One of the main dissipation processes acting on all scales in relativistic jets is thought to be governed by magnetic reconnection. Such dissipation processes have been studied in idealized environments, such as reconnection layers, which evolve in merging islands and lead to the production of plasmoids, ultimately resulting in efficient particle acceleration. In accretion flows onto black holes, reconnection layers can be developed and destroyed rapidly during the turbulent evolution of the flow. We present a series of two-dimensional general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of tori accreting onto rotating black holes focusing our attention on the formation and evolution of current sheets. Initially, the tori are endowed with a poloidal magnetic field having a multi-loop structure along the radial direction and with an alternating polarity. During reconnection processes, plasmoids and plasmoid chains are developed leading to a flaring activity and hence to a variable electromagnetic luminosity. We describe the methods developed to track automatically the plasmoids that are generated and ejected during the simulation, contrasting the behaviour of multi-loop initial data with that encountered in typical simulations of accreting black holes having initial dipolar field composed of one loop only. Finally, we discuss the implications that our results have on the variability to be expected in accreting supermassive black holes.
Magnetic reconnection can power bright, rapid flares originating from the inner magnetosphere of accreting black holes. We conduct extremely high resolution ($5376\times2304\times2304$ cells) general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations, capturing plasmoid-mediated reconnection in a 3D magnetically arrested disk for the first time. We show that an equatorial, plasmoid-unstable current sheet forms in a transient, non-axisymmetric, low-density magnetosphere within the inner few Schwarzschild radii. Magnetic flux bundles escape from the event horizon through reconnection at the universal…
Powerful flares from blazars with short ($\sim$ min) variability timescales are challenging for current models of blazar emission. Here, we present a physically motivated ab initio model for blazar flares based on the results of recent particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of relativistic magnetic reconnection. PIC simulations demonstrate that quasi-spherical plasmoids filled with high-energy particles and magnetic fields are a self-consistent by-product of the reconnection process. By coupling our PIC-based results (i.e., plasmoid growth, acceleration profile, particle and magnetic content) with…
The Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) on board Yohkoh revealed that the ejection of X-ray emitting plasmoid is sometimes observed in a solar flare. It was found that the ejected plasmoid is strongly accelerated during a peak in the hard X-ray emission of the flare. In this paper we present an examination of the GOES X 2.3 class flare that occurred at 14.51 UT on 2000 November 24. In the SXT images we found multiple plasmoid ejections with velocities in the range of 250-1500 km/s, which showed blob-like or loop-like structures. Furthermore, we also found that each plasmoid ejection is associated with …
Minute-timescale TeV flares have been observed in several blazars. The fast flaring requires compact regions in the jet that boost their emission towards the observer at an extreme Doppler factor of delta>50. For TeV photons to avoid annihilation in the broad line region of PKS 1222+216, the flares must come from large (pc) scales challenging most models proposed to explain them. Here we elaborate on the magnetic reconnection minijet model for the blazar flaring, focusing on the inherently time-dependent aspects of the process of magnetic reconnection. I argue that, for the physical conditions…
We explore the variability properties of long, high cadence GRMHD simulations across the electromagnetic spectrum using an efficient, GPU-based radiative transfer algorithm. We focus on both disk- and jet-dominated simulations with parameters that successfully reproduce the time-averaged spectral properties of Sgr A* and the size of its image at 1.3mm. We find that the disk-dominated models produce short timescale variability with amplitudes and power spectra that closely resemble those inferred observationally. In contrast, jet-dominated models generate only slow variability, at lower flux le…
The Galactic Center black hole Sgr A* shows significant variability and flares in the submillimeter, infrared, and X-ray wavelengths. Owing to its exquisite resolution in the IR bands, the GRAVITY experiment for the first time spatially resolved the locations of three flares and showed that a bright region moves in ellipse-like trajectories close to but offset from the black hole over the course of each event. We present a model for plasmoids that form during reconnection events and orbit in the coronal region around a black hole to explain these observations. We utilize general-relativistic r…
