Résumé / Abstract Seminaire_IAP
« New insights into black hole accretion »

Chris Reynolds
Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland, Etats-Unis d'Amérique)

For almost the past 20 years, the paradigm for black hole accretion has highlighted the central role of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. However, only in recent years have high-resolution simulations started to explore the subtle nature of MHD turbulent disks. I will discuss results from a series of simulations focusing on geometrically-thin accretion disks. I shall focus on the dynamics of the disk and the transition to the plunging flow close to the black hole, and explain why the low density "corona" of the disk plays a previously unrecognized and important role in shaping the dynamics of the disk. I shall also present a study of the temporal properties of the accretion flow, focusing on some interesting aspects of the low temporal frequency variability.
vendredi 25 juin 2010 - 11:00
Salle des séminaires Évry Schatzman, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris
Page web du séminaire / Seminar's webpage