The role of bremsstrahlung in the emission from hot accretion flows around slowly accreting supermassive black holes is not thoroughly understood. In order to appraise the importance of bremsstrahlung relative to other radiative processes, we compute spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of accretion disks around slowly accreting supermassive black holes including synchrotron radiation, inverse Compton scattering, and bremsstrahlung. We compute SEDs for (i) four axisymmetric radiative general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (RadGRMHD) simulations of $10^{8}M_{\odot}$ black holes with accretion rates between $10^{-8}\dot{M}_{\text{Edd}}$ and $10^{-5}\dot{M}_{\text{Edd}}$, (ii) four axisymmetric RadGRMHD simulations of M87$^\ast$ with varying dimensionless spin $a_\ast$ and black hole mass, and (iii) a 3D GRMHD simulation scaled for Sgr A$^\ast$. At $10^{-8}\dot{M}_{\text{Edd}}$, most of the luminosity is synchrotron radiation, while at $10^{-5}\dot{M}_{\text{Edd}}$ the three radiative processes have similar luminosities. In most models, bremsstrahlung dominates the SED near $512\text{ keV}$. In the M87$^\ast$ models, bremsstrahlung dominates this part of the SED if $a_{\ast} = 0.5$, but inverse Compton scattering dominates if $a_{\ast}= 0.9375$. Since scattering is more variable than bremsstrahlung, this result suggests that $512\text{ keV}$ variability could be a diagnostic of black hole spin. In the appendix, we compare some bremsstrahlung formulae found in the literature.
NASA's NICER telescope has recently provided evidence for non-dipolar magnetic field structures in rotation-powered millisecond pulsars. These stars are assumed to have gone through a prolonged accretion spin-up phase, begging the question of what accretion flows onto stars with complex magnetic fields would look like. We present results from a suite of GRMHD simulations of accreting neutron stars for dipole, quadrupole, and quadrudipolar stellar field geometries. This is a first step towards simulating realistic hotspot shapes in a general relativistic framework to understand hotspot variabil…
X-ray reflection spectroscopy is currently one of the leading techniques for studying the inner part of accretion disks around black holes, measuring black hole spins, and even testing fundamental physics in strong gravitational fields. However, the accuracy of these measurements depends on the reflection models employed for the spectral analysis, which are sometimes questioned. In this work, we use a general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) code to generate a thin accretion disk in Kerr spacetime and ray-tracing techniques to calculate its relativistically broadened reflection spectru…
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）
GRMHD Simulations of Accreting Proto-Magnetars II. Implications for r-process Nucleosynthesis
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，富尔顿研究所）；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）
Simple assumptions made regarding electron thermodynamics often limit the extent to which general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations can be applied to observations of low-luminosity accreting black holes. We present, implement, and test a model that self-consistently evolves an electron entropy equation and takes into account the effects of spatially varying electron heating and relativistic anisotropic thermal conduction along magnetic field lines. We neglect the back-reaction of electron pressure on the dynamics of the accretion flow. Our model is appropriate for systems ac…
We study the general-relativistic dynamics of matter being accreted onto and ejected by a magnetised and nonrotating neutron star. The dynamics is followed in the framework of fully general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) within the ideal-MHD limit and in two spatial dimensions. More specifically, making use of the numerical code BHAC, we follow the evolution of a geometrically thick matter torus driven into accretion by the development of a magnetorotational instability. By making use of a number of simulations in which we vary the strength of the stellar dipolar magnetic field, we …
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 to…
Using general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of accreting black holes, we show that a suitable subtraction of the linear polarization per pixel from total intensity images can enhance the photon ring features. We find that the photon ring is typically a factor of $\simeq 2$ less polarized than the rest of the image. This is due to a combination of plasma and general relativistic effects, as well as magnetic turbulence. When there are no other persistently depolarized image features, adding the subtracted residuals over time results in a sharp image of the photon ring. We show tha…
