arXiv subjects

Amir Levinson

Publications and source records attributed to Amir Levinson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The baryon content of magnetically arrested black hole disks and jets

We study the transport of baryons in magnetically arrested accretion flows and relativistic jets using general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations that incorporate a passive Eulerian tracer. The tracer allows us to reconstruct a proxy for the physical baryon density supplied by the accretion disk while excluding the mass injected numerically to maintain stability in highly magnetized, low-density regions. Applying this method to axisymmetric black hole simulations with varying spin, we show that baryon loading of the jet is intrinsically episodic and regulated by magnetic flux eruption cycles occurring in the inner accretion flow. Each eruption evacuates baryons from the innermost equatorial region, drives reconnection in extended current sheets, and expels moderately magnetized disk material along the funnel wall, establishing a recurrent mass-loading channel. In spinning black holes, shear-driven waves along the jet boundary further enhance baryon entrainment, whereas this mechanism is suppressed in the non-spinning case. For parameters representative of the black hole accretion flow in M87, we map the global structure and time evolution of the Goldreich-Julian screening boundary, defined as the surface separating regions where the plasma density is sufficient to supply the charges required to screen electric fields parallel to the magnetic field from regions that are charge starved. For spinning black holes, we find that the electromagnetic power of the jet is predominantly carried by baryon-poor plasma, with extended time intervals of charge starvation. Our results provide a framework for diagnosing jet composition, charge starvation, and reconnection-driven mass loading in magnetically arrested black hole systems, with direct implications for particle acceleration and non-thermal emission in low-luminosity accretion flows.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Theoretical Constraints on Neutron Star Superfluidity from Her X-1 Precession

Recent IXPE observations of Her X-1 reveal correlations between flux, polarization degree, and polarization angle with its 35-day superorbital cycle. These measurements have been interpreted as strong evidence that the 35-day period is driven by nearly free precession of the neutron star. We show that this interpretation carries far-reaching implications for the dynamics of the crustal superfluid. In particular, maintaining precession over the $\sim 50$-year observational baseline of Her X-1 would require that superfluid vortices remain unpinned for centuries and experience extremely weak mutual friction while traversing the heavy-ion lattice of the inner crust -- conditions that challenge conventional wisdom and standard models of glitch dynamics.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Monte Carlo simulations of relativistic shock breakout from a stellar wind

We present Monte Carlo simulations of relativistic radiation-mediated shocks (RRMS) in the photon-starved regime, incorporating photon escape from the upstream region--characterized by the escape fraction, $f_{\rm esc}$--under a steady-state assumption. These simulations, performed for shock Lorentz factors $Γ_u = 2$, $3.5$, $6$, $10$, and $15$, are applicable to RRMS breakouts in shallowly declining density profiles such as stellar winds. We find that vigorous pair production acts as a thermostat, regulating the downstream temperature to $\sim 100$-$200~{\rm keV}$, largely independent of $f_{\rm esc}$. A subshock forms and strengthens with increasing $f_{\rm esc}$. The escaping spectra peak at $E_p \approx 300$-$600~{\rm keV}$ in the shock frame and deviate from a Wien distribution, exhibiting low-energy flattening ($f_ν\propto ν^{0}$) due to free-free emission and high-energy extensions caused by inverse Compton scattering from subshock-heated pairs. While an earlier analytical model reproduces the velocity structure well at $Γ_u = 2$, it significantly overestimates the shock width at higher Lorentz factors, particularly for $f_{\rm esc} \gtrsim$ a few $\%$. Based on this finding, we provide updated predictions for breakout observables in wind environments for $Γ_u \gtrsim 6$. Notably, the duration of the relativistic breakout becomes largely insensitive to the explosion energy and ejecta mass, typically exceeding analytical predictions by orders of magnitude and capable of producing a $\sim$300 s flash of MeV photons with a radiated energy of $\sim 10^{50}$ erg for an energetic explosion yielding $Γ_{bo} \sim 6$. We also discuss limitations of our modelling assumptions and their implications for the predicted breakout observables.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Reconnection-driven Flares in M87*: Proton-Synchrotron-powered GeV Emission

