The Influence of Magnetic Field Geometry on the Evolution of Black Hole Accretion Flows: Similar Disks, Drastically Different Jets

Abstract

Because the magnetorotational instability is capable of exponentially amplifying weak pre-existing magnetic fields, it might be hoped that the character of the magnetic field in accretion disks would be independent of the nature of the seed field. However, the divergence-free nature of magnetic fields in highly conducting fluids ensures that their large-scale topology is preserved, no matter how greatly the field intensity is changed. By performing global two- and three-dimensional general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic disk simulations with several different topologies for the initial magnetic field, we explore the degree to which the character of the flows around black holes depends on the initial topology. We find that while the qualitative properties of the accretion flow are nearly independent of field topology, jet launching is very sensitive to it; a sense of vertical field consistent for at least an inner disk inflow time is essential to the support of strong jets.