MAD UFOs: Magnetically Arrested Discs with persistent Ultra-Fast Outflows

Abstract

General-relativistic magneto-hydrodynamical (GRMHD) simulations of accreting black holes suggest that the accretion flows form toroidal structures embedded in a large scale component of magnetic field, which becomes organized on length-scales exceeding the gravitational radius of the central black hole. Magnetic field grows gradually until a Magnetically Arrested Disc (MAD) develops that diminishes or inhibits further accretion. We study an outflow that develops in the MAD state in 3D GRMHD simulations. We show that the outflow can be accelerated to relativistic velocities and persist over the course of our simulation. We compare the properties of the outflow from MAD discs with those launched by orbiting secondary at close orbit. The main difference is that the orbiting body launches a more coherent, quasiperiodic ultrafast outflow at lower velocities ($v<0.5c$) while the outflow launched in the MAD state (without the body) has a stochastic behaviour and has an approximately flat velocity distribution between lower and higher outflow velocities, $0.2c0.5c$.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, accepted to Proceedings of RAGtime 23-2