetic energy of the outflow. Consequently, at the end of the $γ-$ray burst, $σ$ decreases significantly ($σ\sim 1$ or even smaller). We numerically investigate the very early reverse shock emission powered by such mildly magnetized outflows interacting with medium--uniform interstellar medium…
Relativistic strongly magnetized winds outflowing from fast-rotating compact objects like millisecond pulsars with surface magnetic fields of $\sim 10^{15}-10^{16}$ G are plausible sources of cosmological $γ$-ray bursts. In such winds, there are at least three regions where extremely powerful X-ray and $γ$-ray emission may be generated. The first radiating region is the wind photosphere that is at a distance of $\sim 10^9$ cm from the compact object. The second radiating region is at a distance of $\sim 10^{13}-10^{14}$ cm. In this region, the striped component of the wind field is transformed…
Star formation is usually accompanied by outflow phenomena. There is strong evidence that these outflows and jets are launched from the protostellar disk by magneto-rotational processes. Here, we report on our three dimensional, adaptive mesh, magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of collapsing, rotating, magnetized Bonnor-Ebert-Spheres whose properties are taken directly from observations. In contrast to the pure hydro case where no outflows are seen, our present simulations show an outflow from the protodisk surface at ~ AU and a jet at ~ 0.07 AU after a strong toroidal magnetic field build up. T…
We present two-dimensional, cylindrically symmetric simulations of hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wide-angle winds interacting with a collapsing environment. These simulations have direct relevance to young stellar objects (YSOs). The results may also be of use in the study of collimated outflows from proto-planetary and planetary nebulae. We study a range of wind configurations consistent with asymptotic MHD wind collimation. The degree of collimation is parameterized by the ratio of the wind density at the pole to that of the equator. We find that a toroidal magnetic field can ha…
Collapse of the rotating magnetized molecular cloud core is studied with the axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) simulations. Due to the change of the equation of state of the interstellar gas, the molecular cloud cores experience several different phases as collapse proce eds. In the isothermal run-away collapse ($n \lesssim 10^{10}{\rm H_2 cm}^{-3}$), a pseudo-disk is formed and it continues to contract till the opaque core is fo rmed at the center. In this disk, a number of MHD fast and slow shock pairs appear running parallelly to the disk. After the equation of state becomes hard, an…
We investigate spherical accretion to a rotating magnetized star in the "propeller" regime using axisymmetric resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations. The regime is predicted to occur if the magnetospheric radius is larger than the corotation radius and smaller than the light cylinder radius. The simulations show that accreting matter is expelled from the equatorial region of the magnetosphere and that it moves away from the star in a supersonic, disk-shaped outflow. At larger radial distances the outflow slows down and becomes subsonic. The equatorial matter outflow is initially driven by t…
We review recent observational and theoretical results on the relationship between circumstellar accretion disks and jets in young stellar objects. We then present a theoretical framework that interprets jets as accretion-powered, centrifugally driven winds from magnetized accretion disks. Recent progress in the numerical simulation of such outflows is described. We also discuss the structure of the underlying magnetized protostellar disks, emphasizing the role that large-scale, open magnetic fields can play in angular momentum transport.
