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Electromagnetic Energy Extraction in Kerr Black Holes through Frame-Dragging Magnetospheres

Astrophysics of Galaxies 2024-10-22 v4 High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Abstract

It is argued that the zero-angular-momentum-observers (ZAMOs) circulating with the frame-dragging-angular-velocity ω\omega plays a leading part in energy extraction. When the condition ΩF<ΩH\Omega_{\rm F}<\Omega_{\rm H} is satisfied, where ΩH\Omega_{\rm H} and ΩF\Omega_{\rm F} are the horizon and field-line (FL) angular-velocities (AVs), they will see that the null surface SN_{\rm N} with ωN=ΩF\omega_{\rm N}=\Omega_{\rm F} always exists in the force-free magnetosphere. The pivotal ZAMO-measured FLAV ΩZFΩFω\Omega_{\rm ZF} \equiv \Omega_{\rm F} - \omega changes sign on this surface SN_{\rm N} where the force-free and freezing-in conditions break down. The force-free magnetosphere is divided on this surface, with particle-current sources on it. The outer domain D(out){D}_{\rm (out)} outside SN_{\rm N} spins forward (ΩZF>0\Omega_{\rm ZF}>0), whereas the inner domain D(in){D}_{\rm (in)} inside spins backward (ΩZF<0\Omega_{\rm ZF}<0). Because the electric field Ep{\bf E}_{\rm p} reverses direction there, the Poynting flux reverses direction as well from outward to inward, though the positive angular momentum always flows outwardly. Electromagnetic self-extraction of energy will be possible only through the frame-dragged magnetosphere, with the inner domain D(in){D}_{\rm (in)} nested between the horizon and the surface SN_{\rm N}, when ΩF<ΩH\Omega_{\rm F}<\Omega_{\rm H} is ensured by the 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2401.12684,
  title  = {Electromagnetic Energy Extraction in Kerr Black Holes through Frame-Dragging Magnetospheres},
  author = {Isao Okamoto and Toshio Uchida and Yoogeun Song},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2401.12684},
  year   = {2024}
}