Near-horizon Extreme Kerr Magnetospheres

TL;DR

This paper classifies complex solutions to force-free electrodynamics near extremal Kerr black holes, providing insights into magnetosphere structures relevant for jet and accretion disk modeling.

Contribution

It offers a new classification of highest-weight solutions in the near-horizon region of extremal Kerr black holes, including various magnetically dominated and null configurations.

Findings

Multiple classes of solutions with finite energy and angular momentum.

Solutions include axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric configurations.

Discussion of velocity of light surface effects.

Abstract

Analytical solutions to force-free electrodynamics around black holes are fundamental for building simple models of accretion disk and jet dynamics. We present a (nonexhaustive) classification of complex highest-weight solutions to the force-free equations in the near-horizon region of the extremal Kerr black hole. Several classes of real magnetically dominated or null solutions, either axisymmetric or nonaxisymmetric, are described which admit finite energy and angular momentum with respect to the asymptotically flat observer. Subtleties related to the velocity of light surface in the near-horizon region are discussed.