Relativistic Magnetic Reconnection in Kerr Spacetime

Abstract

The magnetic reconnection process is analyzed for relativistic magnetohydrodynamical plasmas around rotating black holes. A simple generalization of the Sweet-Parker model is used as a first approximation to the problem. The reconnection rate, as well as other important properties of the reconnection layer, have been calculated taking into account the effect of spacetime curvature. Azimuthal and radial current sheet configurations in the equatorial plane of the black hole have been studied, and the case of small black hole rotation rate has been analyzed. For the azimuthal configuration, it is found that the black hole rotation decreases the reconnection rate. On the other hand, in the radial configuration, it is the gravitational force created by the black hole mass that decreases the reconnection rate. These results establish a fundamental interaction between gravity and magnetic reconnection in astrophysical contexts.

Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters

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Cited by in corpus (9)

• Magnetic Reconnection as a Mechanism for Energy Extraction from Rotating Black Holes
• Energy extraction from rotating regular black hole via Comisso-Asenjo mechanism
• Electromagnetic Energy Extraction from Kerr Black Holes: Ab-Initio Calculations
• Self-consistent multidimensional Penrose process driven by magnetic reconnection
• Gravitational electromotive force in magnetic reconnection around Schwarzschild black holes
• Magnetic reconnection under centrifugal and gravitational electromotive forces
• Magnetic Connections in Curved Spacetime
• Magnification effect of Kerr metric by configurations of collisionless particles in non-isotropic kinetic equilibria
• On the universality of the split monopole black hole magnetosphere