The Influence of Magnetic Field Geometry on the Evolution of Black Hole Accretion Flows: Similar Disks, Drastically Different Jets

TL;DR

This study investigates how the initial magnetic field topology influences black hole accretion flows and jet formation, revealing that while accretion flow properties are robust, jet strength depends critically on magnetic field orientation.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates through simulations that magnetic field topology significantly affects jet launching, despite similar accretion flow characteristics across different initial conditions.

Findings

Jet strength is highly sensitive to magnetic field topology.

Qualitative accretion flow properties are nearly independent of initial magnetic field topology.

Vertical magnetic fields are crucial for supporting strong jets.

Abstract

Because the magneto-rotational instability is capable of exponentially amplifying weak preexisting magnetic fields, it might be hoped that the character of the magnetic field in accretion disks is independent of the nature of the seed field. However, the divergence-free nature of magnetic fields in highly conducting fluids ensures that their large-scale topology is preserved, no matter how greatly the field intensity is changed. By performing global two-dimensional and three-dimensional general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic disk simulations with several different topologies for the initial magnetic field, we explore the degree to which the character of the flows around black holes depends on the initial topology. We find that while the qualitative properties of the accretion flow are nearly independent of field topology, jet-launching is very sensitive to it: a sense of vertical field consistent for at least an inner disk inflow time is essential to the support of strong jets.