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Magnetic collimation of relativistic jets: the role of the black hole spin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2011

N. Globus
Affiliation:
LUTh, Observatoire de Paris, F-92190 Meudon, France email: noemie.globus@obspm.fr
C. Sauty
Affiliation:
LUTh, Observatoire de Paris, F-92190 Meudon, France email: noemie.globus@obspm.fr
V. Cayatte
Affiliation:
LUTh, Observatoire de Paris, F-92190 Meudon, France email: noemie.globus@obspm.fr
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Abstract

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An ideal engine for producing ultrarelativistic jets is a rapidly rotating black hole threaded by a magnetic field. Following the 3+1 decomposion of spacetime of Thorne et al. (1986), we use a local inertial frame of reference attached to an observer comoving with the frame-dragging of the Kerr black hole (ZAMO) to write the GRMHD equations. Assuming θ-self similarity, analytical solutions for jets can be found for which the streamline shape is calculated exactly. Calculating the total energy variation between a non polar streamline and the polar axis, we have extended to the Kerr metric the simple criterion for the magnetic collimation of jets developed by Sauty et al. (1999). We show that the black hole rotation induces a more efficient magnetic collimation of the jet.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

References

Sauty, C., Tsinganos, K. & Trussoni, E. 1999, A&A, 348, 327Google Scholar
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Thorne, K. S., Price, R. H. & McDonald, D. A. 1986, Black Holes: The Membrane Paradigm.Google Scholar