PIRSA:13030102

Getting the Most out of a Black Hole

Tchekhovskoy, A. (2013). Getting the Most out of a Black Hole. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/13030102

Tchekhovskoy, Alexander. Getting the Most out of a Black Hole. Perimeter Institute, Mar. 04, 2013, https://pirsa.org/13030102 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:13030102,
            doi = {10.48660/13030102},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/13030102},
            author = {Tchekhovskoy, Alexander},
            keywords = {Cosmology},
            language = {en},
            title = {Getting the Most out of a Black Hole},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2013},
            month = {mar},
            note = {PIRSA:13030102 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Alexander Tchekhovskoy Princeton University

DOI 10.48660/13030102
Collection
Talk Type Scientific Series
Subject

Abstract

As black holes accrete surrounding gas, they often produce relativistic, collimated outflows, or jets. Jets are expected to form in the black hole vicinity making them powerful probes of strong-field gravity. However, how jet properties are connected to black hole and accretion flow properties has been unclear. Recent progress in computer simulations of black hole accretion enables studies of jet formation in unprecedented detail. For the first time, 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulations allow one to determine the maximum efficiency with which accretion onto black holes can power relativistic jets. I will present the dependence of this maximum efficiency on black hole spin and discuss how this dependence allows one to probe strong-field gravity. In realistic astrophysical systems, the angular momentum vector of the accretion flow can be tilted relative to the spin of the black hole. I will present the first simulations of jets from such tilted accretion systems and discuss their observational signatures.