Research Seminars @ Illinois

View Full Calendar

Tailored for undergraduate researchers, this calendar is a curated list of research seminars at the University of Illinois. Explore the diverse world of research and expand your knowledge through engaging sessions designed to inspire and enlighten.

To have your events added or removed from this calendar, please contact OUR at ugresearch@illinois.edu

Astrophysics, Relativity, and Cosmology Seminar - Lizhong Zhang (Flatiron Institute) "Modeling Black Hole Accretion with Radiation GRMHD: A Parameter Survey and Connection to Observations"

Event Type
Seminar/Symposium
Sponsor
Department of Physics
Location
Rhondale Tso Seminar Room, Loomis 236
Virtual
wifi event
Date
Apr 30, 2025   12:00 pm  
Speaker
Lizhong Zhang, Flatiron Institute
Contact
Deanna Frye
E-Mail
ddebord@illinois.edu
Views
279
Originating Calendar
Physics - Astrophysics, Relativity, and Cosmology Seminar

Radiation and magnetic fields play crucial roles in shaping black hole accretion across a wide range of regimes. To model these systems, we solve the GRMHD equations coupled with angle-dependent radiation transfer, which enables us to capture the complex dynamics of accretion in extreme environments — from super-Eddington to sub-Eddington regimes. In the super-Eddington regime, radiative support causes the accretion disk to thermally expand, forming a narrow conical funnel through which radiation escapes, leading to low radiation efficiency. In the sub- and near-Eddington regimes, the magnetic field topology strongly influences the resulting disk structure, allowing the system to reach a steady state as either a thin disk with magnetic coronae or a magnetically elevated disk.  These simulations broadly align with observational findings — such as the soft states of X-ray binaries, ultraluminous X-ray sources, and “little red dots” — and offer predictive diagnostics for future observations, which I will discuss in detail during the talk. 


link for robots only