Center for Astrophysics Research and Technologies Seminar Series
Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamical Simulations of Jets
Presented by Xiaoyue Guan (LANL)
Relativistic, magnetized jets are observed to propagate to very large distances in many Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). We use 3D relativistic MHD (RMHD) simulations to study the propagation of Poynting flux-driven jets in AGN. These jets are assumed already being launched from the vicinity (∼ 10^3 gravitational radii) of supermassive black holes, and we follow the propagation of these jets to ∼ parsec scales. We find that these current-carrying jets are always collimated and mildly relativistic. When α, the ratio of toroidal-to-poloidal magnetic flux injection, is large the jet is subject to current-driven instabilities (CDI) which lead to substantial dissipation and reduced jet speed. However, even with the presence of instabilities, the jet is not disrupted and will continue to propagate to large distances. Far from the jet launching region, a substantial amount of magnetic energy has been transformed into kinetic energy and thermal energy, producing a jet magnetization number σ < 1. In this talk I will review the jet study efforts at LANL, recent progress in simulations, and the remaining challenges.
2:00 pm, Thursday, February 27, 2014
PAIS-2540, PAIS
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