Flares in the Galactic Centre - I. Orbiting flux tubes in magnetically arrested black hole accretion discs

Recent observations of Sgr A* by the GRAVITY instrument have astrometrically tracked infrared (IR) flares at distances of similar to 10 gravitational radii (r(g)). In this paper, we study a model for the flares based on 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of magnetically arrested accretion discs (MADs) that exhibit violent episodes of flux escape from the black hole magnetosphere. These events are attractive for flare modelling for several reasons: (i) the magnetically dominant regions can resist being disrupted via magnetorotational turbulence and shear; (ii) the orientation of the magnetic field is predominantly vertical as suggested by the GRAVITY data; and (iii) the magnetic reconnection associated with the flux eruptions could yield a self-consistent means of particle heating/acceleration during the flare events. In this analysis, we track erupted flux bundles and provide distributions of sizes, energies, and plasma parameter. In our simulations, the orbits tend to circularize at a range of radii from similar to 5 to 40 r(g). The magnetic energy contained within the flux bundles ranges up to similar to 10(40) erg, enough to power IR and X-ray flares. We find that the motion within the magnetically supported flow is substantially sub-Keplerian, in tension with the inferred period-radius relation of the three GRAVITY flares.

Automated summary

Based on 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations, this study examines a model for magnetic flux eruptions from the black hole magnetosphere. The results suggest that the erupted flux bundles can power infrared and X-ray flares, and the motion within the magnetically supported flow is significantly sub-Keplerian.