title: Boosting jet power in black hole spacetimes.
abstract: The extraction of rotational energy from a spinning black hole via the Blandford-Znajek mechanism has long been understood as an important component in models to explain energetic jets from compact astrophysical sources. Here we show more generally that the kinetic energy of the black hole, both rotational and translational, can be tapped, thereby producing even more luminous jets powered by the interaction of the black hole with its surrounding plasma. We study the resulting Poynting jet that arises from single boosted black holes and binary black hole systems. In the latter case, we find that increasing the orbital angular momenta of the system and/or the spins of the individual black holes results in an enhanced Poynting flux.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neilsen
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lehner
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Palenzuela
authors.forename: Eric W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Hirschmann
authors.forename: Steven L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Liebling
authors.forename: Patrick M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Motl
authors.forename: Travis
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Garrett
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D055580:Astronomical Phenomena; D001256:Astronomy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055590:Electromagnetic Phenomena; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D055608:Galaxies; D006112:Gravitation; D008962:Models, Theoretical