Overview

Researchers at Tohoku University and Utsunomiya University have made a breakthrough in understanding the complex nature of turbulence in structures called “accretion disks” surrounding black holes, using state-of-the-art supercomputers such as RIKEN's "Fugaku" and NAOJ's "ATERUI II" to conduct the highest-resolution simulations to date. An accretion disk, as the name implies, is a disk-shaped gas that spirals inwards towards a central black hole.
The study was published in Science Advances on August 28, 2024. For more information, please read Press Release from Tohoku University. (August 29, 2024)

Figure 1: Artistic image of accretion disk turbulence. The inset is the magnetic field fluctuations computed by the simulation of this study. Credit: Yohei Kawazura
Download: [jpg (3.6 MB)]

Supercomputer used in this research

Some of the simulations in this study were carried out using the supercomputer ATERUI II (Cray XC50) at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. ATERUI II is operated at NAOJ Mizusawa Campus (Oshu, Iwate) with a theoretical peak performance of 3.087 Pflops. (Image Credit: NAOJ)

Publication Information

Title: "Inertial range of magnetorotational turbulence"
Authors: Yohei Kawazura and Shigeo S. Kimura
Journal: Science Advances
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp4965

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Related Links

Tohoku University: "Supercomputer Simulations Reveal the Nature of Turbulence in Black Hole Accretion Disks"