MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATIONS OF BLACK HOLE ACCRETION
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Abstract
Black holes embody one of the few, simple, solutions to the Einstein
field equations that describe our modern understanding of
gravitation. In isolation they are small, dark, and elusive. However,
when a gas cloud or star wanders too close, they light up our universe
in a way no other cosmic object can. The processes of
magnetohydrodynamics which describe the accretion inflow and outflows
of plasma around black holes are highly coupled and nonlinear and so
require numerical experiments for elucidation. These processes are at
the heart of astrophysics since black holes, once they somehow reach
super-massive status, influence the evolution of the largest
structures in the universe. It has been my goal, with the body of work
comprising this thesis, to explore the ways in which the influence of
black holes on their surroundings differs from the predictions of
standard accretion models. I have especially focused on how
magnetization of the greater black hole environment can impact
accretion systems.