Gravitomagnetic vorticity generation in black hole accretion discs: a potential spatial constraint on plasma flow stability
ABSTRACT We calculate the vorticity generation rate in the accretion disc near a slowly rotating black hole in the low-velocity, weak-field limit of general relativity. Specifically, we find that the frame-dragging effect due to the black hole’s rotation – manifested through the gravitomagnetic fiel...
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Published in | Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Vol. 508; no. 1; pp. 414 - 420 |
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Main Authors | , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
Oxford University Press
01.11.2021
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | ABSTRACT
We calculate the vorticity generation rate in the accretion disc near a slowly rotating black hole in the low-velocity, weak-field limit of general relativity. Specifically, we find that the frame-dragging effect due to the black hole’s rotation – manifested through the gravitomagnetic field – can generate vorticity in a moving plasma in the accretion disc. The mechanism remains operational as long as the accretion disc has non-negligible vertical height and is independent of the exact thermodynamical profile of the disc. The enstrophy density generation rate, as a measure of turbulence and dissipation, is presented, which indicates that the frame-dragging effect can disrupt the stability of the disc away from the z = 0 plane. |
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Bibliography: | 89233218CNA000001 USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) LA-UR-21-28722 |
ISSN: | 0035-8711 1365-2966 |
DOI: | 10.1093/mnras/stab2478 |