Black Hole Accretion: The Effects of Magnetic Fields and Radiation

This project confronts the challenging problem: How do accreting black holes produce such extraordinary phenomena as high-energy radiation and relativistic jets? We shall address this problem by modelling astrophysical accretion in unprecedented detail using three-dimensional, high resolution simulations incorporating the relevant physical processes. We shall explicitly test our hypothesis that the combined effects of radiative cooling and magnetic fields, which have not been adequately modelled to date, play critical roles in determining the observational appearance of black hole sources. This significant and timely project will have a high impact since black hole accretion is responsible for the most powerful sources in the Universe.