Scientists at Tohoku University and Utsunomiya University have made significant progress in understanding the complex nature of turbulence in accretion disks surrounding black holes. By using advanced supercomputers such as RIKEN's "Fugaku" and NAOJ's "ATERUI II," they simulated the highest resolution of these disks, providing new insights into these complex phenomena. Accretion disks, which form from gas and dust spiraling in towards a black hole, emit electromagnetic radiation, allowing telescopes to indirectly observe these objects.

The simulations conducted by the scientists covered what is known as the inertial range, which had not been observed in earlier studies due to a lack of computational resources. This range connects large and small vortices within accretion disks, providing a better understanding of how material moves towards a black hole. A key advancement in the research was the identification of "slow magnetosonic waves" that dominate this range. These low-frequency waves cause selective heating of ions within the disks, which is crucial for understanding the interactions between electromagnetic fields and charged particles.

For astrophysicists, these results represent a significant leap in explaining the accretion process - where material from the disk is gravitationally pulled towards the black hole. Until now, simulations have failed to accurately depict these phenomena due to limitations in computational power. However, for the first time, it is now possible to model these phenomena with high precision, allowing for a better understanding of turbulence within accretion disks and their effects on black holes.

These new discoveries are also important for improving the interpretation of data from telescopes such as Event Horizon, which studies regions around black holes. Scientists believe that the results will aid in interpreting data on electromagnetic radiation coming from these areas, as well as in further exploring the nature of black holes.

Black holes have long fascinated scientists, and this new advancement provides a better understanding of their dynamics. Although we cannot observe them directly, studies of accretion disks open a window into understanding how black holes affect their surroundings and how material within disks emits energy before it disappears forever into the black hole.

This research was published in the journal Science Advances on August 28, 2024, and is expected to significantly contribute to future studies on black holes and their impact on surrounding cosmic processes.

Source: Tohoku University