Magnetic reconnection in current layers that form intermittently in radiatively inefficient accretion flows onto black holes is a promising mechanism for particle acceleration and high-energy emission. It has been recently proposed that such layers, arising during flux eruption events, can power the rapid TeV flares observed from the core of M87. In this scenario, inverse Compton scattering of soft radiation from the accretion flow by energetic electron-positron pairs produced near the reconnection layer was suggested as the primary emission mechanism. However, detailed calculations show that radiation from pairs alone cannot account for the GeV emission detected by the Fermi observatory. In this work, we combine analytic estimates with 3D radiative particle-in-cell simulations of pair-proton plasmas to show that the GeV emission can be naturally explained by synchrotron radiation from protons accelerated in the current sheet. Although the exact proton content of the layer is uncertain, our model remains robust across a broad range of proton-to-pair number density ratios. While protons are subdominant in number compared to pairs, our simulations demonstrate that they can be accelerated more efficiently, leading to a self-regulated steady state in which protons dominate the energy budget. Ultimately, proton synchrotron emission accounts for approximately 5%-20% of the total dissipation power. The majority is radiated as MeV photons via pair synchrotron emission, with a smaller fraction emitted as TeV photons through inverse Compton scattering.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Rotational evolution of deformed magnetized neutron stars: implications for obliquity distribution and braking indices statistics

The rotational evolution of a strongly magnetized neutron star (NS), accreting or isolated, is driven by external torques of different nature. In addition to the torques, even the tiniest deformations of the NS crust can affect its rotation through asymmetries in its inertia tensor. Several factors may be responsible for the deformations, including strong magnetic fields, internal stresses, or local heating. The main effect produced by the deformations is the so-called free precession: the motion of the rotational axis with respect to the crust. We consider the evolution of a triaxially deformed isolated NS with a strong dipolar magnetic field for a broad range of parameters, taking into account the magnetic field decay. We show that the combination of pulsar torques and free precession results in a considerable broadening of the distribution of magnetic obliquity angles (the angle between the magnetic and rotational axes) and creates a population of objects where the rotational axis does not align with the magnetic axis at all but enters a limit-cycle regime. The combination of free precession and magnetic torques can also explain the observed distribution in pulsar braking indices by creating a periodic oscillation in the magnetic obliquity.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Tidal disruption of a magnetized star

Tidal disruptions of stars by supermassive black holes in galactic centers (TDEs) are now being actively studied both theoretically and observationally. They are observed throughout the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio to gamma-rays. It is still unclear how the emission is produced and, in particular, what is the role of the magnetic field of the disrupted star. There are many ways how magnetic fields might affect the dynamics of a TDE. They are likely responsible for the angular momentum transfer in the accretion disk formed at later stages and thus affect the radiation associated with the disk. Magnetic fields are also an important requirement for the formation of relativistic jets, that are seen in some TDEs. The goal of our study is to connect the field within the star to the fields that develop during the fallback and disk accretion. Using the fluid-dynamic code Athena++, we perform a large-scale three-dimensional adaptive-mesh magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a tidal disruption of a magnetized star. The fallback stream returning to the black-hole vicinity after the disruption contains smooth magnetic fields aligned with the stream lines. Formation of a nozzle shock near the pericenter of the initial orbit leads to a turbulent eccentric disk-like structure where the field is amplified and entangled on the local dynamic time scales up to approximate equipartition. The resulting field is mildly anisotropic and has a typical length several times smaller than the pericenter distance. The properties of the field are consistent with the early stages of turbulent dynamo.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Relativistically Magnetized Collisionless Shocks in Pair Plasma: I. Solitons, Chaos, and Thermalization

In this paper, the first in a series, we present a new theoretical model for the global structure and dissipation of relativistically magnetized collisionless shock waves. Quite remarkably, we find that in contrast to unmagnetized shocks, the leading energy dissipation channel does not involve collective plasma interactions. Rather, it is a consequence of nonlinear particle dynamics. We demonstrate that the kinetic-scale shock transition can be modeled as a stationary system consisting of a large set of cold beams coupled through the magnetic field. The fundamental mechanism governing shock dissipation relies on the onset of chaos in orbital dynamics within quasiperiodic solitonic structures. We discuss the impact of upstream temperature and magnetization on the shock profile, recovering the magnetic field compression, downstream velocities, and heating expected from the Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions. We deduce a rate of entropy generation from the spectrum of Lyapunov exponents and discuss the thermalization of the beam distribution. Our model provides a general framework to study magnetized collisionless shock structures.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Fast radio bursts as precursor radio emission from monster shocks

