scholarly journals Dynamo Action in Accretion Disks

1993 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
pp. 209-210
Author(s):  
Ulf Torkelsson

Employing the standard theory for thin accretion disks I estimate the relevant parameters for a dynamo in an accretion disk. These estimates could then be compared to the results of numerical simulations. Some preliminary results of such simulations (Torkelsson & Brandenburg 1992) are presented too.

Author(s):  
V. Zhdanov ◽  
E. Fedorova ◽  
M. Khelashvili

The line profiles like that of the fluorescent Fe K or Co K lines in the X-ray spectra of the active galactic nuclei (AGN) reflect characteristics of the central regions of these objects. These lines can be formed in the accretion disks around central supermassive black holes and their shapes are connected with the central black hole spin and the accretion disk inclination angle to the line-of-the-sight. If an AGN is a source of a gravitational lens system with microlensing events, one can get an additional important information about both the accretion disk parameters and gravitational lens parameters as well. Microlensing processes were observed in such gravitational lens systems, as PKS 1830-211, B0218+357, RX J1131-1231 i HE1104-1805, Q2237+0305 and we can suspect to observe there also the spectral appearances of microlensing. Here we performed the numerical simulations of the microlensed relativistic spectral line profiles formed in the AGN accretion disks. Using the inear caustic model we show that the time dependence of the profile is determined essentially by the angle between to the disk axis and the caustic. This gives us an opportunity to assess this orientation. Microlens caustics magnify some parts of the accretion disk more prominently than others. Due to the Doppler effects and differences in the rotation direction this leads to the frequency-dependent magnification which distorts the profile of a relativistic spectral line. Such deformations are variable with time due to relative motions of the source and the microlens, and they can give us possibility to obtain some additional information about the disk brightness profile and caustic orientation relatively to the disk. Here we consider the thin disk model, Schwarzschild black hole, and the linear caustic approximation as well. The numerical simulations of the relativistic emission line profiles distorted by strong gravitational microlensing effect were performed for several different orientations of the linear caustic relatively to the disk, as well as several inclinations of the disk to the line-of-the-sight. Basic presumptions for the numerical modeling were the following: (a) AGN is a source in the gravitational lens system and it its inner parts the luminescent emission lines with relativistic profiles are being emitted; (b) this line is formed in the thin accretion disk quite far away from the central black hole and can be calculated with no taking into account the relativistic effects; (c) the caustic can be considered as a linear one. We show that the relative orientation of the caustic and the disk can be determined from emission lines profiles. Our numerical simulations demonstrate that the difference between profiles corresponding to different caustic orientations appears to be more prominent during the first half of the strong microlensing event, namely, before the crossing the disk center, and this dependence is irrespective to the accretion disk brightness profile. We show that for the spectral accuracy level high enough we have a perspective to determine the caustic orientation from the observational data.


2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 395-400
Author(s):  
Yue Qi Chen ◽  
Wei Qun Jiang

The stability of the accretion disk is solved by numerical simulations when the radial and azimuthal perturbations are considered, where we adopt the anomalous viscosity model, which is close to real accretion disks. The results are discussed in the inner, intermediate, and outer regions of the accretion disk, respectively. With the increase of viscosity, α, the thermal mode and the viscous mode, as well as the acoustic modes, become more unstable in the disk dominated by radiation pressure (inner region). The instability is also influenced by the azimuthal perturbation wavenumber, n. With the increase of n, the thermal mode becomes more unstable, while the in-mode and out-mode become more stable no matter if the disk is dominated by radiation pressure or by gas pressure (intermediate and outer regions). There are many differences between our results and others’ results, especially in the inner region of the disk, when the anomalous viscosity is considered.


1989 ◽  
Vol 134 ◽  
pp. 257-258
Author(s):  
H. A. Scott ◽  
S. L. O'Dell

After the suggestion (Shields 1978) that some AGN emission might arise in an opaque accretion disk around a supermassive compact object, several papers (e.g., Malkan and Sargent 1982; Malkan 1983; Bechtold et al. 1987) have interpreted the flat ultraviolet continuum (“big blue bump”) observed in many AGN spectra, in terms of such a model. The early calculations approximated the radiation locally emergent from the accretion disk as blackbody; the more recent calculations (e.g., Czerny and Elvis 1987; Wandel and Petrosian 1988) have treated this emission as (electron-scattering) modified (possibly comptonized) blackbody.


1997 ◽  
Vol 163 ◽  
pp. 481-489
Author(s):  
James M. Stone

AbstractThe contributions that time-dependent multidimensional numerical simulations have made to our understanding of MHD winds from accretion disks are reviewed. Current simulations can be divided into four categories: (1) axisymmetric global models, (2) axisymmetric simulations of the wind only, (3) three-dimensional local models, and (4) threedimensional global models. Results from each category are discussed. Current results indicate that weakly magnetized disks are turbulent, and that this turbulence is responsible for dynamo action which amplifies the disk field. These effects may have important consequences for the production of MHD winds. We discuss the feasibility of fully three-dimensional global models that can capture these effects in the future.


