Steady Models of Optically Thin, Magnetically Supported Black Hole Accretion Disks

Abstract

We obtained steady solutions of optically thin, single temperature, magnetized black hole accretion disks assuming thermal bremsstrahlung cooling. Based on the results of 3D MHD simulations of accretion disks, we assumed that the magnetic fields inside the disk are turbulent and dominated by azimuthal component. We decomposed magnetic fields into an azimuthally averaged mean field and fluctuating fields. We also assumed that the azimuthally averaged Maxwell stress is proportional to the total pressure. The radial advection rate of the azimuthal magnetic flux $\dot \Phi$ is prescribed as being proportional to $\varpi^{- \zeta}$, where $\varpi$ is the radial coordinate and $\zeta$ is a parameter which parameterizes the radial variation of $\dot \Phi$. We found that when accretion rate $\dot M$ exceeds the threshold for the onset of the thermal instability, a magnetic pressure dominated new branch appears. Thus the thermal equilibrium curve of optically thin disk has a 'Z'-shape in the plane of surface density and temperature. This indicates that as the mass accretion rate increases, a gas pressure dominated optically thin hot accretion disk undergoes a transition to a magnetic pressure dominated, optically thin cool disk. This disk corresponds to the X-ray hard, luminous disk in black hole candidates observed during the transition from a low/hard state to a high/soft state. We also obtained global steady transonic solutions containing such a transition layer.