It has been proposed recently that the breaking of MHD waves in the inner magnetosphere of strongly magnetized neutron stars can power different types of high-energy transients. Motivated by these considerations, we study the steepening and dissipation of a strongly magnetized fast magnetosonic wave propagating in a declining background magnetic field, by means of particle-in-cell simulations that encompass MHD scales. Our analysis confirms the formation of a monster shock as $B^2-E^2 \to 0$, that dissipates about half of the fast magnetosonic wave energy. It also reveals, for the first time, the generation of a high-frequency precursor wave by a synchrotron maser instability at the monster shock front, carrying a fraction of $\sim 10^{-3}$ of the total energy dissipated at the shock. The spectrum of the precursor wave exhibits several sharp harmonic peaks, with frequencies in the GHz band under conditions anticipated in magnetars. Such signals may appear as fast radio bursts.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

In LIGO's Sight? Vigorous Coherent Gravitational Waves from Cooled Collapsar Disks

We present the first numerical study of gravitational waves (GWs) from collapsar disks, using state-of-the-art 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of collapsing stars. These simulations incorporate a fixed Kerr metric for the central black hole (BH) and employ simplified prescriptions for disk cooling. We find that cooled disks with an expected scale height ratio of $H/R\gtrsim0.1$ at $\sim10$ gravitational radii induce Rossby instability in compact, high-density rings. The trapped Rossby vortices generate vigorous coherent emission regardless of disk magnetization and BH spin. For BH mass of $\sim10\,M_\odot$, the GW spectrum peaks at $\sim100\,{\rm Hz}$ with some breadth due to various nonaxisymmetric modes. The spectrum shifts toward lower frequencies as the disk viscously spreads and the circularization radius of the infalling gas increases. Weaker-cooled disks with $H/R\gtrsim0.3$ form a low-density extended structure of spiral arms, resulting in a broader, lower-amplitude spectrum. Assuming an optimistic detection threshold with a matched-filter signal-to-noise ratio of 20 and a rate similar to Type Ib/c supernovae, LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) could detect $\lesssim1$ event annually, suggesting that GW events may already be hidden in observed data. Third-generation GW detectors could detect dozens to hundreds of collapsar disks annually, depending on the cooling strength and the disk formation rate. The GW amplitudes from collapsar disks are $\gtrsim100$ times higher with a substantially greater event rate than those from core-collapse supernovae, making them potentially the most promising burst-type GW class for LVK and Cosmic Explorer. This highlights the importance of further exploration and modeling of disk-powered GWs, promising insights into collapsing star physics.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Fission and fusion of heavy nuclei induced by the passage of a radiation-mediated shock in BNS mergers

We compute the structure of a Newtonian, multi-ion radiation-mediated shock (RMS) for different compositions anticipated in various stellar explosions. We use a multifluid RMS model that incorporates electrostatic coupling between the different plasma constituents as well as Coulomb friction in a self-consistent manner, and approximates the effect of pair creation and the presence of free neutrons in the shock upstream on the shock structure. We find that under certain conditions a significant velocity separation is developed between different ions in the shock downstream and demonstrate that in fast enough shocks ion-ion collisions may trigger fusion and fission events at a relatively high rate. Our analysis ignores anomalous coupling through plasma microturbulence, that might reduce the velocity spread downstream below the activation energy for nuclear reactions. A rough estimate of the scale separation in RMS suggests that for shocks propagating in BNS merger ejecta the anomalous coupling length may exceed the radiation length, allowing a considerable composition change behind the shock via inelastic collisions of $α$ particles with heavy elements at shock velocities $β_u\gtrsim0.25$. A sufficient abundance of free neutrons in the shock upstream, as expected during the first second after the merger, is also expected to alter the ejecta composition through neutron capture downstream. The resultant change in the composition profile may affect the properties of the early kilonova emission. The generation of microturbulence due to velocity separation can also give rise to particle acceleration that might alter the breakout signal in supernovae and other systems.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

The Interplay between accelerated Protons, X-rays and Neutrinos in the Corona of NGC 1068: Constraints from Kinetic Plasma Simulations