Significant X-ray variability and flaring has been observed from Sgr A* but is poorly understood from a theoretical standpoint. We perform GRMHD simulations that take into account a population of non-thermal electrons with energy distributions and injection rates that are motivated by PIC simulations of magnetic reconnection. We explore the effects of including these non-thermal electrons on the predicted broadband variability of Sgr A* and find that X-ray variability is a generic result of localizing non-thermal electrons to highly magnetized regions, where particles are likely to be accelera…
The exact mechanism for the production of fast $γ$-ray variability in blazars remains debated. Magnetic reconnection, in which plasmoids filled with relativistic particles and magnetic fields are formed, is a viable candidate to explain the broadband electromagnetic spectrum and variability of these objects. Using state-of-the-art magnetic reconnection simulations, we generate realistic $γ$-ray light curves that would be observed with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. A comparison with observed $γ$-ray flares from flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) reveals that magnetic reconnection events lead…
Radiative Cooling Effects on Plasmoid Formation in Black Hole Accretion Flows with Multiple Magnetic Loops
Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交大李政道研究所）；School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学物理与天文学院）；Key Laboratory for Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology (MOE), Shanghai Key Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学粒子物理、天体物理与宇宙学教育部重点实验室/上海市粒子物理与宇宙学重点实验室）；Goethe-Universität Frankfurt（法兰克福歌德大学）；Research Center for Astronomy, Academy of Athens（雅典科学院天文学研究中心）；Institut für Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universität Würzburg（维尔茨堡大学理论与天体物理研究所）；Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie（马克斯·普朗克射电天文研究所）
Order of magnitude variability has been observed in the blazar sub-class of Active Galactic Nuclei on minute timescales. These high-energy flares are often difficult to explain with shock acceleration models due to the small size of the inferred emitting region, with recent particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations showing that magnetic reconnection is a promising alternative mechanism. Here, we present a macroscopic emission model physically motivated by PIC simulations, where the energy for particle acceleration originates from the reconnecting magnetic field. We track the radial growth and relativ…
The X-ray and radio flares observed in X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei (AGN) are attributed to energetic electrons in the plasma ejecta from the accretion flows near the black hole in these systems. It is argued that magnetic reconnection could occur in the coronae above the accretion disk around the black hole, and that this drives plasmoid outflows resembling the solar coronal mass ejection (CME) phenomenon. The X-ray and radio flares are emission from energetic electrons produced in the process. As the emission region is located near the black hole event horizon, the flare emissio…
Is plasmoid-mediated reconnection really important in accretion flows to drive flares in AGNs?
Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo（圣保罗大学天体物理学、地球物理学和大气科学研究所）；Princeton Gravity Initiative, Princeton University（普林斯顿大学引力倡议计划）；School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study（高等研究院自然科学学院）；Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee（威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校物理系引力、宇宙学天体物理中心）；Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Peyton Hall, Princeton University（普林斯顿大学天体物理科学系）；Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Universidade de São Paulo（圣保罗大学艺术、科学与人文学院）；Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison（威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校天文系）
We have performed a series of numerical experiments aimed at studying the activation of Kerr black holes (BHs) by advection of small scale magnetic fields. Such configurations may potentially give rise to the formation of quasi-striped Blandford-Znajek jets. It can also lead to enhanced dissipation and generation of plasmoids in current sheets formed in the vicinity of the BH horizon, which may constitute a mechanism to power the hard X-ray emission seen in many accreting BH systems (a la lamppost models). Our analysis suggests that formation of quasi-striped jets with significant power may be…
A modeling strategy that is adapted to the study of synchrotron-self absorbed plasmoids that was developed for the quasar, Mrk 231, in Reynolds et al (2009) is applied to the microquasar GRS 1915+105. The major flare from December 1993 shows spectral evidence of three such self-absorbed components. The analysis yields an estimate of the power that is required to eject the plasmoids from the central engine that is independent of other estimates that exist in the literature for different flares. The technique has an advantage since the absorbed spectrum contains an independent constraint provide…
