arXiv subjects

Wolfgang J. Duschl

Publications and source records attributed to Wolfgang J. Duschl.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

Closing the gap to convergence of gravitoturbulence in local simulations

Aims. Our goal is to find a converged cooling limit for fragmentation in self-gravitating disks. This is especially interesting for the formation of planets, brown dwarfs or stars and the growth of black holes. While investigating the limit, we want to give a clear criterion for the state of convergence. Methods. We run two-dimensional shearingsheet simulations with the hydrodynamic package Fosite at high resolutions. Thereby resolution and limiters are altered. Subsequently, we investigate the spectra of important physical quantities at the length scales where fragmentation occurs. In order to avoid prompt fragmentation at high resolutions we start these simulations with a fully developed gravitoturbulent state obtained at a lower resolution. Results. We show nearly converged results for fragmentation with a critical cooling timescale $t_{\mathrm{crit}} \sim 10\,Ω^{-1}$ . We can backtrace this claim by investigating the spectra of relevant physical variables at length scales around and below the pressure scale height. We argue that well behaved results cannot be expected if counteracting quantities are varying too much on these critical length scales, either by change of resolution or numerical method. A comparison of fragmentation behaviour with the related spectra reveals that simulations behave similar, if the spectra are converged to the length scales where self-gravity leads to instabilities. Observable deviations in the results obtained with different numerical setup are confined to scales below these critical length scales.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

Multi-scale simulations of black hole accretion in barred galaxies: Self-gravitating disk models

Due to the non-axisymmetric potential of the central bar, barred spiral galaxies form, in addition to their characteristic arms and bar, a variety of structures within the thin gas disk, like nuclear rings, inner spirals and dust-lanes. These structures in the inner kiloparsec are most important to explain and understand the rate of black hole feeding. The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of stellar bars in spiral galaxies on the thin self-gravitating gas disk. We focus on the accretion of gas onto the central supermassive black hole and its time-dependent evolution. We conduct multi-scale simulations simultaneously resolving the galactic disk and the accretion disk around the central black-hole. We vary in all simulations the initial gas disk mass. As additional parameter we choose either the gas temperature for isothermal simulations or the cooling timescale in case of non-isothermal simulations. Accretion is either driven by a gravitationally unstable or clumpy accretion disk or by energy dissipation in strong shocks. Most simulations show a strong dependence of the accretion rate at the outer boundary of the central accretion disk ($r< 300~\mathrm{pc}$) on the gas flow at kiloparsec scales. The final black hole masses reach up to $\sim 10^9 M_\odot$ after $1.6~\mathrm{Gyr}$. Our models show the expected influence of the Eddington limit and a decline in growth rate at the corresponding sub-Eddington limit.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

Multi-scale simulations of black hole accretion in barred galaxies: Numerical methods and tests

Due to the non-axisymmetric potential of the central bar, barred spiral galaxies form, in addition to their characteristic arms and bar, a variety of structures within the thin gas disk, like nuclear rings, inner spirals and dust-lanes. In this first of two papers, we present a method to accurately simulate the gas flow within the galactic plane in the 2D finite volume software package FOSITE, which solves the transport equations for mass, momentum and energy, and apply it to this class of objects. To this extent, we introduced a new transport scheme for angular momentum and a very efficient pseudo-spectral Poisson solver. Moreover, we provide a simple and generally applicable method of how to take care of gravity in the energy equation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Self-similar solutions to isothermal shock problems

We investigate exact solutions for isothermal shock problems in different one-dimensional geometries. These solutions are given as analytical expressions if possible, or are computed using standard numerical methods for solving ordinary differential equations. We test the numerical solutions against the analytical expressions to verify the correctness of all numerical algorithms. We use similarity methods to derive a system of ordinary differential equations (ODE) yielding exact solutions for power law density distributions as initial conditions. Further, the system of ODEs accounts for implosion problems (IP) as well as explosion problems (EP) by changing the initial or boundary conditions, respectively. Taking genuinely isothermal approximations into account leads to additional insights of EPs in contrast to earlier models. We neglect a constant initial energy contribution but introduce a parameter to adjust the initial mass distribution of the system. Moreover, we show that due to this parameter a constant initial density is not allowed for isothermal EPs. Reasonable restrictions for this parameter are given. Both, the (genuinely) isothermal implosion as well as the explosion problem are solved for the first time.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2017

The impact of numerical oversteepening on the fragmentation boundary in self-gravitating disks