We examine properties of accelerated protons potentially responsible for the neutrino excess observed in the direction of NGC 1068, using constraints from kinetic Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations. We find that i) coronal X-rays and Optical/Ultra-Violet light in the inner disk lead to efficient absorption of hadronic $γ$-rays within 100 Schwarzschild radii from the black hole; ii) protons accelerated from the coronal thermal pool cannot account for the observed neutrinos; and iii) explaining the observed signal requires an injection of protons with a hard spectrum, peaking at $γ_p\sim 10^3-10^4$, into the turbulent magnetically-dominated corona, where they are confined and re-accelerated. The resulting neutrino signal can be consistent with IceCube observations. In our most favorable scenario, the injected protons are pre-accelerated in intermittent current sheets in the vicinity of the black hole, occurring either at the boundary between the disk and the outflow or during magnetic flux eruption events.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

1D GRPIC Simulations of Stellar-Mass Black Hole Magnetospheres: Semi-Analytic Model of Gamma-Rays from Gaps

In the absence of a sufficient amount of plasma injection into the black hole (BH) magnetosphere, the force-free state of the magnetosphere cannot be maintained, leading to the emergence of strong, time-dependent, longitudinal electric field (spark gap). Recent studies of supermassive BH magnetospheres by using analytical methods and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations propose the possibility of the efficient particle acceleration and consequent gamma-ray emissions in the spark gap. In this work, we perform one-dimensional general relativistic PIC simulations to examine the gamma-ray emission from stellar-mass BH magnetospheres. We find that intermittent spark gaps emerge and particles are efficiently accelerated, in a similar manner to the supermassive BH case. We build a semi-analytic model of the plasma dynamics and radiative processes which reproduces the maximum electron energies and peak gamma-ray luminosities in the simulation results. Based on this model, we show that gamma-ray signals from stellar-mass BHs wandering through the interstellar medium could be detected by gamma-ray telescopes such as the Fermi Large Area Telescope, or the Cherenkov Telescope Array.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Constraints on the accretion properties of quasi-periodic erupters from GRMHD simulations

Context: Some apparently quiescent supermassive black holes (BHs) at centers of galaxies show quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) in the X-ray band, the nature of which is still unknown. A possible origin for the eruptions is an accretion disk, however the properties of such disks are restricted by the timescales of reccurance and durations of the flares. Aims: In this work we test the possibility that the known QPEs can be explained by accretion from a compact accretion disk with an outer radius $r_{\rm out}\sim 10-40 r_{\rm g}$, focusing on a particular object GSN 069. Methods: We run several 3D GRMHD simulations with the {\tt HARMPI} code of thin and thick disks and study how the initial disk parameters such as thickness, magnetic field configuration, magnetization and Kerr parameter affect the observational properties of QPEs. Results: We show that accretion onto a slowly rotating BH through a small, thick accretion disk with an initially low plasma $β$ can explain the observed flare duration, the time between outbursts and the lack of evidence for a variable jet emission. In order to form such a disk the accreting matter should have a low net angular momentum. A potential source for such low angular momentum matter with a quasi periodic feeding mechanism might be a tight binary of wind launching stars.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Relativistic Spherical Shocks in Expanding Media

We investigate the propagation of spherically symmetric shocks in relativistic homologously expanding media with density distributions following a power-law profile in their Lorentz factor. That is, $ρ_{ej} \propto t^{-3}γ_{e}(R,t)^{-α}$, where $ρ_{ej}$ is the medium proper density, $γ_{e}$ is its Lorentz factor, $α>0$ is constant and $t$, $R$ are the time and radius from the center. We find that the shocks behavior can be characterized by their proper velocity, $U'=Γ_s'β_s'$, where $Γ_s'$ is the shock Lorentz factor as measured in the immediate upstream frame and $β_s'$ is the corresponding 3-velocity. While generally, we do not expect the shock evolution to be self-similar, for every $α>0$ we find a critical value $U'_c$ for which a self-similar solution with constant $U'$ exists. We then use numerical simulations to investigate the behavior of general shocks. We find that shocks with $U'>U'_c$ have a monotonously growing $U'$, while those with $U'<U'_c$ have a decreasing $U'$ and will eventually die out. Finally, we present an analytic approximation, based on our numerical results, for the evolution of general shocks in the regime where $U'$ is ultra-relativistic.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

A kinetic study of black hole activation by local plasma injection into the inner magnetosphere

