Talks

In this episode, we continue our exploration of Lie Groups and weight diagrams of their representations as a means of understanding the very specific field content and Gauge Groups of the Standard Model. Previously we presented a novel perspective of the Electroweak sector of the Standard Model as a shadow of 3 dimensional polytopes, which correspond to representations of a rank 3 group, and who's shadow corresponds to a specific embedding of the Electroweak Gauge Group. While interesting, we highlighted the theories inability to include colour as a simple extension, which motivated our search for higher rank unifying groups. Today, we present an algorithm for determining the Gauge quantum numbers of all SM chiral fermions from nothing but a projection of a 5 dimensional cube. We will discuss how previous unifications such as Georgi-Glashow, Pati-Salam, and others can be seen as different aspects of this rank 5 group and what conditions are used to fix the embedding corresponding to unbroken symmetries of the Standard Model. While our approach does violate common necessary conditions for Grand Unification, we use these difficulties to motivate our search for connections between the violation of spacetime symmetries such as Parity, and symmetry breaking in the Gauge sector.

Building on recent advancements in understanding particle transport in magnetized media, we present a first-principles scaling law for the formation of non-thermal tails in particle spectra within mildly and strongly magnetized turbulent plasmas. This scaling is validated using results from kinetic Particle-In-Cell simulations, which show excellent agreement with our theoretical predictions. Finally, we discuss the astrophysical implications of these findings, particularly for the proton spectra in the coronae of supermassive black holes.

It has been proposed recently that the breaking of MHD waves in the inner magnetosphere of strongly magnetized neutron stars can power different types of high-energy transients. We have studied the steepening and dissipation of a strongly magnetized fast magnetosonic wave propagating in a declining background magnetic field, by means of particle-in-cell simulations that encompass MHD scales. Our analysis confirms the formation of a monster shock as $B^2-E^2$ approaches zero, that dissipates about half of the fast magnetosonic wave energy, and reveals, for the first time, the generation of a high-frequency precursor wave at the monster shock, carrying a fraction of 0.001 of the total energy dissipated at the shock. The spectrum of the precursor wave exhibits several sharp harmonic peaks, with frequencies in the GHz band under conditions anticipated in magnetars. Such signals may appear as fast radio bursts.

Neutron star magnetospheres are a source of abundant X-ray activity. They have transients observed in different bands, like the fast radio burst (FRB) and associated hard X-ray flare from the Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154. We present global models for magnetar X-ray emission, including a landmark first-principle radiative particle-in-cell simulation of the twisted magnetar magnetosphere with the GPU-PIC code Entity. In one scenario, plasma particles accelerated by surface-motion-induced discharges interact resonantly with thermal background photons. Our GPU-accelerated particle-in-cell simulations track up-scattered high-energy photons that drive secondary pair production and ignite a magnetospheric circuit that persistently generates X-rays. We divulge the plasma properties of such a magnetospheric circuit, including densities and velocities, and give an outlook on alternative ignition scenarios for persistent magnetar X-ray emission.

Black hole X-ray binaries (BHXRBs) and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) transition through a series of accretion states in a well-defined order. The accretion states, each associated with different luminosities, spectral and variability characteristics, quasi periodic oscillations (QPOs) and outflow properties, are thought to be triggered by physical changes in the accretion disk around the central black hole.The mechanisms behind state transitions, the geometry of transitional disks and the physical mechanisms driving the emission characteristics we observe remain highly debated. General relativistic magneto-hydrodynamic simulations (GRMHD) are increasingly providing crucial insights into the accretion process, the launch of outflows and the physical processes driving state transitions in BHXRBs and AGN. Using GRMHD simulations conducted with the H-AMR code I: 1) Discuss how high and low-frequency QPOs can be produced by a highly tilted, geometrically thin accretion disk. 2) Present the first GRMHD simulation showing the self-consistent formation of a truncated accretion disk– a proposed disk model for the hard intermediate accretion state, in which the accretion flow is thick and hot close to the black hole, while the outer regions of the flow are thin and cool. 3) Describe how QPOs can be generated at the truncation radius (the radius at which the disk transitions from thick to thin) in a truncated accretion disk.

Fast magnetic dissipation powers the bursting activity of isolated neutron stars, merging neutron stars, and flares from black holes. Four mechanisms of fast dissipation can operate in the magnetospheres of compact objects: Alfvenic turbulent cascade, magnetic reconnection, collision of Alfvén waves, and monsters shocks. Radiation produced by these dissipation modes is controlled by the compactness parameter. The main radiative output is usually in X-rays; in some cases, radio bursts are produced.

Radio pulsars display a range of puzzling long-term variability in their magnetospheric emission and spin-down. In this talk I will discuss the mechanisms for internal magnetic field evolution of pulsars, how it differs from the MHD of classical conducting fluids, and how the neutron star interior couples to the magnetosphere and its radiation.

Numerical modeling of accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars (AMXPs) allows us to understand the physical origin of different observational signatures detected from these systems. Since the birth sites of these signals are strongly influenced by the gravitational potential of the star, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations in full GR (GRMHD) are essential to accurately capture space-time curvature effects and inherent variations in the X-ray spectra. In this talk, I will present results from 3D GRMHD simulations of accreting neutron stars with oblique magnetospheres. I will discuss the pulse profiles generated from the GRMHD simulations and their implications for mass-radius inference in the accreting sources. Apart from the surface features, AMXPs are also good candidates for studying neutron star jet formation mechanisms. Though there have been extensive investigations into black hole jets, neutron star jets remain highly unexplored. Our 2D axisymmetric study in the quiescent regime suggests that the thick disk collimates the initial open stellar flux, leading to jets like the Blandford-Znajek mechanism proposed for black holes. However, much remains to be done before we can draw a complete picture of jets launched from neutron stars. The global 3D GRMHD simulations of the accreting neutron stars allow us to explore the jet formation mechanisms in these systems in detail for the first time.