scholarly journals On magnetohydrodynamic turbulence and angular momentum transport in accretion disk boundary layers

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S294) ◽  
pp. 349-352
Author(s):  
Chi-kwan Chan ◽  
Martin E. Pessah
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Energy Density ◽  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Boundary Layers ◽  
Accretion Disk ◽  
Shear Viscosity ◽  
Momentum Transport ◽  
Turbulent Shear ◽  
Angular Momentum Transport

AbstractThe physical modeling of the accretion disk boundary layer, the region where the disk meets the surface of the accreting star, usually relies on the assumption that angular momentum transport is opposite to the radial angular frequency gradient of the disk. The standard model for turbulent shear viscosity, widely adopted in astrophysics, satisfies this assumption by construction. However, this behavior is not supported by numerical simulations of turbulent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) accretion disks, which show that angular momentum transport driven by the magnetorotational instability is inefficient in this inner disk region. I will discuss the results of a recent study on the generation of hydromagnetic stresses and energy density in the boundary layer around a weakly magnetized star. Our findings suggest that although magnetic energy density can be significantly amplified in this region, angular momentum transport is rather inefficient. This seems consistent with the results obtained in numerical simulations and suggests that the detailed structure of turbulent MHD boundary layers could differ appreciably from those derived within the standard framework of turbulent shear viscosity.

scholarly journals Angular momentum transport in accretion disks: a hydrodynamical perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 391-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Fromang ◽  
G. Lesur
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Accretion Disk ◽  
Accretion Disks ◽  
Dynamical Evolution ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Momentum Transport ◽  
Angular Momentum Transport ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Universe

The radial transport of angular momentum in accretion disk is a fundamental process in the universe. It governs the dynamical evolution of accretion disks and has implications for various issues ranging from the formation of planets to the growth of supermassive black holes. While the importance of magnetic fields for this problem has long been demonstrated, the existence of a source of transport solely hydrodynamical in nature has proven more difficult to establish and to quantify. In recent years, a combination of results coming from experiments, theoretical work and numerical simulations has dramatically improved our understanding of hydrodynamically mediated angular momentum transport in accretion disk. Here, based on these recent developments, we review the hydrodynamical processes that might contribute to transporting angular momentum radially in accretion disks and highlight the many questions that are still to be answered.

scholarly journals Impact of convection and resistivity on angular momentum transport in dwarf novae

2018 ◽  
Vol 609 ◽  
pp. A77 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Scepi ◽  
G. Lesur ◽  
G. Dubus ◽  
M. Flock
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Accretion Disk ◽  
White Dwarf ◽  
Momentum Transport ◽  
Simple Relationship ◽  
Dwarf Novae ◽  
Angular Momentum Transport ◽  
Viscous Instability ◽  
S Curve ◽  
The Impact

The eruptive cycles of dwarf novae are thought to be due to a thermal-viscous instability in the accretion disk surrounding the white dwarf. This model has long been known to imply enhanced angular momentum transport in the accretion disk during outburst. This is measured by the stress to pressure ratio α, with α ≈ 0.1 required in outburst compared to α ≈ 0.01 in quiescence. Such an enhancement in α has recently been observed in simulations of turbulent transport driven by the magneto-rotational instability (MRI) when convection is present, without requiring a net magnetic flux. We independently recover this result by carrying out PLUTO magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of vertically stratified, radiative, shearing boxes with the thermodynamics and opacities appropriate to dwarf novae. The results are robust against the choice of vertical boundary conditions. The thermal equilibrium solutions found by the simulations trace the well-known S-curve in the density-temperature plane that constitutes the core of the disk thermal-viscous instability model. We confirm that the high values of α ≈ 0.1 occur near the tip of the hot branch of the S-curve, where convection is active. However, we also present thermally stable simulations at lower temperatures that have standard values of α ≈ 0.03 despite the presence of vigorous convection. We find no simple relationship between α and the strength of the convection, as measured by the ratio of convective to radiative flux. The cold branch is only very weakly ionized so, in the second part of this work, we studied the impact of non-ideal MHD effects on transport. Ohmic dissipation is the dominant effect in the conditions of quiescent dwarf novae. We include resistivity in the simulations and find that the MRI-driven transport is quenched (α ≈ 0) below the critical density at which the magnetic Reynolds number Rm ≤ 104. This is problematic because the X-ray emission observed in quiescent systems requires ongoing accretion onto the white dwarf. We verify that these X-rays cannot self-sustain MRI-driven turbulence by photo-ionizing the disk and discuss possible solutions to the issue of accretion in quiescence.

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