(Abridged) An issue of considerable interest in the theory of jet formation by the Blandford-Znajek mechanism, is how plasma is being continuously supplied to the magnetosphere to maintain it in a force-free state. Injection of electron-positron pairs via annihilation of MeV photons, emitted from a hot accretion flow, has been shown to be a viable possibility, but requires a high enough accretion rate. At lower accretion rates, and in the absence of any other form of plasma supply, the magnetosphere becomes charge starved, forming intermittent spark gaps that can induce intense pair cascades via interactions with soft disk radiation, enabling outflow formation. It is often speculated that enough plasma can penetrate the inner magnetosphere from the accretion flow through some rearrangement of magnetic field lines (e.g., interchange instability). However, the question arises whether such episodes of plasma intrusion can prevent the formation of spark gaps. To address this question we conducted a suite of numerical experiments, by means of radiative, 2D axisymmetric general relativistic particle-in-cell simulations, in which plasma is injected into specified regions at a prescribed rate. We find that when pair production is switched off, nearly complete screening is achieved when the plasma is injected within the outer light cylinder at a high enough rate. Injection beyond the outer light cylinder results in either, the formation of large vacuum gaps, or coherent, large-amplitude oscillations of the magnetosphere, depending on the injection rate. Within the allowed dynamic range of our simulations, we see no evidence for the system to approach a steady state as the injection rate is increased. Switching on pair production results in nearly complete screening of the entire magnetosphere in all cases, with some fraction of the maximum Blandford-Znajek power emitted as TeV gamma-rays.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Breakdown of force-free electrodynamics in electric zones

It is shown that force-free electrodynamics (FFE) breaks down in regions where $B^2 -E^2 <0$ (electric zones) even if $\pmb{E}\cdot\pmb{B} =0$. Spontaneous creation of such regions will inevitably lead to plasma oscillations that will subsequently decay over a few periods via anomalous heating and, under certain conditions, emission of high energy quanta, until the system relaxes to a state in which $B^2-E^2 \sim 0$. For M87, assuming pair plasma with order unity multiplicity, the inverse Compton cooling time is estimated to be shorter than the dynamical time when $E^2/B^2-1 > (10^4/σ)^2$ roughly, where $σ$ is the magnetization. If the electric zone is weak, the global system will maintain a nearly force-free state, however, the force-free condition, $F^{μν}J_ν=0$, will be broken at the order of the access electric field and cannot describe wave dynamics. Our analysis does not support recent claims, that creation of electric zones can trigger a transition to force-free turbulence which, when generated in the ergosphere of a Kerr black hole, can lead to extraction of the black hole rotational energy. Whether some secondary electromagnetic modes produced in the decaying electric zone can extract the BH energy is yet an open question.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

The role of plasma instabilities in relativistic radiation mediated shocks: stability analysis and particle-in-cell simulations

Relativistic radiation mediated shocks (RRMS) likely form in prodigious cosmic explosions. The structure and emission of such shocks is regulated by copious production of electron-positron pairs inside the shock transition layer. It has been pointed out recently that substantial abundance of positrons inside the shock leads to a velocity separation of the different plasma constituents, which is expected to induce a rapid growth of plasma instabilities. In this paper, we study the hierarchy of plasma microinstabilities growing in an electron-ion plasma loaded with pairs and subject to a radiation force. Linear stability analysis indicates that such a system is unstable to the growth of various plasma modes which ultimately become dominated by a current filamentation instability driven by the relative drift between the ions and the pairs. These results are validated by particle-in-cell simulations that further probe the nonlinear regime of the instabilities, and the pair-ion coupling in the microturbulent electromagnetic field. Based on this analysis, we derive a reduced transport equation for the particles via pitch angle scattering in the microturbulence and demonstrate that it can couple the different species and lead to nonadiabatic compression via a Joule-like heating. The heating of the pairs and, conceivably, the formation of nonthermal distributions, arising from the microturbulence, can affect the observed shock breakout signal in ways unaccounted for by current single-fluid models.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

The response of black hole spark gaps to external changes: A production mechanism of rapid TeV flares?

We study the response of a starved Kerr black hole magnetosphere to abrupt changes in the intensity of disk emission and in the global magnetospheric current, by means of 1D general relativistic particle-in-cell simulations. Such changes likely arise from the intermittency of the accretion process. We find that in cases where the pair production opacity contributed by the soft disk photons is modest, as in, e.g., M87, such changes can give rise to delayed, strong TeV flares, dominated by curvature emission of particles accelerated in the gap. The flare rise time, and the delay between the external variation and the onset of the flare emitted from the outer gap boundary, are of the order of the light crossing time of the gap. The rapid, large amplitude TeV flares observed in M87 and, perhaps, other AGNs may be produced by such a mechanism.

astro-ph.HE↗