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arXiv · 2609.27326

Is accretion flow magnetically arrested in M87?

Yuao Ma·Xinwu Cao·Jia-Wen Li·Jianchao Feng·Qingwen Wu
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Abstract

It is still debating on whether the disc is magnetically arrested in M87. We assume that a weak external magnetic field is dragged inwards by the accretion disc, which is substantially enhanced to drive strong jets near the black hole horizon via Blandford-Znajek mechanism. The jet power of M87 has been well constrained with the observational data, while the accretion rate in the inner region of the accretion flow in M87 is estimated by fitting the multi-waveband continuum spectrum and the data of the Faraday rotation measurement, with which the surface density of the disc is derived. Our calculations show that, in order to produce the observed jet power $P_{\rm jet}=3.2\times 10^{43}~\rm erg~s^{-1}$, an external field with several hundred $μ\rm G$ at the outer edge of the disc is required to be amplified in the disc to hundreds G at the BH horizon, and the accretion flow in M87 must be magnetically arrested. A standard and normal evolution (SANE) disc is allowed in M87, only if the jet power is significantly lower than $\sim 1.75 \times 10^{43} \rm erg~ s^{-1}$,

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Yuao Ma, Xinwu Cao, Jia-Wen Li, Jianchao Feng, Qingwen Wu. 2026-09-23. Is accretion flow magnetically arrested in M87?. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.27326

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