Particle Acceleration and the Formation of Relativistic Outflows in Viscous Accretion Disks with Shocks

TL;DR

This paper develops a self-consistent theory linking viscous accretion disk shocks to relativistic particle acceleration, explaining jet formation in active galaxies like M87.

Contribution

It introduces the first detailed model of viscous accretion disks with shocks at high viscosity, coupling hydrodynamics with particle acceleration.

Findings

Particle acceleration near shocks can power relativistic jets.

The model applies to disks with high viscosity parameter ($=0.1$).

The theory explains jet formation in M87.

Abstract

In this Letter, we present a new self-consistent theory for the production of the relativistic outflows observed from radio-loud black hole candidates and active galaxies as a result of particle acceleration in hot, viscous accretion disks containing standing, centrifugally-supported isothermal shocks. This is the first work to obtain the structure of such disks for a relatively large value of the Shakura-Sunyaev viscosity parameter ($\alpha=0.1$), and to consider the implications of the shock for the acceleration of relativistic particles in viscous disks. In our approach, the hydrodynamics and the particle acceleration are coupled and the solutions are obtained self-consistently based on a rigorous mathematical method. We find that particle acceleration in the vicinity of the shock can provide enough energy to power the observed relativistic jet in M87.