Magnetic reconnection is thought to be one of the main energy-dissipation mechanisms fueling energy to the plasma in the vicinity of a black hole. Indeed, plasmoids formed through magnetic reconnection may play a key role in $γ$-ray, X-ray and near-infrared flares from the black hole at the center of our galaxy, SgrA*. We report the results of three-dimensional general-relativistic ideal and resistive magnetohydrodynamics simulations modelling magnetic reconnection in accretion flows around astrophysical black holes. As an important difference with similar works, our accretion discs have an in…
Where particle acceleration and plasma heating take place in relation to magnetic reconnection is a fundamental question for solar flares. We report analysis of an M7.7 flare on 2012 July 19 observed by SDO/AIA and RHESSI. Bi-directional outflows in forms of plasmoid ejections and contracting cusp-shaped loops originate between an erupting flux rope and underlying flare loops at speeds of typically 200-300 km/s up to 1050 km/s. These outflows are associated with spatially separated double coronal X-ray sources with centroid separation decreasing with energy. The highest temperature is located …
Blazars exhibit flares across the electromagnetic spectrum. Many $γ$-ray flares are highly correlated with flares detected at optical wavelengths; however, a small subset appears to occur in isolation, with little or no variability detected at longer wavelengths. These "orphan" $γ$-ray flares challenge current models of blazar variability, most of which are unable to reproduce this type of behavior. We present numerical calculations of the time-variable emission of a blazar based on a proposal by Marscher et al. (2010) to explain such events. In this model, a plasmoid ("blob") propagates relat…
We propose the particle acceleration model coupled with multiple plasmoid ejections in a solar flare. Unsteady reconnection produces plasmoids in a current sheet and ejects them out to the fast shocks, where particles in a plasmoid are reflected upstream the shock front by magnetic mirror effect. As the plasmoid passes through the shock front, the reflection distance becomes shorter and shorter driving Fermi acceleration, until it becomes proton Larmor radius. The fractal distribution of plasmoids may also have a role in naturally explaining the power-law spectrum in nonthermal emissions.
We show that magnetic reconnection in a magnetically-dominated fast-cooling plasma can naturally produce bright flares accompanied by rotations in the synchrotron polarization vector. With particle-in-cell simulations of reconnection, we find that flares are powered by efficient particle acceleration at the interface of merging magnetic flux ropes, or "plasmoids". The accelerated particles stream through the post-merger plasmoid towards the observer, thus progressively illuminating regions with varying plane-of-sky field direction, and so leading to a rotation in the observed polarization vect…
Hot spots, or plasmoids, forming due to magnetic reconnection in current sheets, are conjectured to power frequent X-ray and near-infrared flares from Sgr A*, the black hole in the center of our Galaxy. It is unclear how, where, and when current sheets form in black-hole accretion disks. We perform axisymmetric general-relativistic resistive magnetohydrodynamics simulations to model reconnection and plasmoid formation in a range of accretion flows. Current sheets and plasmoids are ubiquitous features which form regardless of the initial magnetic field in the disk, the magnetization in the quas…
Blazar emission models based on magnetic reconnection succeed in reproducing many observed spectral and temporal features, including the short-duration luminous flaring events. Plasmoids, a self-consistent by-product of the tearing instability in the reconnection layer, can be the main source of blazar emission. Kinetic simulations of relativistic reconnection have demonstrated that plasmoids are characterized by rough energy equipartition between their radiating particles and magnetic fields. This is the main reason behind the apparent shortcoming of plasmoid-dominated emission models to expl…
Recent advances in black hole astrophysics, particularly the first visual evidence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy M87 by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), and the detection of an orbiting "hot spot" nearby the event horizon of Sgr A* in the Galactic center by the Gravity Collaboration, require the development of novel numerical methods to understand the underlying plasma microphysics. Non-thermal emission related to such hot spots is conjectured to originate from plasmoids that form due to magnetic reconnection in thin current layers in the innermost accretion zone. …
The close neighbourhood of a supermassive black hole contains not only the accreting gas and dust but also stellar-sized objects, such as late-type and early-type stars and compact remnants that belong to the nuclear star cluster. When passing through the accretion flow, these objects perturb it by the direct action of stellar winds, as well as their magnetic and gravitational effects. By performing General-Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations, we investigate how the passages of a star can influence the supermassive black hole gaseous environment. We focus on the changes in the…