The transient emission produced behind internal shocks that are driven by overtaking collisions of a magnetized, relativistic outflow is considered. A self-consistent model capable of describing the structure and dynamics of the shocks and the time evolution of the pair-and gamma-ray distribution functions is developed and applied to gamma-ray flares in blazars, in the case in which gamma-ray production is dominated by inverse Compton scattering of external radiation (ERC). The dependence of the flare properties on magnetic field dissipation rate, intensity of ambient radiation, and the thickn…
Using the Effelsberg radio telescope at 4.85GHz and 8.35 GHz we discovered large symmetric lobes of polarized radio emission around the strongly HI deficient Virgo cluster spiral galaxy NGC4569. These lobes extend up to 24 kpc from the galactic disk. Our observations were complemented by 1.4 GHz continuum emission from existing HI observations. This is the first time that such huge radio continuum lobes are observed in a cluster spiral galaxy. The eastern lobe seems detached and has a flat spectrum typical for in-situ cosmic ray electron acceleration. The western lobe is diffuse and possesses …
(Abridged): We study the collision of magnetized irregularities (shells) in relativistic outflows in order to explain the origin of the generic phenomenology observed in the non-thermal emission of both blazars and gamma-ray bursts. We focus on the influence of the magnetic field on the collision dynamics, and we further investigate how the properties of the observed radiation depend on the strength of the initial magnetic field and on the initial internal energy density of the flow. The collisions of magnetized shells and the radiation resulting from these collisions are calculated using the …
We present an investigation of massive star formation that results from the gravitational collapse of massive, magnetized molecular cloud cores. We investigate this by means of highly resolved, numerical simulations of initial magnetized Bonnor-Ebert-Spheres that undergo collapse and cooling. By comparing three different cases - an isothermal collapse, a collapse with radiative cooling, and a magnetized collapse - we show that massive stars assemble quickly with mass accretion rates exceeding 10^-3 Msol/yr. We confirm that the mass accretion during the collapsing phase is much more efficient t…
We present an analytic description of turbulent, MHD disk accretion around black holes that specifically addresses the relationship between radial and vertical, transport, thereby complementing and extending numerical simulations. The azimuthal-vertical component of the magnetic stress is fundamental to an understanding of disk--corona--outflow coupling: when it is important for driving the angular momentum transport and mass accretion in the disk, it also has an important influence on the disk--corona--outflow energy budget. The Poynting flux derived from the product of this term with the Kep…
We review advances in the theoretical and computational studies of disk winds, jets and outflows including: the connection between accretion and jets, the launch of jets from magnetized disks, the coupled evolution of jets and disks, the interaction of magnetized young stellar objects with their surrounding disks and the relevance to outflows, and finally, the link between jet formation and gravitational collapse. We also address the predictions that the theory makes about jet kinematics, collimation, and rotation, that have recently been confirmed by high spatial and spectral resolution obser…
We study magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects arising in the collapse of magnetized, rotating, massive stellar cores to proto-neutron stars (PNSs). We perform axisymmetric numerical simulations in full general relativity with a hybrid equation of state. The formation and early evolution of a PNS are followed with a grid of 2500 x 2500 zones, which provides better resolution than in previous (Newtonian) studies. We confirm that significant differential rotation results even when the rotation of the progenitor is initially uniform. Consequently, the magnetic field is amplified both by magnetic wind…
We performed cosmological, magneto-hydrodynamical simulations to follow the evolution of magnetic fields in galaxy clusters, exploring the possibility that the origin of the magnetic seed fields are galactic outflows during the star-burst phase of galactic evolution. To do this we coupled a semi-analytical model for magnetized galactic winds as suggested by \citet{2006MNRAS.370..319B} to our cosmological simulation. We find that the strength and structure of magnetic fields observed in galaxy clusters are well reproduced for a wide range of model parameters for the magnetized, galactic winds a…
An investigation is made of disk accretion of matter onto a rotating star with an aligned dipole magnetic field. A new aspect of this work is that when the angular velocity of the star and disk differ substantially we argue that the $\bf B$ field linking the star and disk rapidly inflates to give regions of open field lines extending from the polar caps of the star and from the disk. The open field line region of the disk leads to the possibility of magnetically driven outflows. An analysis is made of the outflows and their back affect on the disk structure assuming an ``$\ap$" turbulent visco…