Context. It is still an open issue whether a self-gravitating accretion disk fragments. There are many different physical and numerical explanations for fragmentation, but simulations often show a non-convergent behavior for ever better resolution. Aims. We investigate the influence of different numerical limiters in Godunov type schemes on the fragmentation boundary in self- gravitating disks. Methods. We compare the linear and non-linear outcome in two-dimensional shearingsheet simulations using the VANLEER and the SUPERBEE limiter. Results. We show that choosing inappropriate limiting functions to handle shock-capturing in Godunov type schemes can lead to an overestimation of the surface density in regions with shallow density gradients. The effect amplifies itself on timescales comparable to the dynamical timescale even at high resolutions. This is exactly the environment, where clumps are expected to form. The effect is present without, but scaled up by, self-gravity and also does not depend on cooling. Moreover it can be backtracked to a well known effect called oversteepening. If the effect is also observed in the linear case, the fragmentation limit is shifted to larger values of the critical cooling timescale.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2016

Viscous time lags between starburst and AGN activity

There is strong observational evidence indicating a time lag of order of some 100 Myr between the onset of starburst and AGN activity in galaxies. Dynamical time lags have been invoked to explain this. We extend this approach by introducing a viscous time lag the gas additionally needs to flow through the AGN's accretion disc before it reaches the central black hole. Our calculations reproduce the observed time lags and are in accordance with the observed correlation between black hole mass and stellar velocity dispersion.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Stellar and Black Hole Mass Densities as Empirical Tracers of Co-evolution Show Lock-step Growth since $z{\sim}3$

At redshifts beyond $z{\sim}1$ measuring the black hole galaxy relations proves to be a difficult task. The bright light of the AGN aggravates deconvolution of black hole and galaxy properties. On the other hand high redshift data on these relations is vital to understand in what ways galaxies and black holes co-evolve and in what ways they don't. In this work we use black hole (BHMDs) and stellar mass densities (SMDs) to constrain the possible co-evolution of black holes with their host galaxies since $z{\sim}5$. The BHMDs are calculated from quasar luminosity functions (QLF) using the Soltan argument, while we use integrals over stellar mass functions (SMFs) or the star formation rate density to obtain values for the stellar mass density. We find that both quantities grow in lock-step below redshifts of $z{\sim}3$ with a non-evolving BHMD to SMD ratio. A fit to the data assuming a power law relation between the BHMD and the SMD yields exponents around unity ($1.0{-}1.5$). Up to $z{\sim}5$ the BHMD to SMD ratio doesn't show a strong evolution given the larger uncertainty in the completeness of high-redshift datasets. Our results, always applying the same analysis technique, seem to be consistent across all adopted data sets.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

The inner cavity of the circumnuclear disc

The circumnuclear disc (CND) orbiting the Galaxy's central black hole is a reservoir of material that can ultimately provide energy through accretion, or form stars in the presence of the black hole, as evidenced by the stellar cluster that is presently located at the CND's centre. In this paper, we report the results of a computational study of the dynamics of the CND. The results lead us to question two paradigms that are prevalent in previous research on the Galactic Centre. The first is that the disc's inner cavity is maintained by the interaction of the central stellar cluster's strong winds with the disc's inner rim, and second, that the presence of unstable clumps in the disc implies that the CND is a transient feature. Our simulations show that, in the absence of a magnetic field, the interaction of the wind with the inner disc rim actually leads to a filling of the inner cavity within a few orbital time-scales, contrary to previous expectations. However, including the effects of magnetic fields stabilizes the inner disc rim against rapid inward migration. Furthermore, this interaction causes instabilities that continuously create clumps that are individually unstable against tidal shearing. Thus the occurrence of such unstable clumps does not necessarily mean that the disc is itself a transient phenomenon. The next steps in this investigation are to explore the effect of the magnetorotational instability on the disc evolution and to test whether the results presented here persist for longer time-scales than those considered here.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

Resolving vortices with an isothermal HLLC Riemann solver

The importance of contact discontinuities in 2D isothermal flows has rarely been discussed, since most Riemann solvers are derived for 1D Euler equations. We present a new contact resolving approximate Riemann solver for the isothermal Euler equations and show its performance for several one- and two-dimensional test problems. The new solver extends the well-known HLL solver, while retaining its computational simplicity. The significant gain in resolution of vortices is displayed by a simulation of the Kármán vortex street. We discuss the loss of Galilean invariance and its implications for the resolution of contact discontinuities, which is experienced by all modern numerical schemes for hydrodynamics in non-moving grids.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2015