We present the results of 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of relativistic magnetic reconnection (RMR) in electron-positron plasma, including the dynamical influence of the synchrotron radiation process, and integrating the observable emission signatures. The simulations are initiated with a single Harris current layer with a central gap that triggers the RMR process. We achieve a steady-state reconnection with unrestricted outflows by means of open boundary conditions. The radiative cooling efficiency is regulated by the choice of initial plasma temperature Theta. We explore different va…
The multi-wavelength spectral and temporal variability observed in blazars set tight constraints on current theoretical emission models. Here, we investigate the relativistic magnetic reconnection process as a source of blazar emission in which quasi-spherical plasmoids, containing relativistic particles and magnetic fields, are associated with the emission sites in blazar jets. By coupling recent two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of relativistic reconnection with a time-dependent radiative transfer code, we compute the non-thermal emission from a chain of plasmoids formed during a …
It is commonly believed that blazar jets are relativistic magnetized plasma outflows from supermassive black holes. One key question is how the jets dissipate magnetic energy to accelerate particles and drive powerful multi-wavelength flares. Relativistic magnetic reconnection has been proposed as the primary plasma physical process in the blazar emission region. Recent numerical simulations have shown strong acceleration of nonthermal particles that may lead to multi-wavelength flares. Nevertheless, previous works have not directly evaluated $γ$-ray signatures from first-principle simulations…
GRMHD Simulations of Accreting Proto-Magnetars I. Implications for Gamma-Ray Burst Jets and Energetic Explosions
Columbia University（哥伦比亚大学）；Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory（普林斯顿等离子体物理实验室）；Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute（计算天体物理学中心，西蒙斯数据科学研究所）；Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院）；Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto（加拿大理论天体物理研究所，多伦多大学）
Relativistic jets and disc-winds are typically observed in BH-XRBs and AGNs. However, many physical details of jet launching and the driving of disc winds from the underlying accretion disc are still not fully understood. In this study, we further investigate the role of the magnetic field strength and structure in launching jets and disc winds. In particular, we explore the connection between jet, wind, and the accretion disc around the central black hole. We perform axisymmetric GRMHD simulations of the accretion-ejection system using adaptive mesh refinement. Essentially, our simulations ar…
Non-ideal MHD effects may play a significant role in determining the dynamics, thermal properties, and observational signatures of radiatively inefficient accretion flows onto black holes. In particular, particle acceleration during magnetic reconnection events may influence black hole spectra and flaring properties. We use representative GRMHD simulations of black hole accretion flows to identify and explore the structures and properties of current sheets as potential sites of magnetic reconnection. In the case of standard and normal (SANE) disks, we find that, in the reconnection sites, the …
The episodic dynamics of the magnetic eruption of a spinning black hole (BH) accretion disks and its associated intense shapeup of their jets is studied via three-dimensional general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD). The embedded magnetic fields in the disk get amplified by the magnetorotational instability (MRI) so large as to cause an eruption of magnetic field (recconection) and large chunks of matter episodically accrete toward the roots of the jets upon such an event. We also find that the eruption events produce intensive Alfvén pulses, which propagate through the jets. After th…
Strong magnetic fields in magnetospheres of neutron stars (especially magnetars) and other astrophysical objects may release their energy in violent, intense episodes of magnetic reconnection. While reconnection has been studied extensively, the extreme field strength near neutron stars introduces new effects: synchrotron cooling and electron-positron pair production. Using massively parallel particle-in-cell simulations that self-consistently incorporate these new quantum-electrodynamic effects, we investigate relativistic magnetic reconnection in the strong-field regime. We show that reconne…
The evolution of the spectral energy distribution during flares constrains models of particle acceleration in blazar jets. The archetypical blazar BL Lac provided a unique opportunity to study spectral variations during an extended strong flaring episode from 2020-2021. During its brightest $γ$-ray state, the observed flux (0.1-300 GeV) reached up to $2.15\,\times\,10^{-5}\,\rm{ph\,cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}}$, with sub-hour scale variability. The synchrotron hump extended into the X-ray regime showing a minute-scale flare with an associated peak shift of inverse-Compton hump in gamma-rays. In shock acce…
