Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of St Andrews, May 2007.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-144).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (University of Texas Digital Repository, viewed on Sept. 9, 2009). Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Cette thèse est dédiée aux processus de transport de moment cinétique et de flux magnétique dans les disques faiblement magnétisés et faiblement ionisés ; l’influence des effets microphysiques sur la dynamique du disque à grande échelle y est centrale. Dans un premier temps, j’exclue les effets de stratification et j’examine l’impact des effets MHD non-idéaux sur la turbulence dans le plan du disque. Je montre que l’écoulement peut spontanément s’organiser si la fraction d’ionisation est assez faible ; dans ce cas, l’accrétion est stoppée, et le disque exhibe des anneaux axisymétriques susceptibles d’affecter la formation planétaire. Dans un second temps, je caractérise l’interaction du disque avec un vent magnétisé via un modèle global de disque stratifié. Ce modèle est le premier à décrire globalement les effets MHD non-idéaux d’après un réseau chimique simplifié. Il révèle que le disque est essentiellement non-turbulent, et que le champ magnétique peut adopter différentes configurations globales, affectant drastiquement les processus de transport. Un nouveau processus d’auto-organisation est identifié, produisant aussi des structures axisymétriques, tandis que le précédent est invalidé par l’action du vent. Les propriétés des vents magnéto-thermiques sont examinées pour différentes magnétisations, permettant de discriminer les vents magnétisés des vents photo-évaporés par leur efficacité d’éjection. / This thesis is devoted to the transport of angular momentum and magnetic flux through weakly ionized and weakly magnetized accretion disks ; the role of microphysical effects on the large- scale dynamics of the disk is of primary importance. As a first step, I exclude stratification effects and examine the impact of non-ideal MHD effects on the turbulent properties near the disk midplane. I show that the flow can spontaneously organize itself if the ionization fraction is low enough ; in this case, accretion is halted and the disk exhibits axisymmetric structures, with possible consequences on planetary formation. As a second step, I study the disk-wind interaction via a global model of stratified disk. This model is the first to compute non-ideal MHD effects from a simplified chemical network in a global geometry. It reveals that the flow is essentially laminar, and that the magnetic field can adopt different global configurations, drastically affecting the transport processes. A new self-organization process is identified, also leading to the formation of axisymmetric structures, whereas the previous mechanism is discarded by the action of the wind. The properties of magneto-thermal winds are examined for various magnetizations, allowing discrimination between magnetized and photo-evaporative winds based upon their ejection efficiency.

Le champ magnétique vertical joue un rôle prépondérant dans la dynamique des disques d'accrétion. L'émission de jet par un disque ainsi que la turbulence qu'on suppose y exister sont tous deux fortement contraints par l'intensité de ce champ vertical. Ce champ évolue lui même suivant les mécanismes d'advection par la matière et de diffusion par la turbulence. Depuis plus de vingt ans, la question de l'évolution d'un tel champ dans un disque fait l'objet de nombreuses études, mais une modélisation globale de disque prenant en compte tous ces ingrédients n'avait encore jamais été réalisée. Je propose ici un modèle, considérant le transport d'un champ magnétique vertical par le disque, mais également la rétroaction de ce champ sur la dynamique du disque. Une résolution analytique de configurations homogènes est réalisée. Elle confirme les résultats des études précédentes, à savoir qu'en l'état actuel des connaissances des processus de transport, un disque turbulent ne peut advecter significativement le champ vertical pour permettre l'émission d'un jet. Elle met cependant en avant une configuration nouvelle de disque, mixte, dans laquelle les conditions d'éjection sont réunies non pas à l'intérieur du disque mais dans ses régions externes. La stabilité des configurations homogènes calculée a été réalisée, et de nouvelles instabilités sont mises en avant. L'effectivité de ces instabilités dépend des dépendances fonctionnelles employées pour quantifier la dynamique du disque. Une caractérisation, via des simulation locales, des ces dépendances fonctionnelles, permettrait de savoir si ces instabilités peuvent être effectives dans un disque d'accrétion. Enfin, les outils numériques développé permettent d'étudier les configurations envisagées. Les configurations homogènes stationnaires sont récupérées, et une étude dynamique de la configuration mixte permet de caractériser les conditions d'advection de la limite disque éjectant/disque standard. / The vertical magnetic field plays a fundamental role in the dynamics of accretion discs. The jet launching, so as the turbulence that is supposed to exist in these discs are strongly constrained by the intensity of this field. This field evolves following the