Radio Power from Direct-collapse Black Holes

Direct-collapse black holes (DCBHs) forming at z ∼ 20 are currently the leading candidates for the seeds of the first quasars, over 200 of which have now been found at z > 6. Recent studies suggest that DCBHs could be detected in the near-infrared by the James Webb Space Telescope, Euclid, and the Roman Space Telescope. However, new radio telescopes with unprecedented sensitivities such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and the Next-Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) may open another window on the properties of DCBHs in the coming decade. Here we estimate the radio flux from DCBHs at birth at z = 8–20 with several fundamental planes of black hole accretion. We find that they could be detected at z ∼ 8 by the SKA-FIN all-sky survey. Furthermore, SKA and ngVLA could discover 106–107 M ⊙ BHs out to z ∼ 20, probing the formation pathways of the first quasars in the universe.

Why Have the Observed High-frequency QPOs Not Been Produced by (MHD) Computer Simulations of Black Hole Accretion Disks?

We compare some predictions of Wagoner & Tandon (WT) with the results of the hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of Reynolds & Miller (RM). It appears that the MHD simulations were not run for long enough and the numerical damping was not small enough to produce the observed high-frequency QPOs (and the g-mode seen in the hydro simulations).

Do Current X-Ray Observations Capture Most of the Black-hole Accretion at High Redshifts?

The cosmic black hole accretion density (BHAD) is critical for our understanding of the formation and evolution of supermassive black holes (BHs). However, at high redshifts (z > 3), X-ray observations report BHADs significantly (∼10 times) lower than those predicted by cosmological simulations. It is therefore paramount to constrain the high-z BHAD using independent methods other than direct X-ray detections. The recently established relation between star formation rate and BH accretion rate among bulge-dominated galaxies provides such a chance, as it enables an estimate of the BHAD from the star formation histories (SFHs) of lower-redshift objects. Using the CANDELS Lyα Emission At Reionization (CLEAR) survey, we model the SFHs for a sample of 108 bulge-dominated galaxies at z = 0.7–1.5, and further estimate the BHAD contributed by their high-z progenitors. The predicted BHAD at z ≈ 4–5 is consistent with the simulation-predicted values, but higher than the X-ray measurements (by ≈3–10 times at z = 4–5). Our result suggests that the current X-ray surveys could be missing many heavily obscured Compton-thick active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at high redshifts. However, this BHAD estimation assumes that the high-z progenitors of our z = 0.7–1.5 sample remain bulge-dominated where star formation is correlated with BH cold-gas accretion. Alternatively, our prediction could signify a stark decline in the fraction of bulges in high-z galaxies (with an associated drop in BH accretion). JWST and Origins will resolve the discrepancy between our predicted BHAD and the X-ray results by constraining Compton-thick AGN and bulge evolution at high redshifts.

Weak Alfvénic turbulence in relativistic plasmas II: current sheets and dissipation

Alfvén waves as excited in black hole accretion disks and neutron star magnetospheres are the building blocks of turbulence in relativistic, magnetized plasmas. A large reservoir of magnetic energy is available in these systems, such that the plasma can be heated significantly even in the weak turbulence regime. We perform high-resolution three-dimensional simulations of counter-propagating Alfvén waves, showing that an $E_{B_{\perp }}(k_{\perp }) \propto k_{\perp }^{-2}$ energy spectrum develops as a result of the weak turbulence cascade in relativistic magnetohydrodynamics and its infinitely magnetized (force-free) limit. The plasma turbulence ubiquitously generates current sheets, which act as locations where magnetic energy dissipates. We show that current sheets form as a natural result of nonlinear interactions between counter-propagating Alfvén waves. These current sheets form owing to the compression of elongated eddies, driven by the shear induced by growing higher-order modes, and undergo a thinning process until they break-up into small-scale turbulent structures. We explore the formation of current sheets both in overlapping waves and in localized wave packet collisions. The relativistic interaction of localized Alfvén waves induces both Alfvén waves and fast waves, and efficiently mediates the conversion and dissipation of electromagnetic energy in astrophysical systems. Plasma energization through reconnection in current sheets emerging during the interaction of Alfvén waves can potentially explain X-ray emission in black hole accretion coronae and neutron star magnetospheres.

Viscous dark energy accretion activities : sonic speed, angular momentum and Mach number studies

In this present article, we study different accretion properties regarding viscous accretion of dark energy. Modified Chaplygin gas is chosen as the dark energy candidate. Viscosity is encountered with the help of Shakura–Sunyaev viscosity parameter. We study sonic speed vs radial distance curves. We compare between adiabatic and dark energy dominated cases and follow that sonic speed falls as we go nearer to the central gravitating object. As viscosity is imposed, a threshold drop in accretion sonic speed is followed. Average rate of fall in accretion sonic speed is increased with black hole’s spin. This is signifying that this kind of accretion is weakening the overall matter/energy infall. Specific angular momentum to Keplerian angular momentum ratio is found to fall as we go far from the black hole. Accretion Mach number turns high as we go towards the inner region and high wind Mach number is not allowed as we are going out. Combining, we conclude that the system weakens the feeding process of accretion.

Flares in the Galactic Centre – I. Orbiting flux tubes in magnetically arrested black hole accretion discs

ABSTRACT Recent observations of Sgr A* by the GRAVITY instrument have astrometrically tracked infrared (IR) flares at distances of ∼10 gravitational radii (rg). In this paper, we study a model for the flares based on 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of magnetically arrested accretion discs (MADs) that exhibit violent episodes of flux escape from the black hole magnetosphere. These events are attractive for flare modelling for several reasons: (i) the magnetically dominant regions can resist being disrupted via magnetorotational turbulence and shear; (ii) the orientation of the magnetic field is predominantly vertical as suggested by the GRAVITY data; and (iii) the magnetic reconnection associated with the flux eruptions could yield a self-consistent means of particle heating/acceleration during the flare events. In this analysis, we track erupted flux bundles and provide distributions of sizes, energies, and plasma parameter. In our simulations, the orbits tend to circularize at a range of radii from ${\sim} 5\hbox{ to }40\, r_{\rm g}$. The magnetic energy contained within the flux bundles ranges up to ${\sim} 10^{40}\,\rm erg$, enough to power IR and X-ray flares. We find that the motion within the magnetically supported flow is substantially sub-Keplerian, in tension with the inferred period–radius relation of the three GRAVITY flares.