The remarkable results by the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration concerning the emission from M87* and, more recently, its polarization properties, require an increasingly accurate modeling of the plasma flows around the accreting black hole. Radiatively inefficient sources such as M87* and Sgr A* are typically modeled with the SANE (standard and normal evolution) paradigm, if the accretion dynamics is smooth, or with the MAD (magnetically arrested disk) paradigm, if the black hole's magnetosphere reacts by halting the accretion sporadically, resulting in a highly dynamical process. While t…
We present first results from a new technique for the prediction of Fe K$α$ profiles directly from general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations. Data from a GRMHD simulation are processed by a Monte Carlo global radiation transport code, which determines the X-ray flux irradiating the disk surface and the coronal electron temperature self-consistently. With that irradiating flux and the disk's density structure drawn from the simulation, we determine the reprocessed Fe K$α$ emission from photoionization equilibrium and solution of the radiation transfer equation. We produce map…
Recent advances in general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations have expanded and improved our understanding of the dynamics of black-hole accretion disks. However, current simulations do not capture the thermodynamics of electrons in the low density accreting plasma. This poses a significant challenge in predicting accretion flow images and spectra from first principles. Because of this, simplified emission models have often been used, with widely different configurations (e.g., disk- versus jet-dominated emission), and were able to account for the observed spectral properties of accr…
It is widely believed that relativistic jets in X-ray binaries and active-galactic nuclei are powered by the rotational energy of black holes. This idea is supported by general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of accreting black holes, which demonstrate efficient energy extraction via the Blandford-Znajek mechanism. However, due to uncertainties in the physics of mass-loading, and the failure of GRMHD numerical schemes in the highly-magnetized funnel region, the matter content of the jet remains poorly constrained. We investigate the observational signatures of mass-loading…
We present a suite of the first 3D GRMHD collapsar simulations, which extend from the self-consistent jet launching by an accreting Kerr black hole (BH) to the breakout from the star. We identify three types of outflows, depending on the angular momentum, $ l $, of the collapsing material and the magnetic field, $ B $, on the BH horizon: (i) Subrelativistic outflow (low $ l $ and high $ B $), (ii) Stationary accretion shock instability (SASI; high $ l $ and low $ B $), (iii) Relativistic jets (high $ l $ and high $ B $). In the absence of jets, free-fall of the stellar envelope provides a good…
Magnetic Configuration Imprints on Quasi-Periodic Variability in GRMHD Simulations of Thin Accretion Disks
Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（李政道研究所，上海交通大学）；Institute of Fundamental Physics and Quantum Technology, School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University（宁波大学物理科学与技术学院基础物理与量子技术研究所）；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（粒子物理、天体物理与宇宙学教育部重点实验室，上海粒子物理与宇宙学重点实验室，上海交通大学）；Institut für Theoretische Physik, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt（法兰克福歌德大学理论物理研究所）
We report results from simulations in general relativity of magnetized disks accreting onto merging black hole binaries, starting from relaxed disk initial data. The simulations feature an effective, rapid radiative cooling scheme as a limiting case of future treatments with radiative transfer. Here we evolve the systems after binary-disk decoupling through inspiral and merger, and analyze the dependence on the binary mass ratio with $q\equiv m_{\rm bh}/M_{\rm BH}=1,1/2,$ and $1/4$. We find that the luminosity associated with local cooling is larger than the luminosity associated with matter k…
Polarization Signatures from GRMHD Simulations of Black Hole Accretion
College of Charleston（查尔斯顿学院）；Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute（纽约市立大学富兰克林研究所计算天体物理学中心）；Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía-CSIC（安达卢西亚天体物理研究所-西班牙国家研究委员会）；Research Centre for Computational Physics and Data Processing, Institute of Physics, Silesian University in Opava（奥帕瓦西里西亚大学物理学院计算物理与数据处理研究中心）；Black Hole Initiative at Harvard University（哈佛大学黑洞倡议项目）
Prevalent around luminous accreting black holes, thin discs are challenging to resolve in numerical simulations. When the disc and black hole angular momentum vectors are misaligned, the challenge becomes extreme, requiring adaptive meshes to follow the disc proper as it moves through the computational grid. With our new high-performance general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) code H-AMR we have simulated the thinnest accretion disc to date, of aspect ratio H/R~0.03, around a rapidly spinning (a=0.9375) black hole, using a cooling function. Initially tilted at 10 degrees, the disc war…
General relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of accreting black holes in the radiatively inefficient regime show that systems with sufficient magnetic poloidal flux become magnetically arrested disc (MAD) systems, with a well-defined relationship between the magnetic flux and the mass accretion rate. Recently, Zamaninasab (2014) report that the jet magnetic flux and accretion disc luminosity are tightly correlated over 7 orders of magnitude for a sample of 76 radio-loud active galaxies, concluding that the data are explained by the MAD mode of accretion. Their analysis assumes …
The candidate supermassive black hole in the Galactic Centre, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), is known to be fed by a radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF), inferred by its low accretion rate. Consequently, radiative cooling has in general been overlooked in the study of Sgr A*. However, the radiative properties of the plasma in RIAFs are poorly understood. In this work, using full 3D general-relativistic magneto-hydrodynamical simulations, we study the impact of radiative cooling on the dynamical evolution of the accreting plasma, presenting spectral energy distributions and synthetic sub-mi…
Accreting black holes (BHs) launch relativistic collimated jets, across many decades in luminosity and mass, suggesting the jet launching mechanism is universal, robust and scale-free. Theoretical models and general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations indicate that the key jet-making ingredient is large-scale poloidal magnetic flux. However, its origin is uncertain, and it is unknown if it can be generated in situ or dragged inward from the ambient medium. Here, we use the GPU-accelerated GRMHD code H-AMR to study global 3D BH accretion at unusually high resolutions more typic…
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…
Magnetic cataclysmic variables are close binary systems containing a strongly magnetized white dwarf that accretes matter coming from an M-dwarf companion. High-energy radiation coming from those objects is emitted from the accretion column close to the white dwarf photosphere at the impact region. Its properties depend on the characteristics of the white dwarf and an accurate accretion column model allows the properties of the binary system to be inferred, such as the white dwarf mass, its magnetic field, and the accretion rate. We study the temporal and spectral behaviour of the accretion re…
GRMHD simulations of accretion onto Sgr A*: How important are radiative losses?
本文采用广义相对论磁流体动力学（GRMHD）方法对银河系中心人马座A *（Sgr A *）的超大质量黑洞的吸积流进行了数值模拟。模拟包括第一次辐射冷却过程（同步，韧致辐射，逆康普顿）自洽的动力学，使我们能够测试忽略所有冷却损失的建模中的Sgr A * 的常见简化。我们确认，对于Sgr A *，如果银河系中心的吸积速度低于~10 ^{-8} Msun/yr，即Mdot <10 ^{-7} Mdot_Edd，则忽略冷却损失是合理的近似。但在此极限以上，我们表明，辐射损失应考虑到显着差异出现在动力学和由此产生的光谱时，比较模拟与不冷却。这个极限意味着大多数附近的低光度活动星系核都处于应该考虑冷却的区域。进一步对银河系中心超大质量黑洞周围的轴对称气体吸积进行了参数研究。这种方法使我们能够调查一般的气体吸积的物理学，同时面对我们的结果与良好的研究和观察源，Sgr A *，作为一个测试案例。我们证实，吸积流和外流的性质是强烈依赖于初始几何的磁场。例如，我们发现，即使有非常高的自旋，也很难从带有多个单独的极向场环的圆盘中产生强大的外流。
We provide a semi-analytic comparison between the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) and the magnetic reconnection power for accreting black holes in the curved spacetime of a rotating black hole. Our main result is that for a realistic range of astrophysical parameters, the reconnection power may compete with the BZ power. The field lines anchored close to or on the black hole usually evolve to open field lines in general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations. The BZ power is dependent on the black hole spin while magnetic reconnection power is independent of it for the force-free magnetic …
Black hole accretion is one of nature's most efficient energy extraction processes. When gas falls in, a significant fraction of its gravitational binding energy is either converted into radiation or flows outwards in the form of black hole-driven jets and disk-driven winds. Recently, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), an Earth-size sub-millimetre radio interferometer, captured the first images of M87's black hole. These images were analysed and interpreted using general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) models of accretion disks with rotation axes aligned with the black hole spin axis…
Energy flow and radiation efficiency in radiative GRMHD simulations of neutron star ultraluminous X-ray sources
Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences（波兰科学院尼古拉·哥白尼天体物理中心）；Research Centre for Computational Physics and Data Processing, Institute of Physics, Silesian University in Opava（奥帕瓦西里西亚大学物理学院计算物理与数据处理研究中心）；Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School, College of Astronomy and Natural Sciences（尼古拉·哥白尼高等学院天文与自然科学学院）
