Plunging neutron stars as origin of organised magnetic field in galactic nuclei

0484602 - ASÚ 2018 RIV SK eng J - Journal Article
Karas, Vladimír - Kopáček, Ondřej - Kunneriath, D. - Zajaček, M. - Araudo, Anabella - Eckart, A. - Kovář, J.
Plunging neutron stars as origin of organised magnetic field in galactic nuclei.
Contributions of the Astronomical Observatory Skalnaté Pleso. Roč. 47, č. 2 (2017), s. 124-132. ISSN 1335-1842. E-ISSN 1336-0337
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA17-16287S; GA MŠMT LD15061
Grant - others:COST(XE) MP1304
Institutional support: RVO:67985815
Keywords : magnetic fields * neutron stars * galactic centre
OECD category: Astronomy (including astrophysics,space science)
Impact factor: 0.733, year: 2017

Black holes cannot support their own internal magnetic field like, for example, compact stars can. Despite this fact observations indicate that event horizons of supermassive black holes (SMBH) are threaded by field lines along which plasma streams flow. Various magnetohydrodynamical mechanisms have been suggested to generate turbulent magnetic fields on small scales, however, the origin of the large-scale component is unclear. In this write-up we describe our progress in an on-going work and discuss the possibility of dipole-type magnetic fields being brought onto SMBH by magnetised neutron stars, which are expected to drift inward from a hidden population in the Nuclear Star Cluster. This can contribute to an organised component of the magnetic field on the characteristic length-scale of the stellar size, which thread the horizon during the final stages of the magnetized star plunge into or its close flyby around SMBH. Because of mass size scaling relations for black holes, the effect is more important for lower-mass SMBH.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0279767