1999 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marthijn de Kool ◽  
Geoffrey V. Bicknell ◽  
Zdenka Kuncic

AbstractThis paper summarises our work on the role of magnetic fields in accretion disks presented in two papers elsewhere. In the first part (a summary of part of Kuncic & Bicknell 1999), we present a formal development of the equations governing the structure of an accretion disk containing magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. The importance of the different terms in the energy and momentum equations is discussed, and a parametrisation of the unresolved processes is suggested that could be used to make further progress. We briefly explore whether an MHD accretion disk can transport a significant part of the gravitational power into a corona by buoyancy. In the second part, we present some exploratory calculations of the vertical structure of accretion disks, in which non-local dissipation of energy due to the buoyant transport of magnetic field energy is taken into account. It is argued that the efficiency of buoyant magnetic transport depends very strongly on the size of the coherent magnetic regions. If the size of the buoyant cells is not very close to the disk thickness, magnetic energy generated by dynamo action inside the disk will be dissipated locally, and will not be available to transport a significant part of the accretion luminosity into a corona.


2020 ◽  
Vol 640 ◽  
pp. A53
Author(s):  
L. Löhnert ◽  
S. Krätschmer ◽  
A. G. Peeters

Here, we address the turbulent dynamics of the gravitational instability in accretion disks, retaining both radiative cooling and irradiation. Due to radiative cooling, the disk is unstable for all values of the Toomre parameter, and an accurate estimate of the maximum growth rate is derived analytically. A detailed study of the turbulent spectra shows a rapid decay with an azimuthal wave number stronger than ky−3, whereas the spectrum is more broad in the radial direction and shows a scaling in the range kx−3 to kx−2. The radial component of the radial velocity profile consists of a superposition of shocks of different heights, and is similar to that found in Burgers’ turbulence. Assuming saturation occurs through nonlinear wave steepening leading to shock formation, we developed a mixing-length model in which the typical length scale is related to the average radial distance between shocks. Furthermore, since the numerical simulations show that linear drive is necessary in order to sustain turbulence, we used the growth rate of the most unstable mode to estimate the typical timescale. The mixing-length model that was obtained agrees well with numerical simulations. The model gives an analytic expression for the turbulent viscosity as a function of the Toomre parameter and cooling time. It predicts that relevant values of α = 10−3 can be obtained in disks that have a Toomre parameter as high as Q ≈ 10.


2002 ◽  
Vol 397 (2) ◽  
pp. 393-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Archontis ◽  
S. B. F. Dorch ◽  
Å. Nordlund

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 124-134
Author(s):  
Assylkhan Bibossinov ◽  
◽  
Denis Yurin ◽  
Chingis Omarov ◽  
◽  
...  

Numerical studies of astrophysical objects are a relatively new direction in Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute (FAI) and is mainly represented by the Laboratory of Cosmology, Stellar Dynamics and Computational Astrophysics. The lab seeks to understand the evolution of gravitating systems at various scales – from star clusters to galaxies to large-scale structure of the universe as a whole, and tackles these problems both through analytical methods and through numerical simulations. The particular focus is on numerical simulations of star clusters, especially those found in active galactic nuclei – this is a topic of oldestablished collaboration with colleagues from Astronomisches Rechen-Institut (Heidelberg) and National Astronomical Observatories of China (Beijing). The prominent example is STARDISK project dedicated to the numerical research of active galactic nuclei as multicomponent systems composed of compact stellar cluster, gaseous accretion disk and a supermassive black hole. It is demonstrated that an accretion disk can noticeably decelerate stars and thus enhance the accretion rate onto the black hole. In 2013 FAI hosted the MODEST-13 International Workshop dedicated to modeling of star clusters. Recently a new project has been approved aimed at construction of triaxial equilibrium N-body systems that can be of great help in various numerical experiments with disk galaxies. There are also long standing plans to perform cosmological simulations of large scale structures to test a new approach to dark matter and energy actively developed at FAI. For numerical calculations, FAI has a small, but growing computer cluster consisting of several high-performance computing servers equipped with computational GPU cards.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-45
Author(s):  
S. Zharikov ◽  
G. Tovmassian

We discussed features of Cataclysmic Variables at the period minimum. In general, most of them must be WZ Sge-type objects. Main characteristics of the prototype star (WZ Sge) are discussed. A part of WZ Sge-type objects has evolved past the period limit and formed the bounce back systems. We also explore conditions and structure of accretion disks in such systems. We show that the accretion disk in a system with extreme mass ratio grows in size reaching a 2:1 resonance radius and are relatively cool. They also become largely optically thin in the continuum, contributing to the total flux less than the stellar components of the system. In contrast, the viscosity and the temperature in spiral arms formed at the outer edge of the disk are higher and their contribution in continuum plays an increasingly important role. We model such disks and generate light curves which successfully simulate the observed double-humped light curves in the quiescence.


2019 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 391-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Fromang ◽  
G. Lesur

The radial transport of angular momentum in accretion disk is a fundamental process in the universe. It governs the dynamical evolution of accretion disks and has implications for various issues ranging from the formation of planets to the growth of supermassive black holes. While the importance of magnetic fields for this problem has long been demonstrated, the existence of a source of transport solely hydrodynamical in nature has proven more difficult to establish and to quantify. In recent years, a combination of results coming from experiments, theoretical work and numerical simulations has dramatically improved our understanding of hydrodynamically mediated angular momentum transport in accretion disk. Here, based on these recent developments, we review the hydrodynamical processes that might contribute to transporting angular momentum radially in accretion disks and highlight the many questions that are still to be answered.


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