Misaligned magnetized accretion flows onto spinning black holes: Magneto-spin alignment, outflow power, and intermittent jets

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Chatterjee, Koushik, Kaaz, Nicholas, Liska, Matthew, Tchekhovskoy, Alexander, Markoff, Sera
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2023
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author Chatterjee, Koushik
Kaaz, Nicholas
Liska, Matthew
Tchekhovskoy, Alexander
Markoff, Sera
author_facet Chatterjee, Koushik
Kaaz, Nicholas
Liska, Matthew
Tchekhovskoy, Alexander
Markoff, Sera
contents Magnetic fields regulate black hole (BH) accretion, governing both inflow and outflow dynamics. When a BH accumulates substantial vertical magnetic flux, it enters the magnetically arrested disk (MAD) state, where dynamically important fields power jets and trigger disk eruptions. We investigate MAD evolution when the BH spin and disk angular momentum are misaligned, a likely scenario in many BH systems. Using numerical simulations, we show that jets from rapidly spinning, prograde BHs realign the inner disk via the magneto-spin alignment mechanism for initial tilts up to $T \lesssim 60^\circ$. Larger tilts lead to intermittent jets that disrupt the disk out to $r\gtrsim100$ gravitational radii, creating hot cavities and magnetized filaments. These episodic jets form a mini$-$feedback loop and may explain quasiperiodic X-ray and radio flares observed in low-luminosity active galaxies. We also find that (i) BH spin and disk tilt influence the amount of magnetic flux accumulated at the horizon, and (ii) large-scale, thick, misaligned accretion flows do not exhibit sustained Lense$-$Thirring (LT) precession. This suggests that slowly accreting BHs ($\dot{M} \ll 10^{-3} \dot{M}_{\rm Edd}$) are unlikely to show lightcurve quasiperiodic oscillations from LT precession, consistent with observations. Instead, magnetic flux eruptions drive jet wobbling and lateral motion, offering an alternative explanation for phenomena such as the M87 jet's apparent precession and rapid swings in blazar jet orientation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2311_00432
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Misaligned magnetized accretion flows onto spinning black holes: Magneto-spin alignment, outflow power, and intermittent jets
Chatterjee, Koushik
Kaaz, Nicholas
Liska, Matthew
Tchekhovskoy, Alexander
Markoff, Sera
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Magnetic fields regulate black hole (BH) accretion, governing both inflow and outflow dynamics. When a BH accumulates substantial vertical magnetic flux, it enters the magnetically arrested disk (MAD) state, where dynamically important fields power jets and trigger disk eruptions. We investigate MAD evolution when the BH spin and disk angular momentum are misaligned, a likely scenario in many BH systems. Using numerical simulations, we show that jets from rapidly spinning, prograde BHs realign the inner disk via the magneto-spin alignment mechanism for initial tilts up to $T \lesssim 60^\circ$. Larger tilts lead to intermittent jets that disrupt the disk out to $r\gtrsim100$ gravitational radii, creating hot cavities and magnetized filaments. These episodic jets form a mini$-$feedback loop and may explain quasiperiodic X-ray and radio flares observed in low-luminosity active galaxies. We also find that (i) BH spin and disk tilt influence the amount of magnetic flux accumulated at the horizon, and (ii) large-scale, thick, misaligned accretion flows do not exhibit sustained Lense$-$Thirring (LT) precession. This suggests that slowly accreting BHs ($\dot{M} \ll 10^{-3} \dot{M}_{\rm Edd}$) are unlikely to show lightcurve quasiperiodic oscillations from LT precession, consistent with observations. Instead, magnetic flux eruptions drive jet wobbling and lateral motion, offering an alternative explanation for phenomena such as the M87 jet's apparent precession and rapid swings in blazar jet orientation.
title Misaligned magnetized accretion flows onto spinning black holes: Magneto-spin alignment, outflow power, and intermittent jets
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.00432