Work

Magnetically arrested minidisks around nonspinning binary black holes: The MAD scenario for circumbinary disk accretion

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We demonstrate the formation of magnetically arrested minidisks (MAM) around equal-mass, nonspinning binary black holes with magnetohydrodynamic simulations of circumbinary disk accretion in full $3+1$ general relativity. The initial separation of $d\ensuremath{\sim}30M$ allows the black holes to host large minidisks that suppress the total rest-mass accretion rate variability, which is modulated primarily at $\ensuremath{\sim}1.6{f}_{\mathrm{orb}}$. Each black hole horizon saturates with dimensionless magnetic flux $\ensuremath{\phi}\ensuremath{\sim}30$. Magnetic reconnection near the horizons drives recurrent eruptions, which are expected to drive flaring in the infrared and x-ray bands. Our results establish MAMs as a new outcome of circumbinary disk accretion, and a promising source of novel electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational waves from binary black holes.

Source: Physical review. D/Physical review. D.

DOI: 10.1103/g98b-m8m1

Authors: Vikram Manikantan, Vasileios Paschalidis

Institution: University of Arizona

Language: English

Topic: Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration