Abstract
Self-gravitating relativistic disks around black holes can form as transient structures in a number of astrophysical scenarios such as binary neutron star and black hole-neutron star coalescences, as well as the core collapse of massive stars. We explore the stability of such disks against runaway and nonaxisymmetric instabilities using three-dimensional hydrodynamics simulations in full general relativity using the Thor code. We model the disk matter using the ideal fluid approximation with a Γ-law equation of state with Γ=4/3. We explore three disk models around nonrotating black holes with disk-to-black hole mass ratios of 0.24, 0.17, and 0.11. Because of metric blending in our initial data, all of our initial models contain an initial axisymmetric perturbation which induces radial disk oscillations. Despite these oscillations, our models do not develop the runaway instability during the first several orbital periods. Instead, all of the models develop unstable nonaxisymmetric modes on a dynamical time scale. We observe two distinct types of instabilities: the Papaloizou-Pringle and the so-called intermediate type instabilities. The development of the nonaxisymmetric mode with azimuthal number m=1 is accompanied by an outspiraling motion of the black hole, which significantly amplifies the growth rate of the m=1 mode in some cases. Overall, our simulations show that the properties of the unstable nonaxisymmetric modes in our disk models are qualitatively similar to those in the Newtonian theory.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 043007 |
| Journal | Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology |
| Volume | 83 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 18 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Cite this
Stability of general-relativistic accretion disks. / Korobkin, Oleg; Abdikamalov, Ernazar B.; Schnetter, Erik; Stergioulas, Nikolaos; Zink, Burkhard.
In: Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology, Vol. 83, No. 4, 043007, 18.02.2011.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Stability of general-relativistic accretion disks
AU - Korobkin, Oleg
AU - Abdikamalov, Ernazar B.
AU - Schnetter, Erik
AU - Stergioulas, Nikolaos
AU - Zink, Burkhard
PY - 2011/2/18
Y1 - 2011/2/18
N2 - Self-gravitating relativistic disks around black holes can form as transient structures in a number of astrophysical scenarios such as binary neutron star and black hole-neutron star coalescences, as well as the core collapse of massive stars. We explore the stability of such disks against runaway and nonaxisymmetric instabilities using three-dimensional hydrodynamics simulations in full general relativity using the Thor code. We model the disk matter using the ideal fluid approximation with a Γ-law equation of state with Γ=4/3. We explore three disk models around nonrotating black holes with disk-to-black hole mass ratios of 0.24, 0.17, and 0.11. Because of metric blending in our initial data, all of our initial models contain an initial axisymmetric perturbation which induces radial disk oscillations. Despite these oscillations, our models do not develop the runaway instability during the first several orbital periods. Instead, all of the models develop unstable nonaxisymmetric modes on a dynamical time scale. We observe two distinct types of instabilities: the Papaloizou-Pringle and the so-called intermediate type instabilities. The development of the nonaxisymmetric mode with azimuthal number m=1 is accompanied by an outspiraling motion of the black hole, which significantly amplifies the growth rate of the m=1 mode in some cases. Overall, our simulations show that the properties of the unstable nonaxisymmetric modes in our disk models are qualitatively similar to those in the Newtonian theory.
AB - Self-gravitating relativistic disks around black holes can form as transient structures in a number of astrophysical scenarios such as binary neutron star and black hole-neutron star coalescences, as well as the core collapse of massive stars. We explore the stability of such disks against runaway and nonaxisymmetric instabilities using three-dimensional hydrodynamics simulations in full general relativity using the Thor code. We model the disk matter using the ideal fluid approximation with a Γ-law equation of state with Γ=4/3. We explore three disk models around nonrotating black holes with disk-to-black hole mass ratios of 0.24, 0.17, and 0.11. Because of metric blending in our initial data, all of our initial models contain an initial axisymmetric perturbation which induces radial disk oscillations. Despite these oscillations, our models do not develop the runaway instability during the first several orbital periods. Instead, all of the models develop unstable nonaxisymmetric modes on a dynamical time scale. We observe two distinct types of instabilities: the Papaloizou-Pringle and the so-called intermediate type instabilities. The development of the nonaxisymmetric mode with azimuthal number m=1 is accompanied by an outspiraling motion of the black hole, which significantly amplifies the growth rate of the m=1 mode in some cases. Overall, our simulations show that the properties of the unstable nonaxisymmetric modes in our disk models are qualitatively similar to those in the Newtonian theory.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79952227722&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevD.83.043007
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevD.83.043007
M3 - Article
VL - 83
JO - Physical review D: Particles and fields
JF - Physical review D: Particles and fields
SN - 1550-7998
IS - 4
M1 - 043007
ER -