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Title: Tilted Thick-Disk Accretion onto a Kerr Black Hole

Journal Article · · Astrophysical Journal
OSTI ID:15016039

We present the first results from fully general relativistic numerical studies of thick-disk accretion onto a rapidly-rotating (Kerr) black hole with a spin axis that is tilted (not aligned) with the angular momentum vector of the disk. We initialize the problem with the solution for an aligned, constant angular momentum, accreting thick disk around a black hole with spin a/M = J/M{sup 2} = +0.9 (prograde disk). The black hole is then instantaneously tilted, through a change in the metric, by an angle {beta}{sub 0}. In this Letter we report results with {beta}{sub 0} = 0, 15, and 30{sup o}. The disk is allowed to respond to the Lense-Thirring precession of the tilted black hole. We find that the disk settles into a quasi-static, twisted, warped configuration with Lense-Thirring precession dominating out to a radius analogous to the Bardeen-Petterson transition in tilted Keplerian disks.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
US Department of Energy (US)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
15016039
Report Number(s):
UCRL-JRNL-201456; ASJOAB; TRN: US200509%%755
Journal Information:
Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 623; Other Information: Publication date is April 10, 2005; PDF-FILE: 7 ; SIZE: 0.5 MBYTES; PBD: 12 Dec 2003; ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English