On the Magnetic Prandtl Number Behavior of Accretion Disks

Abstract

We investigate the behavior of the magnetic Prandtl number (the ratio of microscopic viscosity to resistivity) for accretion sources. Generally this number is very small in standard accretion disk models, but it can become larger than unity within ~50 Schwarzschild radii of the central mass. Recent numerical investigations suggest a marked dependence of the level of MHD turbulence on the value of the Prandtl number. Hence, black hole and neutron star accretors, i.e., compact X-ray sources, are affected. The astrophysical consequences of this could be significant, including a possible route to understanding the mysterious state changes that have long characterized these sources.