Using relativistic, steady, axisymmetric, ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) we analyze the super-Alfvenic regime of a pulsar wind by means of solving the momentum equation along the flow as well as in the transfield direction. Employing a self-similar model, we demonstrate that ideal MHD can account for the full acceleration from high (>>1) to low (<<1) values of $σ$, the Poynting-to-matter energy flux ratio. The solutions also show a transition from a current-carrying to a return-current regime, partly satisfying the current-closure condition. We discuss the kind of the boundary conditions nea…
The time dependent synchrotron emission from relativistic jets, and the relation between the synchrotron and ERC emission is considered within the framework of the radiative front model. The timescale and profile of the optically thin emission are shown to be determined, in this model, by the shock formation radius, the thickness of expelled fluid slab and the variation of the front's parameters due to its transverse expansion. For a range of reasonable conditions, a variety of flare shapes can be produced, varying from roughly symmetric with exponential rises and decays, as often seen in blaz…
Outflows from quasars inevitably pollute the intergalactic medium (IGM) with magnetic fields. The short-lived activity of a quasar leaves behind an expanding magnetized bubble in the IGM. We model the expansion of the remnant quasar bubbles and calculate their distribution as a function magnetic field strength at different redshifts. We find that by a redshift z ~ 3, about 5-80% of the IGM volume is filled by magnetic fields with an energy density > 10% of the mean thermal energy density of a photo-ionized IGM (at ~ 10^4 K). As massive galaxies and X-ray clusters condense out of the magnetized…
Jet formation is connected most probably with matter acceleration from the vicinity of rotating magnetized bodies. It is usually related to the mass outflows and ejection from accretion disks around black holes. Problem of jet collimation is discussed. Collapse of a rotating magnetized body during star formation or supernovae explosion may lead to a jet-like mass ejection for certain angular velocity and magnetic field distributions at the beginning of the collapse. Jet formation during magnetorotational explosion is discussed basing on the numerical simulation of collapse of magnetized bodied…
Outflows from quasars inevitably pollute the intergalactic medium (IGM) with magnetic fields. The short-lived activity of a quasar leaves behind an expanding magnetized bubble in the IGM. We model the expansion of the remnant quasar bubbles and calculate their distribution as a function of size and magnetic field strength at different redshifts. We generically find that by a redshift z=3, about 5-20% of the IGM volume is filled by magnetic fields with an energy density >10% of the mean thermal energy density of a photo-ionized IGM (at T=10^4 K). As massive galaxies and X-ray clusters condense …
We report the discovery of propeller-driven outflows in axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic simulations of disk accretion to rapidly rotating magnetized stars. Matter outflows in a wide cone and is centrifugally ejected from the inner regions of the disk. Closer to the axis there is a strong, collimated, magnetically dominated outflow of energy and angular momentum carried by the open magnetic field lines from the star. The ``efficiency'' of the propeller may be very high in the respect that most of the incoming disk matter is expelled from the system in winds. The star spins-down rapidly due to …
Dynamical collapses of magnetized molecular cloud cores are studied with magnetohydrodynamical simulations from the run-away collapse phase to the accretion phase. In the run-away collapse phase, a disk threaded by magnetic field lines is contracting due to its self-gravity and its evolution is well expressed by a self-similar solution. The central density increases greatly in a finite time scale and reaches a density at which an opaque core is formed at the center. After that, matter accretes to the newly formed core (accretion phase). In this stage, a rotationally supported disk is formed in…
We investigate outflows driven by a giant protoplanet using three-dimensional MHD nested grid simulations. We consider a local region around the protoplanet in the protoplanetary disk, and calculate three models: (a) unmagnetized disk model, (b) magnetized disk model having magnetic field azimuthally parallel to the disk, and (c) magnetic field perpendicular to the disk. Outflows with velocities, at least, 10 km/s are driven by the protoplanets in both magnetized disk models, while outflow does not appear in unmagnetized disk model. Tube-like outflows along the azimuthal direction of the proto…
The collapse of young massive stars or the coalescence of a black hole-neutron star binary is expected to give rise to a black hole-torus system. When the torus is strongly magnetized, the black hole produces electron-positron outflow along open magnetic field-lines. Through curvature radiation in gaps, this outflow rapidly develops into a $e^\pmγ$-wind, which is ultra-relativistic and of low comoving density, proposed here as a possible input to GRB fireball models.