Traveling across several order of magnitude in distance, relativistic jets from strong gravity region to asymptotic flat spacetime region are believed to consist of several general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) processes. We present a semi-analytical approach for modeling the global structures of a trans-fast magnetosonic relativistic jet, which should be ejected from a plasma source nearby a black hole in a funnel region enclosed by dense accreting flow and also disk corona around the black hole. Our model consistently includes the inflow and outflow part of the GRMHD solution alon…
The close neighbourhood of a supermassive black hole contains not only accreting gas and dust, but also stellar-sized objects like stars, stellar-mass black holes, neutron stars, and dust-enshrouded objects that altogether form a dense nuclear star-cluster. These objects interact with the accreting medium and they perturb the otherwise quasi-stationary configuration of the accretion flow. We investigate how the passages of a star can influence the black hole gaseous environment with GRMHD 2D and 3D simulations. We focus on the changes in the accretion rate and the associated emergence of outfl…
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration has produced the first resolved images of the supermassive black holes at the centre of our galaxy and at the centre of the elliptical galaxy M87. As both technology and analysis pipelines improve, it will soon become possible to produce spectral index maps of black hole accretion flows on event horizon scales. In this work, we predict spectral index maps of both M87* and Sgr A* by applying the general relativistic radiative transfer (GRRT) code IPOLE to a suite of general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations. We analytically show…
In the past few years, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has provided the first-ever event horizon-scale images of the supermassive black holes (BHs) (M87*) and Sagittarius A$^*$ (Sgr A*). The next-generation EHT project is an extension of the EHT array that promises larger angular resolution and higher sensitivity to the dim, extended flux around the central ring-like structure, possibly connecting the accretion flow and the jet. The ngEHT Analysis Challenges aim to understand the science extractability from synthetic images and movies to inform the ngEHT array design and analysis algorithm d…
We propose a novel theoretical model to describe a physical identity of the soft X-ray excess, ubiquitously detected in many Seyfert galaxies, by considering a steady-state, axisymmetric plasma accretion within the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) around a black hole (BH) accretion disk. We extend our earlier theoretical investigations on general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) accretion which has implied that the accreting plasma can develop into a standing shock for suitable physical conditions causing the downstream flow to be sufficiently hot due to shock compression. We num…
Electron-positron Pair Production in Global GRMHD Simulations of Black Hole Accretion Flows
JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology（科罗拉多大学JILA与美国国家标准与技术研究院）；Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado（科罗拉多大学天体物理与行星科学系）
We present a novel approach to study the global structure of steady, axisymmetric, advective, geometrically thin, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) accretion flow around black holes in full general relativity (GR). Considering ideal MHD conditions and relativistic equation of state (REoS), we solve the governing equations to obtain all possible smooth global accretion solutions. We examine the dynamical and thermodynamical properties of accreting matter in terms of the flow parameters, namely energy (${\cal E}$), angular momentum (${\cal L}$), and local magnetic fields. For a thin GRMHD flow, we obser…
The mechanisms responsible for the production of relativistic jets from supermassive black holes (SMBHs) accreting at near-Eddington rates are not well-understood. Simple theoretical expectations indicate that SMBHs in quasars accrete via thin discs which should produce at most very weak jets. This is contradicted by observations of powerful jets in flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs). We use gamma-ray luminosities observed with the \emph{fermi} Large Area Telescope as a proxy of the jet power for a population of 154 FSRQs. Assuming typical quasar accretion rates and using black hole mass meas…
Electron-positron pair creation near sub-Eddington accretion rate black holes is believed to be dominated by the Breit-Wheeler process (photon-photon collisions). The interacting high energy photons are produced when unscreened electric fields accelerate leptons either in coherent, macroscopic gaps or in incoherent structures embedded in the turbulent plasma flow. The latter type of acceleration results in a drizzle of pair production sourced by photons from the background radiation field whose energies are near the pair-production threshold. In this work, we use radiation GRMHD simulations to…
