arXiv subjects

S. S. Komissarov

Publications and source records attributed to S. S. Komissarov.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

"Meissner effect" and Blandford-Znajek mechanism in conductive black hole magnetospheres

The expulsion of axisymmetric magnetic field from the event horizons of rapidly rotating black holes has been seen as an astrophysically important effect that may significantly reduce or even nullify the efficiency of the Blandford-Znajek mechanism of powering the relativistic jets in Active Galactic Nuclei and Gamma Ray Bursts. However, this Meissner-like effect is seen in vacuum solutions of black hole electrodynamics whereas the Blandford-Znajek mechanism is concerned with plasma-filled magnetospheres. In this paper we argue that conductivity dramatically changes the properties of axisymmetric electromagnetic solutions -- even for a maximally rotating Kerr black hole the magnetic field is pulled inside the event horizon. Moreover, the conditions resulting in outgoing Poynting flux in the Blandford-Znajek mechanism exist not on the event horizon but everywhere within the black hole ergosphere. Thus, the Meissner effect is unlikely to be of interest in astrophysics of black holes, at least not in the way this has been suggested so far. These conclusions are supported by the results of time-dependent numerical simulations with three different computer codes. The test problems involve black holes with the rotation parameter ranging from $a=0.999$ to $a=1$. The pure electrodynamic simulations deal with the structure of conductive magnetospheres of black holes placed in a uniform-at-infinity magnetic field (Wald's problem) and the magnetohydrodynamic simulations are used to study the magnetospheres arising in the problem of disk accretion.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Tearing instability in relativistic magnetically dominated plasmas

Many astrophysical sources of high energy emission, such as black hole magnetospheres, superstrongly magnetized neutron stars (magnetars), and probably relativistic jets in Active Galactic Nuclei and Gamma Ray Bursts involve relativistically magnetically dominated plasma. In such plasma the energy density of magnetic field greatly exceeds the thermal and the rest mass energy density of particles. Therefore the magnetic field is the main reservoir of energy and its dissipation may power the bursting emission from these sources, in close analogy to Solar flares. One of the principal dissipative instabilities that may lead to release of magnetic energy is the tearing instability. In this paper we study, both analytically and numerically, the development of tearing instability in relativistically magnetically-dominated plasma using the framework of resistive magnetodynamics. We confirm and elucidate the previously obtained result on the growth rate of the tearing mode: the shortest growth time is the same as in the case of classical non-relativistic MHD, namely $τ=\sqrt{τ_a τ_d}$ where $τ_a$ is the \Alfven crossing time and $τ_d$ is the resistive time of a current layer.

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arXiv2006

Magnetized Tori around Kerr Black Holes: Analytic Solutions with a Toroidal Magnetic Field

The dynamics of accretion discs around galactic and extragalactic black holes may be influenced by their magnetic field. In this paper we generalise the fully relativistic theory of stationary axisymmetric tori in Kerr metric of Abramowicz et al.(1978) by including strong toroidal magnetic field and construct analytic solutions for barotropic tori with constant angular momentum. This development is particularly important for the general relativistic computational magnetohydrodynamics that suffers from the lack of exact analytic solutions that are needed to test computer codes.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Simulations of Axisymmetric Magnetospheres of Neutron Stars

In this paper we present the results of time-dependent simulations of dipolar axisymmetric magnetospheres of neutron stars carried out both within the framework of relativistic magnetohydrodynamics and within the framework of resistive force-free electrodynamics. The results of force-free simulations reveal the inability of our numerical method to accommodate the equatorial current sheets of pulsar magnetospheres and raise a question mark over the robustness of this approach. On the other hand, the MHD approach allows to make a significant progress. We start with a nonrotating magnetically dominated dipolar magnetospheres and follow its evolution as the stellar rotation is switched on. We find that the time-dependent solution gradually approaches the steady state that is very close to the stationary solution of the Pulsar Equation found by Contopoulos et al.(1999). This result suggests that other stationary solutions that have the y-point located well inside the light cylinder are unstable. The role of the particle inertia and pressure on the structure and dynamics of MHD magnetospheres is studied in details, as well as the potential implications of the dissipative processes in the equatorial current sheet. We argue that pulsars may have differentially rotating magnetospheres which develop noticeable structural oscillations and that this may help to explain the nature of the sub-pulse phenomena.

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arXiv2005

Observations of the Blandford-Znajek and the MHD Penrose processes in computer simulations of black hole magnetospheres

In this paper we report the results of axisymmetric relativistic MHD simulations for the problem of Kerr black hole immersed into a rarefied plasma with ''uniform'' magnetic field. The long term solution shows properties which are significantly different from those of the initial transient phase studied recently by Koide(2003). The topology of magnetic field lines within the ergosphere is similar to that of the split-monopole model with a strong current sheet in the equatorial plane. Closer inspection reveals a system of isolated magnetic islands inside the sheet and ongoing magnetic reconnection. No regions of negative hydrodynamic ''energy at infinity'' are seen inside the ergosphere and the so-called MHD Penrose process does not operate. Yet, the rotational energy of the black hole continues to be extracted via purely electromagnetic mechanism of Blandford and Znajek(1977). However, this is not followed by development of strong relativistic outflows from the black hole. Combined with results of other recent simulations this signals a potential problem for the standard MHD model of relativistic astrophysical jets should they still be observed at distances as small as few tens of gravitational radii from the central black hole.