This is the first paper about the fragmentation and mass outflow in the molecular cloud by using three-dimensional MHD nested-grid simulations. The binary star formation process is studied paying particular attention to the fragmentation of a rotating magnetized molecular cloud. We assume an isothermal rotating and magnetized cylindrical cloud in hydrostatic balance. Non-axisymmetric as well as axisymmetric perturbations are added to the initial state and the subsequent evolutions are studied. The evolution is characterized by three parameters: the amplitude of the non-axisymmetric perturbatio…
We present a self-consistent, semi-analytical dynamical model of disk driven outflows in AGNs that are accelerated by a combination of magnetic stresses and radiation pressure. This model will make it possible to examine scenarios in which the wind is homogeneous as well as cases where it consists of dense clouds embedded in a more tenuous, magnetized medium. The various ingredients of this model will be tested through quantitative predictions from both multiwavelength spectral observations and reverberation mapping of AGNs.
A large body of theoretical and computational work shows that jets - modelled as magnetized disk winds - exert an external torque on their underlying disks that can efficiently remove angular momentum and act as major drivers of disk accretion. These predictions have recently been confirmed in direct HST measurements of the jet rotation and angular momentum transport in low mass protostellar systems. We review the theory of disc winds and show that their physics is universal and scales to jets from both low and high mass star forming regions. This explains the observed properties of outflows i…
In the double neutron star merger or neutron star-black hole merger model for short GRBs, the outflow launched might be mildly magnetized and neutron rich. The magnetized neutron-rich outflow will be accelerated by the magnetic and thermal pressure and may form a two component jet finally, as suggested by Vlahakis, Peng & Königl (2003). We show in this work that such a two component jet model could well reproduce the multi-wavelength afterglow lightcurves, in particular the X-ray flat segment, of short GRB 051221A. In this model, the central engine need not to be active much longer than the pr…
We study numerically the collapse of rotating, magnetized molecular cloud cores, focusing on rotation and magnetic braking during the main accretion phase of isolated star formation. Motivated by previous numerical work and analytic considerations, we idealize the pre-collapse core as a magnetized singular isothermal toroid, with a constant rotational speed everywhere. The collapse starts from the center, and propagates outwards in an inside-out fashion, satisfying exact self-similarity in space and time. For rotation rates and field strengths typical of dense low-mass cores, the main feature …
We present numerical magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of a magnetized accretion disk launching trans-Alfvenic jets. These simulations, performed in a 2.5 dimensional time-dependent polytropic resistive MHD framework, model a resistive accretion disk threaded by an initial vertical magnetic field. The resistivity is only important inside the disk, and is prescribed as eta = alpha_m V_AH exp(-2Z^2/H^2), where V_A stands for Alfven speed, H is the disk scale height and the coefficient alpha_m is smaller than unity. By performing the simulations over several tens of dynamical disk timescales,…
We present an analytical model for the magnetic flux surfaces for rapidly rotating magnetized young stellar objects which is based on ideal, stationary, axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamics. The resulting cold wind solutions reproduce observed wind velocities of a few hundred \kms$ $ and the outer jet radi us for a collimated jet of several thousand stellar radii. The theory of axisymmetric magnetospheres around rapidly rotating stellar sources is outlined including electric fields due to the rapid rotation. Gravity of the central object is consistently built into this theory. A consistent wind t…
We present results from our numerical simulations of collapsing massive molecular cloud cores. These numerical calculations show that massive stars assemble quickly with mass accretion rates exceeding 10^-3 Msol/yr and confirm that the mass accretion during the collapsing phase is much more efficient than predicted by selfsimilar collapse solutions, dM/dt ~ c^3/G. We find that during protostellar assembly out of a non-turbulent core, the mass accretion reaches 20 - 100 c^3/G. Furthermore, we explore the self-consistent structure of bipolar outflows that are produced in our three dimensional ma…
Powerful, highly collimated jets, surrounded by bipolar molecular outflows, are commonly observed near Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). In the usual theoretical picture of star formation, a jet is ejected from a magnetized accretion disk, with a molecular outflow being driven either by the jet or by a wider wind coming from the disk. Here, we propose an alternative global model for the flows surrounding YSOs. In addition to a central accretion-ejection engine driving the jet, the molecular outflow is powered by the infalling matter and follows a circulation pattern around the central object witho…
