GLADIS: GLobal Accretion Disk Instability Simulation

TL;DR

GLADIS is a publicly available simulation code that models the time-dependent evolution of black hole accretion disks, helping to explain their variability due to radiation-pressure instability in astrophysical phenomena.

Contribution

The paper introduces GLADIS, a new open-source software tool for simulating accretion disk variability, developed over 15 years, with applications to microquasars and AGN.

Findings

Successfully models accretion disk variability due to radiation-pressure instability.

Provides a flexible, publicly accessible tool for astrophysical research.

Enhances understanding of fast variable microquasars and changing-look AGN.

Abstract

I present the publicly available code GLADIS (GLobal Accretion Disk Instability Simulation) developed in my reserach group over the years 2002-2017. It can be freely downloaded and modified by the users via the link from the Astrophysics Source Code Library. The software computes time-dependent evolution of a black hole accretion disk, in one-dimensional, axisymmetric, vertically integrated scheme. The main applications are to explain the variability of accretion disks that can be subject to radiation-pressure instability. The phenomenon is relevant for fast variable microquasars, as well as for a class of changing-look AGN.