Snapshot: Evolution of a magnetized torus differentially rotating around a static point mass

Evolution of a magnetized torus differentially rotating around a static point mass. [1] The torus gradually forms into an accretion disk with expanding filaments into the surrounding space due to magneto-rotational instabilities similar to the rich structure of the corona of our sun. The simulation was done with a new Discontinuous-Galerkin based MHD solver [2] in FLASH [3]. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show the log. scale density cross section in the x-y and x-z plane. Fig 3 highlights the rich structure of the magnetic field (white stream lines) overlayed on top of the log. scale magnetic pressure in the x-z plane.

 

[1] Machida, Mami, Mitsuru R. Hayashi, and R. Matsumoto.
“Global simulations of differentially rotating magnetized disks:
Formation of low-beta filaments and structured coronae.”
The Astrophysical Journal Letters 532.1 (2000): L67.
[2] Markert et al. “A Discontinuous Galerkin Method with Sub‑Cell Adaptive Shock Capturing for
FLASH” (in preparation)
[3] http://flash.uchicago.edu/