Abstract
We have studied numerically the so-called Bondi-Hoyle (wind) accretion onto a rotating black hole in general relativity. We have used the Kerr-Schild form of the Kerr metric, free of coordinate singularities at the black hole horizon. The ‘test-fluid’ approximation has been adopted, assuming no dynamical evolution of the gravitational field. We have used a formulation of the relativistic hydrodynamic equations which casts them into a first-order hyperbolic system of conservation laws. Our studies were performed using a Godunov-type scheme based on Marquina’s flux-formula.
We find that regardless of the value of the black hole spin the final accretion pattern is always stable, leading to constant accretion rates of mass and momentum. The flow is characterized by a strong tail shock which is increasingly wrapped around the central black hole as the hole angular momentum increases. The rotation induced asymmetry in the pressure field implies that besides the well known drag, the black hole will experience also a lift normal to the flow direction.
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Font, J.A., Ibáñez, J.M.A., Papadopoulos, P. (2001). Numerical Simulations of Relativistic Wind Accretion onto Black Holes Using Godunov-Type Methods. In: Toro, E.F. (eds) Godunov Methods. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0663-8_34
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0663-8_34
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