Influence of Local Angular Momentum Transport and Ring Configurations in the Strong Gravity of a Central Object*

Differentially rotating plasma structures in the prevalent gravity of a central object (e.g. black hole) can acquire a configuration characterized by a radial sequence of rings\footnote{B. Coppi and F. Rousseau, \textit{ Ap. J. } \textbf{641 (1)}, 458 (2006)} in the presence of a ``seed'' vertical magnetic field, rather than one typical of a gaseous disk. A sequence of pairs of counter-streaming toroidal current channels is associated with these rings and no poloidal currents are produced if a torque is absent. When a local transport process of angular momentum is present, loops of poloidal currents associated with the resulting torque are formed.\footnote{B. Coppi, MIT-LNS Report 06/05 (Cambridge, MA, 2006)} In particular, the vertical current densities are up- down antisymmetric. A jet that could emerge from the innermost ring would, in fact, have antisymmetric vertical current densities relative to the equatorial plane. When a small radial velocity, resulting for instance from accretion, is present we argue that matter will flow along the X-lines and the O-lines of a weakly spiraling ring configuration that is envisioned instead of the strictly axisymmetric$^{1}$ configuration found when only a toroidal velocity is present. *Sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Energy.