3-D Simulations of Ergospheric Disk Driven Poynting Jets

This Letter reports on 3-dimensional simulations of Kerr black hole magnetospheres that obey the general relativistic equations of perfect magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). In particular, we study powerful Poynting flux dominated jets that are driven from dense gas in the equatorial plane in the ergosphere. The physics of which has been previously studied in the simplified limit of an ergopsheric disk. For high spin black holes, a/M > 0.95, the ergospheric disk is prominent in the 3-D simulations and is responsible for greatly enhanced Poynting flux emission. Any large scale poloidal magnetic flux that is trapped in the equatorial region leads to an enormous release of electromagnetic energy that dwarfs the jet energy produced by magnetic flux threading the event horizon. The implication is that magnetic flux threading the equatorial plane of the ergosphere is a likely prerequisite for the central engine of powerful FRII quasars. Subject headings: Black hole physics magnetohydrodynamics -galaxies: jets— galaxies: active — accretion disks