The Properties of Reconnection Current Sheets in GRMHD Simulations of Radiatively Inefficient Accretion Flows

Abstract

Non-ideal MHD effects may play a significant role in determining the dynamics, thermal properties, and observational signatures of radiatively inefficient accretion flows onto black holes. In particular, particle acceleration during magnetic reconnection events may influence black hole spectra and flaring properties. We use representative GRMHD simulations of black hole accretion flows to identify and explore the structures and properties of current sheets as potential sites of magnetic reconnection. In the case of standard and normal (SANE) disks, we find that, in the reconnection sites, the plasma beta ranges from $0.1$ to $1000$, the magnetization ranges from $10^{-4}$ to $1$, and the guide fields are weak compared to the reconnecting fields. In magnetically arrested (MAD) disks, we find typical values for plasma beta from $10^{-2}$ to $10^3$, magnetizations from $10^{-3}$ to $10$, and typically stronger guide fields, with strengths comparable to or greater than the reconnecting fields. These are critical parameters that govern the electron energy distribution resulting from magnetic reconnection and can be used in the context of plasma simulations to provide microphysics inputs to global simulations. We also find that ample magnetic energy is available in the reconnection regions to power the fluence of bright X-ray flares observed from the black hole in the center of the Milky Way.

8 pages, 8 figures, submitted to ApJ

References in corpus (8)

• Non-thermal particle acceleration in collisionless relativistic electron-proton reconnection
• Observational appearance of inefficient accretion flows and jets in 3D GRMHD simulations: Application to Sgr~A*
• Relativistic magnetic reconnection in pair plasmas and its astrophysical applications
• The Power of Imaging: Constraining the Plasma Properties of GRMHD Simulations using EHT Observations of Sgr A*
• Plasma diagnostic potential of 2p4f in N${}^{+}$ -- accurate wavelengths and oscillator strengths
• Parallel electric fields are inefficient drivers of energetic electrons in magnetic reconnection
• Relativistic magnetic reconnection in collisionless ion-electron plasmas explored with particle-in-cell simulations
• Evolving Nonthermal Electrons in Simulations of Black Hole Accretion

Cited by in corpus (36)

• First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. V. Physical Origin of the Asymmetric Ring
• Black hole flares: ejection of accreted magnetic flux through 3D plasmoid-mediated reconnection
• Magnetic Reconnection and Hot Spot Formation in Black Hole Accretion Disks
• Hidden Cores of Active Galactic Nuclei as the Origin of Medium-Energy Neutrinos: Critical Tests with the MeV Gamma-Ray Connection
• Electron and Proton Acceleration in Trans-Relativistic Magnetic Reconnection: Dependence on Plasma Beta and Magnetization
• Electron and ion energization in relativistic plasma turbulence
• Plasmoid formation in global GRMHD simulations and AGN flares
• High-Energy Neutrino and Gamma-Ray Emission from Tidal Disruption Events
• General relativistic resistive magnetohydrodynamics with robust primitive variable recovery for accretion disk simulations
• Radiative Signatures of Plasmoid-Dominated Reconnection in Blazar Jets
• Magnetic reconnection and plasmoid formation in three-dimensional accretion flows around black holes
• Relativistic resistive magnetohydrodynamic reconnection and plasmoid formation in merging flux tubes
• Acceleration and Escape Processes of High-energy Particles in Turbulence inside Hot Accretion Flows
• Chandra Spectral and Timing Analysis of Sgr A*'s Brightest X-ray Flares
• High-Energy Neutrinos from Active Galactic Nuclei
• A Plasmoid Model for the Sgr A* Flares Observed with GRAVITY and Chandra
• Modeling the inner part of the jet in M87: Confronting jet morphology with theory
• Generalized, energy-conserving numerical simulations of particles in general relativity. II. Test particles in electromagnetic fields and GRMHD
• Hadronic High-energy Emission from Magnetically Arrested Disks in Radio Galaxies
• The Mechanism of Electron Injection and Acceleration in Trans-Relativistic Reconnection
• The intrinsic structure of Sagittarius A* at 1.3 cm and 7 mm
• Radiation Signatures From Striped Blazar Jet
• VHE Emission from Magnetic Reconnection in the RIAF of SgrA*
• Magnetically Arrested Disks in Quiescent Black-Hole Binaries: Formation Scenario, Observable Signatures, and Potential PeVatrons
• Magnetic Reconnection in Black-Hole Magnetospheres: Lepton Loading into Jets, Superluminal Radio Blobs, and Multi-wavelength Flares
• A nonthermal bomb explains the near-infrared superflare of Sgr A*
• No sign of G2's encounter affecting Sgr A*'s X-ray flaring rate from $Chandra$ observations
• Self-consistent multidimensional Penrose process driven by magnetic reconnection
• Gravitational electromotive force in magnetic reconnection around Schwarzschild black holes
• High-energy Gamma-rays from Magnetically Arrested Disks in Nearby Radio Galaxies
• Hyper-Resistive Model of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray Acceleration by Magnetically Collimated Jets Created by Active Galactic Nuclei
• Magnetic reconnection and Blandford-Znajek process around rotating black holes
• Global resistive MHD accretion flows around spinning AGNs: impact of resistivity on MAD state
• Hadronic Processes, Plasma Evolution and Neutrino Emission in Magnetic Towers of Neutron-Star Merger Remnants
• Observations of Pressure Anisotropy Effects within Semi-Collisional Magnetized-Plasma Bubbles
• The shortest detected intra-day variability of active galactic nuclei in TESS survey