Accreting Black Hole Cross-Section (IMAGE)

Institute for Advanced Study

Accreting Black Hole Cross-Section

Caption

This image shows the gas density in a two-dimensional cross-section of an accreting black hole. Brighter areas represent regions of higher density. Near the black hole, the accretion flow forms a dense, thin thermal disk embedded within a magnetically dominated envelope that helps stabilize the system. Although the flow is radiation-dominated and highly turbulent, the thermal disk structure remains remarkably stable.

Credit

Zhang et al. (2025)

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