Simulations of Black Hole Accretion and Jets

Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 4:00pm to 5:00pm

Space Sciences Building, 105

Recent progress in computer simulations of black hole accretion allows studies of jet formation in active galactic nuclei and other black hole accretion systems in unprecedented detail. For the first time, 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) numerical simulations allowed determination of the maximum efficiency with which radiatively inefficient accretion onto black holes can produce energy in the form of relativistic jets and winds. I will present the dependence of this maximum efficiency on black hole spin and accretion disk thickness and discuss the astrophysical implications.