mechanisms of advection by the mater and diffusion by turbulence. The question of the evolution of such a field has been studied since more than 20 years, but a global modelisation, involving all these méchanisms wasn't done yet. I propose a model, taking into account the transport of a vertical magnetic field by the disc, and also the feedback of this field on the dynamics of the disc. Analytical solutions for standard configurations a calculated. It confirms previous studies in the sense that considering the state of the art, a turbulent disc can not advect a vertical field in order to allow a jet launching. However, a new configuration is rised, in wich the ejection conditions are realised in the outer radius of the disc. The stability of the standard configurations is calculated, and new instabilities are rised. The effectivity of such instabilities depends on the functionnal dependancies used to quantify the disc dynamics. A determination of such dependancies, via local simulations, would clarify if such instabilities could be effective in accretion discs. At last, the numerical tools developped allows to study the configurations. Standard one are found, and a dynamical study of the new configuration is done to determine the advection conditions for the limit ejecting disc/ standard disc.

The aims of this thesis are to develop and validate a robust and efficient algorithm for the numerical solution of the equations of General Relativistic Hydrodynamics, to implement the algorithm in a computationally efficient manner, and to apply the resulting computer code to the problem of perturbed Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion onto a Kerr black hole. The algorithm will also be designed to evolve the space-time metric, and standardised tests will be applied to this aspect of the algorithm. The algorithm will use up-to-date High-Resolution Shock-Capturing numerical schemes that have been developed for the stable and accurate solution of complex systems of equations. It will be built around the Adaptive Mesh Refinement and overlapping, curvilinear grid methodologies in order to extend these schemes to the efficient solution of two and three-dimensional problems. When implementing the algorithm, we will use previously written code libraries, where appropriate, to avoid excessive software development. We will validate the algorithm against standard test-cases for Special and General Relativistic Hydrodynamics, and for Einstein's equations for the evolution of the space-time metric. The methodologies we use will be tested to ensure that they lead to the stable and accurate numerical solution of these problems. Finally, the implemented algorithm will be applied to the problem of Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton flow onto a Kerr black hole in three dimensions. It will be validated against existing exact and numerical solutions of the problem, and then be used to perform an extensive parametric study of the problem, varying the spin of the black hole and the incident wind direction, and allowing for the perturbation of the fluid density upstream of the black hole. We will then analyze the results of the study, and present the complete set of results on a DVD accompanying this thesis.

Nesta dissertação discutimos o processo da acreção de materia sobre objetos compactos em suas diferentes abordagens. Iniciando com o caso clássico, estudamos sua contraparte relativística e, por fim, investigamos a acreção de fluidos cosmológicos (energia escura e matéria escura) em buracos negros. Devido a simetria esférica adotada, a formação dos chamados discos de acréscimo é proibida (tanto no caso clássico quanto no relativístico) e, portanto, os problemas relacionados com a física dos discos (sua formação e evolução) não foram investigados. No contexto clássico, analisamos inicialmente a chamada acreçao de Bondi, onde o fluido acretado obedece a uma equação de estado politropica e o processo de acreção é descrito pela hidrodinâmica euleriana. A existância de 6 tipos possíveis de solucões para o campo de velocidades é identicada e suas consequências fsicas são discutidas em detalhe. Apenas uma dessas soluções descreve de forma fisicamente consistente o processo de acreção. A taxa de materia acretada é constante, um resultado esperado devido a hipotese de regime estacionário. O estudo do caso relativstico é completamente baseado na Teoria da Relatividade Geral, com o campo gravitacional do corpo central sendo descrito pela metrica de Schwarzschild. O processo relativstico também ocorre sob condições estacionárias e, portanto, a taxa de acreção resultante também é constante. Uma atenção especial foi dedicada para a acreção de fluidos cosmologicos satisfazendo uma equação de estado linear e tambem para o chamado gás de Chaplygin. Estudamos separadamente o comportamento espacial do fluido na região dominada pela acreção e também a influência da evolução cosmologica nas regiões mais distantes. Mostramos que a massa do buraco negro central pode apresentar uma evolução no tempo em escala cosmológica. Os resultados de Babichev (caso linear) e o gás de Chaplygin foram unicadamente descritos através de uma equacão de estado generalizada. Por fim, determinamos também sob que condições a acreção de matéria pode provocar mudancas