The origin of complex behavior of linearly polarized components in parsec-scale jets

被引:26
作者
Hughes, PA [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Michigan, Dept Astron, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
关键词
galaxies : jets; hydrodynamics; magnetic fields; polarization; relativity; shock waves;
D O I
10.1086/427742
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
I briefly summarize the evidence that the magnetic fields of extragalactic jets have a significant fraction of their energy in a random component and construct a detailed model of evolving jet polarization structures based on this picture. The evolving magnetic field structure of an oblique shock complex that forms in a relativistic jet simulation is explored using velocity data from the hydrodynamical simulation to advect an initially random magnetic field distribution. Radiative transfer calculations reveal that emission from a propagating region of magnetic field, " ordered'' by the shock and lying approximately transverse to the flow direction, merges with that from an evolving sheared region at the flow periphery. If such a flow were barely resolved, observation would suggest evolution from a somewhat oblique to a more longitudinal magnetic field structure with respect to the flow axis, while higher resolution observations would reveal a component following a nonlinear trajectory and with a magnetic field orientation that rotates during evolution. This result highlights the ambiguity in interpreting very long baseline polarimetry ( VLBP) data and illustrates the importance of simulations in providing a framework for proper interpretation of such data.
引用
收藏
页码:635 / 642
页数:8
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