Physics of Pair Producing Gaps in Black Hole Magnetospheres

May 28, 2018
6 pages
Published in:
  • Astrophys.J.Lett. 863 (2018) 2, L31
  • Published: Aug 17, 2018
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Abstract: (IOP)
In some low-luminosity accreting supermassive black hole systems, the supply of plasma in the funnel region can be a problem. It is believed that a local region with an unscreened electric field can exist in the black hole magnetosphere, accelerating particles and producing high-energy gamma-rays that can create e ± pairs. We carry out time-dependent self-consistent 1D PIC simulations of this process, including inverse-Compton scattering and photon tracking. We find a highly time-dependent solution where a macroscopic gap opens quasi-periodically to create e ± pairs and high-energy radiation. If this gap is operating at the base of the jet in M87, we expect an intermittency on the order of a few r g /c, which coincides with the timescale of the observed TeV flares from the same object. For Sagittarius A* the gap electric field can potentially grow to change the global magnetospheric structure, which may explain the lack of a radio jet at the center of our galaxy.
Note:
  • 3 figures, submitted to ApJL
  • acceleration of particles
  • black hole physics
  • plasmas
  • radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
  • relativistic processes