First-principles Measurement of Ion and Electron Energization in Collisionless Accretion Flows
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Authors
Gorbunov, E.A
Bacchini, F.
Zhdankin, V.
Werner, G.R.
Begelman, M.C.
Uzdensky, D.A.
Discipline
Physical sciences
Subject
Accretion
Astronomical simulations
Supermassive black holes
Plasma astrophysics
Plasma physics
Audience
Scientific
Date
2025Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
We present the largest 3D particle-in-cell shearing-box simulations of turbulence driven by the magnetorotational instability, for the first time employing the realistic proton-to-electron mass ratio. We investigate the energy partition between relativistically hot electrons and subrelativistic ions in turbulent accreting plasma, a regime relevant to collisionless, radiatively inefficient accretion flows around supermassive black holes such as those targeted by the Event Horizon Telescope. We provide a simple empirical formula to describe the measured heating ratio between ions and electrons, which can be used for more accurate global modeling of accretion flows with standard fluid approaches such as general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics.
Citation
Gorbunov, E.A; Bacchini, F.; Zhdankin, V.; Werner, G.R.; Begelman, M.C.; Uzdensky, D.A. (2025). First-principles Measurement of Ion and Electron Energization in Collisionless Accretion Flows. , The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 982, Issue 1, L28, DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/adbca4.Identifiers
url:
Type
Article
Peer-Review
Yes
Language
eng