significativas na massa do buraco negro. / In this dissertation the matter accretion process upon compact objects is discussed in its diferent approaches. Starting with the classical case, the relativistic type was studied and, in the end, the accretion of cosmological fluids (dark energy and dark matter) onto a black hole is investigated. Due to spherical symmetry adopted, the formation of accretion disks is forbidden (both in the classical and relativistic case) and, thus, the problems related to disk physics (the formation and evolution) were not investigated. On the classical approach, the so called Bondi accretion is examined, in which the matter flux occurs according to a polytropic equation of state and the accretion itself is described by the Eulerian hydrodynamic. The existence of 6 possible families of solutions for the velocity field is identied and its physical consequences are thoroughly discussed. Only one of these solutions describes the accretion process in a physically consistent manner. The mass accretion rate is found to be constant, as expected duo to the steady-state hypothesis. The relativistic approach is completely based on the General Relativity Theory. In this case, the gravitational field of the central body is described by the Schwarzschild metric. The relativistic process also occurs in steady-state conditions and, therefore, the accretion flux also is constant. A particular interest is given to the accretion of cosmological fluids with a linear equation of state and of Chaplygin gas. Both the spacial behaviour of the fluids in the accretion dominated region and their cosmological evolution in farther regions are looked into individually. The mass of the central black hole\'s evolution is shown to occur in cosmological times. The Babichev (linear equation of state) and Chaplygin results were unied through a generalised equation of state. At last, it is also determined under which conditions the accretion of cosmological fluids can have astonishing effects on the black hole\'s mass.

Des colonnes d'accrétion relient les étoiles jeunes au disque de gaz et de poussière qui les entoure. De nombreuses études numériques ont montré l'existence d'une structure oscillante de plasma choqué au sein de ces colonnes. Cependant, aucune observation n'est en mesure de confirmer l'existence d'un tel phénomène. Ces simulations s'appuient toutes sur le postulat selon lequel le gaz accrété, suit une fonction de refroidissement optiquement mince. L'objectif principal de mon travail a été de m'affranchir de ce postulat. Après avoir amélioré la description de processus microscopiques importants dans le code 1D RHD ALE AstroLabE, j'ai travaillé sur les tables d'opacités, grandeurs clés dans l'interaction entre le champ de rayonnement et la matière. Les résultats obtenus montrent que l'absorption d'une faible fraction du rayonnement est capable d'affecter significativement la dynamique de la structure de gaz choqué, jusqu'à supprimer le comportement oscillatoire prédit. Je me suis également attaché à modéliser de manière cohérente la structure sur laquelle s'effectue l'accrétion: la chromosphère. J'ai pour cela utilisé un modèle simple d'atmosphère chauffée par des ondes acoustiques dégénérant en chocs. Si la dynamique de l'écoulement reste périodique, moyennant quelques perturbations, la luminosité X présente des modulations d'amplitude relativement modestes. Ce travail illustre l'importance du transfert radiatif dans le processus d'accrétion et d'une description réaliste de ce transfert radiatif. Les méthodes qualitatives que j'ai développées, adaptées à une modélisation 1D, ouvrent la voie à d'autres développements, notamment dans le cadre de simulations à plusieurs dimensions. / Accretion columns connect young stars to the surrounding disk of gas and dust. Numerous numerical studies have predicted quasi-periodic oscillations of the shocked structure at the base of these columns. There is, however, no observational evidence of such feature. These simulations rely on the assumption that accreted gas can be described with an optically thin line cooling function. The main goal of my work has been to go beyond this assumption. I started with the improvement of the description of important microscopic processes included in the 1D ALE RHD code AstroLabE. I worked then on the building of adapted opacity tables, to take into account the coupling between radiation and matter. The results show that even by taking into account the absorption of a small fraction of radiation, the dynamics of the shocked gas structure is significantly affected, and the predicted oscillatory behavior may be suppressed. I have concentrated on the coherent modeling of the stellar chromosphere above which the accretion takes place. For this purpose, I used a model based on acoustic waves heating. Although the chromospheric shock waves perturb the dynamics of accretion (which remains periodic), the computed luminosity presents modulations of relative small amplitude. The work highlights the importance of the radiative transfer in the accretion process on young stars and the necessity of an adequate, physically based, description of the radiative transfer. The methods I have developed in this work will foster developments of multi-dimensional simulations.

