Exploring the Dynamics of Tilted, Truncated Accretion Disks

Authors

• José L. Montés, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
• Chris Fragile, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
• Deepika Bollimpalli, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol, Indore, India
• Matthew Liska, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Abstract

Tilted accretion disks are theoretically not uncommon in stellar mass black hole systems. The dynamics of tilted disks display interesting physical behaviors that could explain certain observational phenomena such as quasi-periodic oscillations. We present results of recent numerical simulations of tilted, truncated accretion disks around rotating black holes. Our simulations model systems composed of a thick inner torus surrounded by a thin outer disk and were run with the goal of investigating the behaviors of the torus because of the exchange of angular momentum between it and the outer disk. Multiple simulations produced surprising results, such as the potential tearing of an accretion disk and the alignment of some tori with their black hole. Although we did not find the behavior we expected, these simulations exposed a rich set of potential physical outcomes that merit further investigation.

Recommended Citation

Montés, José L.; Fragile, Chris; Bollimpalli, Deepika; and Liska, Matthew (2026) "Exploring the Dynamics of Tilted, Truncated Accretion Disks," Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science: Vol. 24: Iss. 2, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/jscas/vol24/iss2/7