Magnetorotational collapse of very massive stars to black holes in full general relativity

TL;DR

This study uses full general relativity simulations to explore the collapse of very massive stars, revealing black hole formation, torus dynamics, magnetic collimation, and potential gravitational wave signals relevant for gamma-ray bursts.

Contribution

First detailed general relativistic simulations of magnetorotational collapse of supermassive stars, analyzing black hole formation and jet-like magnetic collimation.

Findings

Black holes form with ~95% of stellar mass and high spin.

Magnetic fields cause collimation and turbulence in the accretion torus.

Episodic accretion and gravitational waves are produced, relevant for gamma-ray burst models.

Abstract

We perform axisymmetric simulations of the magnetorotational collapse of very massive stars in full general relativity. Our simulations are applicable to the collapse of supermassive stars (M > 10^3M_sun) and to very massive Pop III stars. We model our initial configurations by n=3 polytropes. The ratio of magnetic to rotational kinetic energy in these configurations is chosen to be small (1% and 10%). We find that such magnetic fields do not affect the initial collapse significantly. The core collapses to a black hole, after which black hole excision is employed to continue the evolution long enough for the hole to reach a quasi-stationary state. We find that the black hole mass is M_h = 0.95M and its spin parameter is J_h/M_h^2 = 0.7, with the remaining matter forming a torus around the black hole. We freeze the spacetime metric ("Cowling approximation") and continue to follow the evolution of the torus after the black hole has relaxed to quasi-stationary equilibrium. In the absence of magnetic fields, the torus settles down following ejection of a small amount of matter due to shock heating. When magnetic fields are present, the field lines gradually collimate along the hole's rotation axis. MHD shocks and the MRI generate MHD turbulence in the torus and stochastic accretion onto the central black hole. When the magnetic field is strong, a wind is generated in the torus, and the torus undergoes radial oscillations that drive episodic accretion onto the hole. These oscillations produce long-wavelength gravitational waves potentially detectable by LISA. The final state of the magnetorotational collapse always consists of a central black hole surrounded by a collimated magnetic field and a hot, thick accretion torus. This system is a viable candidate for the central engine of a long-soft gamma-ray burst.