We use the public code ebhlight to carry out 3D radiative general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) simulations of accretion onto the supermassive black hole in M87. The simulations self-consistently evolve a frequency-dependent Monte Carlo description of the radiation field produced by the accretion flow. We explore two limits of accumulated magnetic flux at the black hole (SANE and MAD), each coupled to several sub-grid prescriptions for electron heating that are motivated by models of turbulence and magnetic reconnection. We present convergence studies for the radiation field and st…
Recent observations of SgrA* by the GRAVITY instrument have astrometrically tracked infrared flares (IR) at distances of $\sim 10$ gravitational radii ($r_g$). In this paper, we study a model for the flares based on 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of magnetically arrested accretion disks (MADs) which exhibit violent episodes of flux escape from the black hole magnetosphere. These events are attractive for flare modeling for several reasons: i) the magnetically dominant regions can resist being disrupted via magneto-rotational turbulence and shear, ii) the orient…
After the successful detection of cosmic high-energy neutrinos, the field of multiwavelength photon studies of active galactic nuclei (AGN) is entering an exciting new phase. The first hint of a possible neutrino signal from the blazar TXS 0506+056 leads to the anticipation that AGN could soon be identified as point sources of high-energy neutrino radiation, representing another messenger signature besides the well-established photon signature. To understand the complex flaring behavior at multiwavelengths, a genuine theoretical understanding needs to be developed. These observations of the el…
Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Giant Magnetar Bursts
University of Maryland（马里兰大学）；Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland（马里兰大学电子与应用物理研究所）；Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics（加拿大理论天体物理研究所）；Columbia University（哥伦比亚大学）；Physics Department and Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University（哥伦比亚大学物理系与哥伦比亚天体物理实验室）；Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics（马克斯·普朗克天体物理学研究所）；Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory（普林斯顿等离子体物理实验室）；University of Toronto（多伦多大学）；David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy, University of Toronto（多伦多大学大卫·A·邓普尔天文学系）；Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics（基础物理研究所）；TAPIR, Mailcode 350-17, California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院 TAPIR (Mailcode 350-17)）
The Galactic center black hole candidate Sgr A* is the best target for studies of low-luminosity accretion physics, including with near-infrared and submillimeter wavelength long baseline interferometry experiments. Here we compare images and spectra generated from a parameter survey of general relativistic MHD simulations to a set of radio to near-infrared observations of Sgr A*. Our models span the limits of weak and strong magnetization and use a range of sub-grid prescriptions for electron heating. We find two classes of scenarios can explain the broad shape of the submillimeter spectral p…
A radiative mechanism is proposed for magnetic flares near luminous accreting black holes. It is based on recent first-principle simulations of magnetic reconnection, which show a hierarchical chain of fast-moving plasmoids. The reconnection occurs in a compact region (comparable to the black hole radius), and the chain experiences fast Compton cooling accompanied by electron-positron pair creation. The distribution of plasmoid speeds is shaped by radiative losses, and the self-regulated chain radiates its energy in hard X-rays. The mechanism is illustrated by Monte-Carlo simulations of the tr…
Relativistic magnetic reconnection events can widely exist in magnetized plasmas in astrophysical systems. During this process, oppositely directed magnetic field lines reconnect and release magnetic energy, efficiently accelerating nonthermal particles. However, so far there is little clear observational signatures of relativistic magnetic reconnection events in astrophysical systems. Blazars are relativistic magnetized plasma outflows from supermassive black holes. Their multi-wavelength flares may be powered by relativistic magnetic reconnection. The highly variable radiation and polarizati…
The physical scenario responsible for gamma-ray flaring activity and its location for Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars is still debated. The study of the statistical distribution of waiting-times between flares (the time intervals between consecutive activity peaks) can give information on the distribution of flaring times, and constrain the physical mechanism responsible for gamma-ray emission. We adopt here a Scan-Statistic driven clustering method (iSRS) to recognize flaring states within the FERMI-LAT data, and identify the time of activity-peaks. Results: Flares waiting times can be described …
