An extensive numerical survey of the correlation between outflow dynamics and accretion disk magnetization

TL;DR

This study uses time-dependent simulations to explore how the magnetization of accretion disks influences jet properties, revealing strong correlations between disk magnetization and jet velocity, mass loading, and angular momentum extraction.

Contribution

It extends previous steady-state theories by demonstrating these correlations through dynamic simulations across a broad range of disk magnetizations.

Findings

Stronger magnetization leads to faster, more energetic jets.

Jets extract more angular momentum from highly magnetized disks.

A critical magnetization value separates different jet launching regimes.

Abstract

We investigate the accretion-ejection process of jets from magnetized accretion disks. We apply a novel approach to the jet-launching problem in order to obtain correlations between the physical properties of the jet and the underlying disk. We extend and confirm the previous works of \citet{2009MNRAS.400..820T} and \citet{2010A&A...512A..82M} by scanning a large parameter range for the disk magnetization, $\mu_{\rm D} = 10^{-3.5} ... 10^{-0.7}$. We disentangle the disk magnetization at the foot point of the outflow as the main parameter that governs the properties of the outflow. We show how the four jet integrals known from steady-state MHD are correlated to the disk magnetization at the jet foot point. This agrees with the usual findings of the steady-state theory, however, here we obtain these correlations from time-dependent simulations that include the dynamical evolution of the disk in the treatment. In particular, we obtain robust correlations between the local disk magnetization and (i)the outflow velocity, (ii) the jet mass loading, (iii) jet angular momentum, and (iv) the local mass accretion rate. Essentially we find that strongly magnetized disks launch more energetic and faster jets, and, due to a larger Alfv\'en lever arm, these jets extract more angular momentum from the underlying disk. These kind of disk-jet systems have, however, a smaller mass loading parameter and a lower mass ejection-to-accretion ratio. The jets are launched at the disk surface where the magnetization is $\mu(r,z) \simeq 0.1$. The magnetization rapidly increases vertically providing the energy reservoir for subsequent jet acceleration. We find indication for a critical disk magnetization $\mu_{\rm D} \simeq 0.01$ that separates the regimes of magnetocentrifugally-driven and magnetic pressure-driven jets.