Self-similar Evolution of Self-Gravitating Viscous Accretion Discs

A new one-dimensional, dynamical model is proposed for geometrically thin, self-gravitating viscous accretion discs. The vertically integrated equations are simplified using the slow accretion limit and the monopole approximation with a time-dependent central point mass to account for self-gravity and accretion. It is shown that the system of partial differential equations can be reduced to a single non-linear advection diffusion equation which describes the time evolution of angular velocity. In order to solve the equation three different turbulent viscosity prescriptions are considered. It is shown that for these parametrizations the differential equation allows for similarity transformations depending only on a single non-dimensional parameter. A detailed analysis of the similarity solutions reveals that this parameter is the initial power law exponent of the angular velocity distribution at large radii. The radial dependence of the self-similar solutions is in most cases given by broken power laws. At small radii the rotation law always becomes Keplerian with respect to the current central point mass. In the outer regions the power law exponent of the rotation law deviates from the Keplerian value and approaches asymptotically the value determined by the initial condition. It is shown that accretion discs with flatter rotation laws at large radii yield higher accretion rates. The methods are applied to self-gravitating accretion discs in active galactic nuclei. Fully self-gravitating discs are found to evolve faster than nearly Keplerian discs. The implications on supermassive black hole formation and Quasar evolution are discussed.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2013

Dust in the polar region as a major contributor to the IR emission of AGN

(abridged) It is generally assumed that the distribution of dust on parsec scales forms a geometrically- and optically-thick entity in the equatorial plane around the accretion disk and broad-line region - dubbed "dust torus" - that emits the bulk of the sub-arcsecond-scale IR emission and gives rise to orientation-dependent obscuration. Here we report detailed interferometry observations of the unobscured (type 1) AGN in NGC 3783 that allow us to constrain the size, elongation, and direction of the mid-IR emission with high accuracy. The mid-IR emission is characterized by a strong elongation toward position angle PA -52 deg, closely aligned with the polar axis (PA -45 deg). We determine half-light radii along the major and minor axes at 12.5 μm of (4.23 +/- 0.63) pc x (1.42 +/- 0.21) pc, which corresponds to intrinsically-scaled sizes of (69.4 +/- 10.8) rin x (23.3 +/- 3.5) rin for the inner dust radius of rin = 0.061 pc as inferred from near-IR reverberation mapping. This implies an axis ratio of 3:1, with about 60-90% of the 8-13 μm emission associated with the polar-elongated component. These observations are difficult to reconcile with the standard interpretation that most of the parsec-scale mid-IR emission in AGN originates from the torus and challenges the justification of using simple torus models to model the broad-band IR emission. It is quite likely that the hot-dust emission in NGC 3783 as recently resolved by near-IR interferometry is misaligned with the mid-IR emitting source, which also finds a correspondence in the two distinct 3-5 μm and 20 μm bumps seen in the high-angular resolution spectral energy distribution (SED). We conclude that these observations support a scenario where the majority of the mid-IR emission in Seyfert AGN originates from a dusty wind in the polar region of the AGN.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Mass flow rates in and outflow rates from AGN accretion discs

We derive analytical expressions for the mass flow rates in and from accretion discs, taking into account the Eddington limit. This allows us to connect the basic properties of outflows with those of the accretion flow. As an example, we derive the radial surface density distribution in the accretion disc of Mrk 231.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2009

Dark matter dominated dwarf disc galaxy Segue 1

Several observations reveal that dwarf galaxy Segue 1 has a dark matter (DM) halo at least ~ 200 times more massive than its visible baryon mass of only ~ 103 solar masses. The baryon mass is dominated by stars with perhaps an interstellar gas mass of < 13 solar masses. Regarding Segue 1 as a dwarf disc galaxy by its morphological appearance of long stretch, we invoke the dynamic model of Xiang-Gruess, Lou & Duschl (XLD) to estimate its physical parameters for possible equilibria with and without an isopedically magnetized gas disc. We estimate the range of DM mass and compare it with available observational inferences. Due to the relatively high stellar velocity dispersion compared to the stellar surface mass density, we find that a massive DM halo would be necessary to sustain disc equilibria. The required DM halo mass agrees grossly with observational inferences so far. For an isopedic magnetic field in a gas disc, the ratio f between the DM and baryon potentials depends strongly on the magnetic field strength. Therefore, a massive DM halo is needed to counteract either the strong stellar velocity dispersion and rotation of the stellar disc or the magnetic Lorentz force in the gas disc. By the radial force balances, the DM halo mass increases for faster disc rotation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2009

Turbulent viscosity by convection in accretion discs - a self-consistent approach

The source of viscosity in astrophysical accretion flows is still a hotly debated issue. We investigate the contribution of convective turbulence to the total viscosity in a self-consistent approach, where the strength of convection is determined from the vertical disc structure itself. Additional sources of viscosity are parametrized by a beta-viscosity prescription, which also allows an investigation of self-gravitating effects. In the context of accretion discs around stellar mass and intermediate mass black holes, we conclude that convection alone cannot account for the total viscosity in the disc, but significantly adds to it. For accretion rates up to 10% of the Eddington rate, we find that differential rotation provides a sufficiently large underlying viscosity. For higher accretion rates, further support is needed in the inner disc region, which can be provided by an MRI-induced viscosity. We briefly discuss the interplay of MRI, convection and differential rotation. We conduct a detailed parameter study of the effects of central masses and accretion rates on the disc models and find that the threshold value of the supporting viscosity is determined mostly by the Eddington ratio with only little influence from the central black hole mass.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2008