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arXiv2004

Electrodynamics of black hole magnetospheres

Numerical simulations combined with simple analytical arguments are used to reach a number of important conclusions on the nature of the Blandford-Znajek mechanism. We show that, just like in the Penrose mechanism and in the MHD models of Punsly and Coroniti, the key role in this mechanism is played by the black hole ergosphere. The poloidal currents are driven by the gravitationally induced electric field which cannot be screened within the ergosphere by any static distribution of the electric charge of locally created pair plasma. Contrary to what is expected in the Membrane paradigm, the energy and angular momentum are extracted not only along the magnetic field lines penetrating the event horizon but along all field lines penetrating the ergosphere. In dipolar magnetic configurations symmetric relative to the equatorial plane the force-free approximation breaks down within the ergosphere where a strong current sheet develops along the equatorial plane. This current sheet supplies energy and angular momentum at infinity to the surrounding force-free magnetosphere. The Blandford-Znajek monopole solution is found to be asymptotically stable and causal. The so-called horizon boundary condition of Znajek is shown to be a regularity condition at fast critical surface.

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arXiv2004

General relativistic MHD simulations of monopole magnetospheres of black holes

In this paper we report the results of the first ever time-dependent general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the magnetically dominated monopole magnetospheres of black holes. It is found that the numerical solution evolves towards a stable steady-state solution which is very close to the corresponding force-free solution found by Blandford and Znajek. Contrary to the recent claims, the particle inertia does not become dynamically important near the event horizon and the force-free approximation provides a proper framework for magnetically dominated magnetospheres of black holes. For the first time, our numerical simulations show the development of an ultra-relativistic particle wind from a rotating black hole. However, the flow remains Poynting dominated all the way up to the fast critical point. This suggests that the details of the so-called ``astrophysical load'', where the electromagnetic energy is transferred to particles, may have no effect on the efficiency of the Blandford-Znajek mechanism.

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arXiv2003

The origin of peculiar jet-torus structure in the Crab nebula

Recent discoveries of the intriguing ``jet-torus'' structure in the Crab Nebula and other pulsar nebulae prompted calls for re-examining of their theory. The most radical proposals involve abolishing of the MHD approximation altogether and developing of purely electromagnetic models. However, the classical MHD models of the Crab Nebula were hampered by the assumption of spherical symmetry made in order to render the flow equations easily integrable. The impressive progress in computational relativistic magnetohydrodynamics in recent years has made it possible to study the Crab nebula via numerical simulations without making such a drastic simplification of the problem. In this letter we present the results of the first study of such kind. They show that the jet-torus pattern can be explained within MHD approximation when anisotropy of pulsar winds is taken into account. They also indicate that the flow in the nebula is likely to be much more intricate than it has been widely believed.

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arXiv2002

On the nature of the Blandford-Znajek mechanism

It is widely accepted in the astrophysical community that the event horizon plays crucial role in the Blandford-Znajek mechanism of extraction of rotational energy of black holes. In fact, this view is a quintessence of the Membrane Paradigm of black holes which suggests that the event horizon, or rather the so-called stretched horizon, is similar to a rotating conducting sphere of finite resistivity. In this paper we argue that this interpretation is rather misleading and the proper explanation of the Blandford-Znajek mechanism has to be sought in the properties of the ergospheric region of black holes.

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arXiv2002

Limit shocks of relativistic magnetohydrodynamics, Punsly's waveguide and the Blandford-Znajek solution

In this paper we examine various issues closely related to the ongoing discussion on the nature of the Blandford-Znajek mechanism of extraction of rotational energy of black holes. In particular, we show that switch-on and switch-off shocks are allowed by the shock equations of relativistic MHD and have similar properties to their Newtonian counterparts. Just like in Newtonian MHD they are limits of fast and slow shock solutions and as such they may be classified as weakly evolutionary shocks. The analysis of Punsly's MHD waveguide problem shows that its solution cannot have the form of a traveling step wave and that both fast and Alfvén waves are essential for generating the flow in the guide. Causality considerations are used to argue that the Blandford-Znajek perturbative solution is in conflict with the membrane paradigm. An alternative interpretation is presented according to which the role of an effective unipolar inductor in the Blandford-Znajek mechanism is played by the ergospheric region of a rotating black hole. Various implications of this are discussed.

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arXiv2002

On the Properties of Time-Dependent, Force-Free, Degenerate Electrodynamics

This paper formulates time-dependent, force-free, degenerate electrodynamics as a hyperbolic system of conservation laws. It is shown that this system has four characteristic modes, a pair of fast waves propagating with the speed of light and a pair of Alfven waves. All these modes are linearly degenerate. The results of this analytic study can be used in developing upwind numerical schemes for the electrodynamics of black holes and pulsar magnetospheres. As an example, this paper describes a simple one-dimensional numerical scheme based on linear and exact Riemann solvers.

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arXiv1999

On the Inadmissibility of Non-evolutionary Shocks

In this paper we study the general relationship between the evolutionary conditions for discontinuous solutions of hyperbolic conservation laws with a concave entropy function and the existence and uniqueness of steady dissipative shock structure. Our results confirm the classical shock theory. We also show that the appearance of intermediate shocks in numerical MHD simulations can be understood in terms of the equations planar magnetohydrodynamics for which some of these shocks turn out to be evolutionary. Finally, we discuss ways in which numerical schemes can be modified in order to avoid the appearance of intermediate shocks in simulations with such symmetry.

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