Galactic gas and the shapes of radio sources

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (17) References (57) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Galactic gas and the shapes of radio sources Sparke, L. S. Abstract Large double-lobed extragalactic radio sources are associated with elliptical, rather than with spiral galaxies. In an earlier paper, it was suggested that the radio morphology of elliptical galaxies results from their slow rotation. Here, more precise calculations of the flow of a slowly spinning gas are presented, improving upon the order of magnitude estimates previously given. The energetic beam supplying a powerful radio source is likely to propagate freely away from the galaxy, but this, in a weaker source, may be disrupted quickly by interactions with the interstellar medium. In the latter case, the pressure of galactic gas will confine the radiating plasma to a narrow funnel along the rotation axis, producing a thin jet of emission. A similar beam in a spiral system is unlikely to escape through the dense interstellar matter; instead, radio-bright material may collect in wide centrifugally-induced cones in the galactic gas. This model predicts that the small double-lobed radio sources found within the forbidden line regions of Seyfert galaxies should point along the spin axis of the surrounding material. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: March 1982 DOI: 10.1086/159753 Bibcode: 1982ApJ...254..456S Keywords: Elliptical Galaxies; Extragalactic Radio Sources; Galactic Rotation; Galactic Structure; Gas Flow; Interstellar Gas; Seyfert Galaxies; Astronomical Models; Star Distribution; Stellar Winds; Astrophysics full text sources ADS |