Lense-Thirring Precession Movie


Lense-Thirring Precession of Accretion Disks

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign


The following web-adapted movie showcases numerical computations of gravitomagnetic (Lense-Thirring) precession of geometrically thin accretion disks. The gravitomagnetic effect is treated to the lowest post-Newtonian order. The physics of the accretion disk is treated in the Newtonian approximation. The radiation torque is treated in the Pringle approximation. For all computations the black hole has a mass of two solar masses. The horizon radius is at 2M (Schwarszchild coordinates), while the inner edge of the disk is at 6M (the radius of the inner-most stable circular orbit).

  • Further information on the Lense-Thirring model.

    Low-Frequency Gravitomagnetic Radiation (LFGMR) Modes

    Movies should be viewed in order, from left to right.
    n = 3 LFGMR Mode
    Frequency = 0.01mHz
    Growth Rate = 0.1mHz
    Q / | | = 0.1

    Hi-Res Quicktime (33.6MB)
    Lo-Res Quicktime (6.9MB)
    MPEG (3.5MB)     		n = 12 LFGMR Mode
    Frequency = 0.03mHz
    Growth Rate = -0.2mHz
    Q = 0.15

    Hi-Res Quicktime (53.0MB)
    Lo-Res Quicktime (16.1MB)
    MPEG (5.4MB)     		n = 50 LFGMR Mode
    Frequency = 0.3mHz
    Growth Rate = -5.0mHz
    Q = 0.06

    Hi-Res Quicktime (62.7MB)
    Lo-Res Quicktime (20.9MB)
    MPEG (6.5MB)

    High-Frequency Gravitomagnetic (HFGM) Modes

    The Bardeen-Petterson effect does not suppress the HFGM modes. The following HFGM modes precess ~100,000 times faster than the preceding LFGMR modes. For clarity, the precession is shown at the same rate as before.

    Movies should be viewed in order, from left to right.
    m = 14 HFGM Mode
    Frequency = 16Hz
    Growth Rate = -7.1Hz
    Q = 2.3

    Hi-Res Quicktime (38.5MB)
    Lo-Res Quicktime (6.9MB)
    MPEG (5.9MB)
    This view is similar to the final view of the n=50 LFGMR mode, except the m=14 HFGM mode is also present.     		m = 2 HFGM Mode
    Frequency = 27Hz
    Growth Rate = -1.8Hz
    Q = 15

    Hi-Res Quicktime (7.4MB)
    Lo-Res Quicktime (2.0MB)
    MPEG (1.7MB)     		m = 1 HFGM Mode
    Frequency = 29Hz
    Growth Rate = -0.6mHz
    Q = 48

    Hi-Res Quicktime (6.9MB)
    Lo-Res Quicktime (1.7MB)
    MPEG (1.7MB)

    Scientific visualization by

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    last updated 5.18.99 by jmf

    Center for Theoretical Astrophysics---University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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