Les interactions entre les galaxies et leur environnement à grande échelle constituent une pierre angulaire de la théorie de formation des structures. Cependant, derrière cette idée se cache une longue liste de processus. En effet, les galaxies grandissent au sein d'intenses courants de gaz à haut redshift et acquièrent du moment angulaire grâce aux couples de marée exercés par les grandes échelles, tout en fusionnant avec d'autres galaxies. Aucun de ces mécanismes n'est indépendant de la distribution de matière à grande échelle, fortement anisotrope, constituée d'un réseau de vides délimités par des murs, eux-mêmes segmentés par des filaments de haute densité dans lesquels la matière s'écoule en direction des noeuds compacts. La géométrie d'une telle structure influe fortement sur les écoulements cosmiques, notamment les flux de gaz et de galaxies en migration vers les noeuds. Cela modifie en conséquence la distribution et les propriétés des galaxies. Cette thèse explore certaines de ces corrélations entre les échelles galactiques et extra-galactiques dans la simulation cosmologique hydrodynamique HorizonAGN. Tout d'abord, j'analyse et quantifie l'orientation du moment angulaire des galaxies puis montre que les fusions majeures comme mineures peuvent provoquer d'importantes bascules de ce dernier. J'étudie par la suite la distribution des galaxies satellites autour de leur hôte plus massive et mets à jour des corrélations avec la direction du filament voisin ainsi qu'avec le plan de leur galaxie centrale. Enfin, j'étudie l'impact des fusions galactiques et de l'accrétion diffuse sur la taille et sur la forme des galaxies lors du pic cosmique de formation stellaire. / Interactions between galaxies and their larger scale environment is a central tenet of structure formation theory. However, this idea encompasses a long list of processes. Indeed, galaxies grow from intense gas inflows at high-redshift and acquire spin through tidal torques on larger scales while merging with one another at the same time. None of these processes is independent from the large scale distribution of matter, strikingly anisotropic and consisting of an extended network of voids delimited by sheets, themselves segmented by high-density filaments within which matter flows towards compact nodes where they intersect. Such a structure imprints its geometry on cosmic flows, especially gas inflows and drifting galaxies, ultimately shaping the distribution of galactic properties.This work investigates some of these correlations between galactic and extra-galactic scales in the hydrodynamical cosmological simulation Horizon-AGN. First, I analyze and quantify the spin orientations of galaxies and show that both minor and major mergers can drive important spin swings. I further investigate the distribution of satellite galaxies around a more massive host and find it to be also fairly correlated to the direction of the surrounding filament. However, this trend is in competition with a tendency for satellites to align their orbits in the central galactic plane especially in the inner parts of the halo.Finally, I study the impact of mergers and diffuse accretion on the size and shape of galaxies at the peak of cosmic star formation history. The main results statistically support the gas-poor minor merger scenario to interpret the loss of compacity of spheroids at low-z.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第21572号 / 理博第4479号 / 新制||理||1643(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科物理学・宇宙物理学専攻 / (主査)准教授 野上 大作, 教授 長田 哲也, 教授 嶺重 慎 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM