Magnetic field structure in the vicinity of a super-massive black hole in low luminosity galaxies: the case of Sgr A*

TL;DR

This paper investigates the magnetic field structure near Sgr A*, suggesting a low magnetization, alternating polarity configuration driven by MRI turbulence, which explains the absence of a steady jet and predicts reconnection events and intermittent flaring.

Contribution

It introduces a model of magnetic field structure near Sgr A* with low magnetization and alternating polarity, challenging previous assumptions of strong, steady magnetic fields.

Findings

Flow is intermittent, switching between quiescent and flaring states.

No steady-state jet or magnetically arrested disk forms.

Magnetic reconnection events are frequent near the black hole.

Abstract

Observations of $\rm SgrA^*$ have provided a lot of insight on low-luminosity accretion, with a handful of bright flares accompanied with orbital motion close to the horizon. It has been proposed that gas supply comes from stellar winds in the neighborhood of the supermassive black hole. We here argue that the flow at the vicinity of the black hole has a low magnetization and a structure of alternating polarity totally dictated by the well studied and long-ago proposed MRI turbulent process. This can be the case, provided that in larger distances from the black hole magnetic diffusivity is dominant and thus the magnetic field will never reach equipartition values. For $\rm SgrA^*$, we show the immediate consequences of this specific magnetic field geometry, which are: (i) an intermittent flow that passes from quiescent states to flaring activity, (ii) no quasi-steady-state jet, (iii) no possibility of a magnetically arrested configuration. Moreover a further distinctive feature of this geometry is the intense magnetic reconnection events, occurring as layers of opposite magnetic polarity are accreted, in the vicinity of the black hole. Finally, we argue that the absence of a jet structure in such case will be a smoking gun in 43 \& 86 GHz observations.