FORGE'd in FIRE II: The Formation of Magnetically-Dominated Quasar Accretion Disks from Cosmological Initial Conditions

TL;DR

This paper presents the formation and properties of magnetically-dominated quasar accretion disks from cosmological initial conditions, highlighting their stability, turbulence, and super-Eddington accretion capabilities.

Contribution

It demonstrates the self-consistent formation of stable, magnetically-dominated quasar disks from cosmological simulations, revealing their distinct structure and dynamics compared to traditional models.

Findings

Disks are magnetically dominated with plasma β ~ 10^{-4}.

Disks can sustain highly super-Eddington accretion rates.

Magnetic flux advection stabilizes the disks and influences their structure.

Abstract

In a companion paper, we reported the self-consistent formation of quasar accretion disks with inflow rates $\sim 10\,{\rm M_{\odot}\,yr^{-1}}$ down to <300 Schwarzschild radii from cosmological radiation-magneto-thermochemical-hydrodynamical galaxy and star formation simulations. We see the formation of a well-defined, steady-state accretion disk which is stable against star formation at sub-pc scales. The disks are optically thick, with radiative cooling balancing accretion, but with properties that are distinct from those assumed in most previous accretion disk models. The pressure is strongly dominated by (primarily toroidal) magnetic fields, with a plasma $\beta \sim 10^{-4}$ even in the disk midplane. They are qualitatively distinct from magnetically elevated or arrested disks. The disks are strongly turbulent, with trans-Alfvenic and highly super-sonic turbulence, and balance this via a cooling time that is short compared to the disk dynamical time, and can sustain highly super-Eddington accretion rates. Their surface and 3D densities at $\sim 10^{3}-10^{5}$ gravitational radii are much lower than in a Shakura-Sunyaev disk, with important implications for their thermo-chemistry and stability. We show how the magnetic field strengths and geometries arise from rapid advection of flux with the inflow from much weaker galaxy-scale fields in these 'flux-frozen' disks, and how this stabilizes the disk and gives rise to efficient torques. Re-simulating without magnetic fields produces catastrophic fragmentation with a vastly smaller, lower-$\dot{M}$ Shakura-Sunyaev-like disk.