NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Jet Stability and the Generation of Superluminal and Stationary ComponentsWe present a numerical simulation of the response of an expanding relativistic jet to the ejection of a superluminal component. The simulation has been performed with a relativistic time-dependent hydrodynamical code from which simulated radio maps are computed by integrating the transfer equations for synchrotron radiation. The interaction of the superluminal component with the underlying jet results in the formation of multiple conical shocks behind the main perturbation. These trailing components can be easily distinguished because they appear to be released from the primary superluminal component instead of being ejected from the core. Their oblique nature should also result in distinct polarization properties. Those appearing closer to the core show small apparent motions and a very slow secular decrease in brightness and could be identified as stationary components. Those appearing farther downstream are weaker and can reach superluminal apparent motions. The existence of these trailing components indicates that not all observed components necessarily represent major perturbations at the jet inlet; rather, multiple emission components can be generated by a single disturbance in the jet. While the superluminal component associated with the primary perturbation exhibits a rather stable pattern speed, trailing components have velocities that increase with distance from the core but move at less than the jet speed. The trailing components exhibit motion and structure consistent with the triggering of pinch modes by the superluminal component. The increase in velocity of the trailing components is an indirect consequence of the acceleration of the expanding fluid, which is assumed to be relativistically hot; if observed, such accelerations would therefore favor an electron-positron (as opposed to proton rest mass) dominated jet.
Document ID
20010062778
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Agudo, Ivan
(Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia Granada, Spain)
Gomez, Jose-Luis
(Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia Granada, Spain)
Marti, Jose-Maria
(Valencia Univ. Spain)
Ibanez, Jose-Maria
(Valencia Univ. Spain)
Marscher, Alan P.
(Boston Univ. Boston, MA United States)
Alberdi, Antonio
(Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia Granada, Spain)
Aloy, Miguel-Angel
(Max-Planck-Inst. fuer Astrophysik Garching, Germany)
Hardee, Philip E.
(Alabama Univ. Tuscaloosa, AL United States)
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
March 2, 2001
Publication Information
Publication: Astrophysical Journal
Publisher: American Astronomical Society
Volume: 549
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: PB97-1432
CONTRACT_GRANT: PB97-1164
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF AST-98-02955
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG5-3839
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available