Mid-infrared imaging of 25 local AGN with VLT-VISIR

Aims. High angular resolution N-band imaging is used to discern the torus of active galactic nuclei (AGN) from its environment in order to allow a comparison of its mid-infrared properties to the expectations of the unified scenario for AGN. Methods. We present VLT-VISIR images of 25 low-redshift AGN of different Seyfert types, as well as N-band SEDs of 20 of them. In addition, we compare our results for 19 of them to Spitzer IRS spectra. Results. We find that at a resolution of ~ 0.35", all the nuclei of our observed sources are point-like, except for 2 objects whose extension is likely of instrumental origin. For 3 objects, however, we observed additional extended circumnuclear emission, even though our observational strategy was not designed to detect it. Comparison of the VISIR photometry and Spitzer spectrophotometry indicates that the latter is affected by extended emission in at least 7 out of 19 objects and the level of contamination is (0.20 ~ 0.85) * F_IRS. In particular, the 10 um silicate emission feature seen in the Spitzer spectra of 6 type I AGN, possibly 1 type II AGN and 2 LINERs, also probably originates not solely in the torus but also in extended regions. Conclusions. Our results generally agree with the expectations from the unified scenario, while the relative weakness of the silicate feature supports clumpy torus models. Our VISIR data indicate that, for low-redshift AGN, a large fraction of Spitzer IRS spectra are contaminated by extended emission close to the AGN.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2008

Two-Dimensional Central-Upwind Schemes for Curvilinear Grids and Application to Gas Dynamics with Angular Momentum

In this work we present new second order semi-discrete central schemes for systems of hyperbolic conservation laws on curvilinear grids. Our methods generalise the two-dimensional central-upwind schemes developed by Kurganov and Tadmor. In these schemes we account for area and volume changes in the numerical flux functions due to the non-cartesian geometries. In case of vectorial conservation laws we introduce a general prescription of the geometrical source terms valid for various orthogonal curvilinear coordinate systems. The methods are applied to the two-dimensional Euler equations of inviscid gas dynamics with and without angular momentum transport. In the latter case we introduce a new test problem to examine the detailed conservation of specific angular momentum.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2007

VLTI/MIDI Observations of the Massive Protostellar Candidate NGC 3603 IRS 9A

We used MIDI, the mid-infrared interferometric instrument of the VLTI, to observe the massive protostellar candidate IRS 9A, located at a distance of about 7 kpc at the periphery of the NGC 3603 star cluster. Our ongoing analysis shows that MIDI almost fully resolves the object on all observed baselines, yet below 9 $μ$m we detect a steep rise of the visibility. This feature is modelled as a combination of a compact hot component and a resolved warm envelope which lowers the correlated flux at longer wavelengths. The extended envelope can already be seen in both MIDI's acquisition images and in complementary data from aperture masking observations at the Gemini South telescope. Its shape is asymmetric, which could indicate a circumstellar disk inclined against the line of sight. The compact component is possibly related to the inner edge of this (accretion) disk. The uncorrelated mid-infrared spectrum appears featureless and could be caused by optically thick emission without a significant contribution from the disk atmosphere.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

The mid IR -- hard X-ray correlation in AGN and its implications for dusty torus models

Context: We investigate mid-infrared and X-ray properties of the dusty torus invoked in the unification scenario for active galactic nuclei. Aims: We use the relation between mid IR and hard X-ray luminosities to constrain the geometry and physical state of the dusty torus. Methods: We present new VISIR observations of 17 nearby AGN and combine these with our earlier VISIR sample of 8 Seyfert galaxies. Combining these observations with X-ray data from the literature we study the correlation between their mid IR and hard X-ray luminosities. Results: A statistically highly significant correlation between the rest frame 12.3 mircon (L_MIR) and 2-10 keV (L_X) luminosities is found. Furthermore, with a probability of 97%, we find that Sy 1 and Sy 2 have the same distribution of L_MIR over L_X. Conclusions: The high resolution of our MIR imaging allows us to exclude any significant non-torus contribution to the AGN mid IR continuum,thereby implying that the similarity in the L_MIR / L_X ratio between Sy 1s and Sy 2s is intrinsic to AGN. We argue that this is best explained by clumpy torus models. The slope of the correlation is in good agreement with the expectations from the unified scenario and indicates little to no change of the torus geometry with luminosity. In addition, we demonstrate that the high angular resolution is crucial for AGN studies in the IR regime.

astro-ph↗