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Resistive accretion flows around a Kerr black hole

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

M. Shaghaghian*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran
*
Author for correspondence: M. Shaghaghian, E-mail: shaghaghian@iaushiraz.ac.ir
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Abstract

In this paper, we present the stationary axisymmetric configuration of a resistive magnetised thick accretion disc in the vicinity of external gravity and intrinsic dipolar magnetic field of a slowly rotating black hole. The plasma is described by the equations of fully general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) along with the Ohm’s law and in the absence of the effects of radiation fields. We try to solve these two-dimensional MHD equations analytically as much as possible. However, we sometimes inevitably refer to numerical methods as well. To fully understand the relativistic geometrically thick accretion disc structure, we consider all three components of the fluid velocity to be non-zero. This implies that the magnetofluid can flow in all three directions surrounding the central black hole. As we get radially closer to the hole, the fluid flows faster in all those directions. However, as we move towards the equator along the meridional direction, the radial inflow becomes stronger from both the speed and the mass accretion rate points of view. Nonetheless, the vertical (meridional) speed and the rotation of the plasma disc become slower in that direction. Due to the presence of pressure gradient forces, a sub-Keplerian angular momentum distribution throughout the thick disc is expected as well. To get a concise analytical form of the rate of accretion, we assume that the radial dependency of radial and meridional fluid velocities is the same. This simplifying assumption leads to radial independency of mass accretion rate. The motion of the accreting plasma produces an azimuthal current whose strength is specified based on the strength of the external dipolar magnetic field. This current generates a poloidal magnetic field in the disc which is continuous across the disc boundary surface due to the presence of the finite resistivity for the plasma. The gas in the disc is vertically supported not only by the gas pressure but also by the magnetic pressure.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 2020
Figure 0

Figure 1. Schematic sketch of the disc with the central black hole.

Figure 1

Figure 2. Dipolar magnetic field model of the central black hole in the meridional plane.

Figure 2

Figure 3. Structure of magnetic field lines in presence of disc field projected on the meridional plane of the disc. The solid lines being the same as Figure 2 represent the dipolar magnetic filed of the central black hole, while the dashed lines represent the disc’s field in the case $b_{\varphi}=0$. The different colours correspond to the different spin parameter a: blue –$\cdot$ is $a=0$, green dotted is $a=0.1,$ and magenta $--$ denotes $a=0.2$.

Figure 3

Figure 4. Profiles of $C_1(\theta)$ at the different dimensionless radial distances shown in the key for two values of k. The other constant parameters are $a=0.1,\ l=1,\ \sigma=10$, and $\dot{M}_0= - 10^{-8} \frac{M_{\odot}}{year}$.

Figure 4

Figure 5. Variation of (a) radial, (b) meridional, and (c) azimuthal velocities, in addition to (d) mass accretion rate, (e) total density, and (f) gas pressure along the radial direction r at the different meridional layers shown in the key (left column) and also along the meridional direction $\theta$ at the different radii shown in the key (right column). The constant parameters are $a=0.1$, $l=1$, $\sigma=10$, $k=2,$ and $\dot{M}_0=-10^{-8}\frac{{\rm M}_{\odot}}{\rm year}$.

Figure 5

Figure 6. Repetition of the last two rows of Figure 5, but for $k=1$.

Figure 6

Figure 7. Density and pressure coloured distributions and contours in meridional plane. The constant parameters are the same as Figure 5.

Figure 7

Table 1. Physical constants and conversion factors between code and SI units.

Figure 8

Figure 8. Density coloured distributions and meridional flow pattern for different values of k, l, and $\sigma$ written in the title of each panel.

Figure 9

Figure 9. Meridional variation of (a) radial and (b) meridional velocities, (c) pressure (d) total density (e) mass accretion rate, and (f) ratio of the gas to magnetic pressure $\beta$, at radius $r_{in}$ for different values of $\sigma$ shown in the key. The other constant parameters are $a=0.1$, $l=1$, $k=2,$ and $\dot{M}_0=-10^{-8} \frac{M_{\odot}}{\rm year}$.

Figure 10

Figure 10. Meridional variation of (a) pressure, (b) total density, (c) mass accretion rate, and (d) ratio of the gas to magnetic pressure $\beta$, at radius $r_{in}$ for different values of l shown in the key. The other constant parameters are $a=0.1$, $\sigma=10$, $k=2,$ and $\dot{M}_0=-10^{-8}\frac{{\rm M}_{\odot}}{\rm year}$.

Figure 11

Figure 11. Meridional variation of (a) radial and (b) meridional velocities, (c) pressure, (d) total density, (e) azimuthal velocity, and (f) ratio of the gas to magnetic pressure $\beta$, at radius $r_{in}$ for different values of a shown in the key. The other constant parameters are $l=1$, $k=2$, $\sigma=10,$ and $\dot{M}_0=-10^{-8} \frac{{\rm M}_{\odot}}{\rm year}$.

Figure 12

Figure 12. Meridional variation of (a) pressure, (b) total density, (c) mass accretion rate, and (d) ratio of the gas to magnetic pressure $\beta$, at radius $r_{in}$ for different values of $\dot{M}_0$ shown in the key. The other constant parameters are $a=0.1$, $l=1$, $\sigma=10$, and $ k=2$.

Figure 13

Figure 13. Meridional variation of (a) radial and (b) meridional velocities, (c) pressure, (d) total density, (e) mass accretion rate, and (f) ratio of the gas to magnetic pressure $\beta$, at radius $r_{in}$ for different values of k shown in the key. The other constant parameters are $l=1$, $a=0.1$, $\sigma=10,$ and $\dot{M}_0=-10^{-8} \frac{{\rm M}_{\odot}}{\rm year}$.