Hydrodynamic Interactions of Relativistic Extragalactic Jets with Dense Clouds

Details Hydrodynamic Interactions of Relativistic Extragalactic Jets with Dense Clouds Hydrodynamic Interactions of Relativistic Extragalactic Jets with Dense Clouds

2006-10-16

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0610474v1

Astrophys.J.655:769-780,2007

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

32 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Scientific paper

10.1086/510120

We have studied three-dimensional hydrodynamic interactions of relativistic extragalactic jets with two-phase ambient media. These jets propagate through a denser homogeneous gas and then impact clouds with densities 100 to 1000 times higher than the initial beam density. The deflection angle of the jet is influenced more by the density contrast of the cloud than by the beam Mach number of the jet. A relativistic jet with low relativistic beam Mach number can eventually be slightly bent after it crosses the dense cloud; however, we have not seen permanently bent structures in the interaction of a high relativistic beam Mach number jet with a cloud. The relativistic jet impacts on dense clouds do not necessarily destroy the clouds completely, and much of the cloud body can survive as a coherent blob. This enhancement of cloud durability is partly due to the geometric influence of the off-axis collisions we consider and also arises from the lower rate of cloud fragmentation through the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability for relativistic jets. To compare our simulations with observed extragalactic radio jets, we have computed the approximate surface distributions of synchrotron emission at different viewing angles. These surface intensity maps show relativistic jets interacting with clouds can produce synchrotron emission knots similar to structures observed in many VLBI-scale radio sources. We find that the synchrotron emission increases steeply at the moment of impact and the emission peaks right before the jet passes through the cloud.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Hydrodynamic Interactions of Relativistic Extragalactic Jets with Dense Clouds does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Hydrodynamic Interactions of Relativistic Extragalactic Jets with Dense Clouds, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Hydrodynamic Interactions of Relativistic Extragalactic Jets with Dense Clouds will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-243913