Fast Jet Research Articles

Binary Interactions, High-Speed Outflows and Dusty Disks during the AGB-To-PN Transition

It is widely believed that the dramatic transformation of the spherical outflows of AGB stars into the extreme aspherical geometries seen during the planetary nebula (PN) phase is linked to binarity and driven by the associated production of fast jets and central disks/torii. The key to understanding the engines that produce these jets and the jet-shaping mechanisms lies in the study of objects in transition between the AGB and PN phases. I discuss the results of our recent studies with high-angular-resolution (with ALMA and HST) and at high-energies (with GALEX, XMM-Newton and Chandra) of several such objects, which reveal new details of close binary interactions and high-speed outflows. These include two PPNe (the Boomerang Nebula and IRAS 16342-3814), and the late carbon star, V Hya. The Boomerang Nebula is notable for a massive, high-speed outflow that has cooled below the microwave background temperature, making it the coldest object in the Universe. IRAS 16342-3814 is the prime example of the class of water-fountain pre-planetary nebulae or PPNe (very young PPNe with high-velocity H2O masers) and shows the signature of a precessing jet. V Hya ejects high-speed bullets every 8.5 years associated with the periastron passage of a companion in an eccentric orbit. I discuss our work on AGB stars with strongly-variable high-energy (FUV, X-ray) emission, suggesting that these objects are in the early stages of binary interactions that result in the formation of accretion disks and jets.

Drainage, rebound and oscillation of a meniscus in a tube

In this paper, the drainage and subsequent rebound of a liquid column in a cylindrical tube is examined experimentally and theoretically. When liquid is drawn up into a capillary and then released under gravity, inertia allows the meniscus to overshoot the equilibrium capillary rise height. The meniscus then rebounds up the tube, again overshooting the equilibrium height and undergoes oscillation. By varying both the immersion depth and radius of the tube, one can observe rich dynamical behavior, with the most dramatic being the formation of a fast liquid jet, barely visible to the naked eye but easily captured with high-speed video. In addition to the flow separation caused by the sudden expansion at the end of the tube, this jet serves as a mechanism of energy dissipation. Some qualitative differences between the works of Quere et al. [“Rebounds in a capillary tube,” Langmuir 15, 3679–3682 (1999)] and Lorenceau et al. [“Gravitational oscillations of a liquid column in a pipe,” Phys. Fluids 14(6), 1985–1992 (2002)] and the present experiment are observed and discussed. A critical condition for oscillatory behavior is derived theoretically and matches well with the experimental observation. Once in the oscillatory regime, both the maximum depth below and the maximum rebound height above the equilibrium level are investigated by performing a systematic sweep through the relevant parameter space, incorporating the initial meniscus height, immersion depth, tube radius, and fluid properties. Lastly, the characteristic period of oscillation, tp, is assessed and found to be largely independent of fluid viscosity, and could be reasonably well-collapsed by a single curve whereby tp∼hi, where hi is the tube immersion depth.

Planetary Nebulae, Morphology and Binarity, and the relevance to AGB Stars

AbstractThe dramatic transformation of the spherical outflows of AGB stars into the extreme aspherical geometries seen during the planetary nebula (PN) phase is widely believed to be linked to binarity and is likely driven by the associated production of fast jets and central disks/torii. We first briefly summarize results from the imaging surveys of large samples of young PNe and pre-PNe with HST which show that almost all objects have bipolar, multipolar and elliptical morphologies, with widespread presence of point-symmetric structure. We describe a relatively new technique of using UV photometic observations of large AGB star samples to search for binarity and associated accretion activity, and follow-up studies using UV spectroscopy and X-ray observations. We present results from studies of individual objects in transition to the PN phase, highlighting observational techniques being used to determine jet properties that can constrain the accretion modes that power these jets.

Singular jets during the collapse of drop-impact craters

When a drop impacts on a deep pool at moderate velocity it forms a hemispheric crater which subsequently rebounds to the original free-surface level, often forming Worthington jets, which rise vertically out of the crater centre. Under certain impact conditions the crater collapse forms a dimple at its bottom, which pinches off a bubble and is also known to be associated with the formation of a very fast thin jet. Herein we use two ultra-high-speed video cameras to observe simultaneously the dimple collapse and the speed of the resulting jet. The fastest fine jets are observed at speeds of approximately $50~\text{m}~\text{s}^{-1}$ and emerge when the dimple forms a cylinder which retracts without pinching off a bubble. We also identify what appears to be micro-bubbles at the bottom of this cylinder, which we propose are caused by local cavitation from extensional stress in the flow entering the jet. The radial collapse of the dimple does not follow capillary-inertial power laws nor is its bottom driven by a curvature singularity, as has been proposed in some earlier studies. The fastest jets are produced by pure inertial focusing and emerge at finite dimple size, bypassing the pinch-off singularity. These jets emerge from the liquid contained originally in the drop. Finally, we measure directly the compression of the central bubble following the pinch-off and the subsequent large volume oscillation, which occurs at frequencies slightly above the audible range at approximately 23 kHz.

Interaction between a pulsating jet and a surrounding disk wind

Context. The molecular richness of fast protostellar jets within 20–100 au of their source, despite strong ultraviolet irradiation, remains a challenge for the models investigated so far. Aim.We aim to investigate the effect of interaction between a time-variable jet and a surrounding steady disk wind, to assess the possibility of jet chemical enrichement by the wind, and the characteristic signatures of such a configuration. Methods. We have constructed an analytic model of a jet bow shock driven into a surrounding slower disk wind in the thin shell approximation. The refilling of the post bow shock cavity from below by the disk wind is also studied. An extension of the model to the case of two or more successive internal working surfaces (IWS) is made. We then compared this analytic model with numerical simulations with and without a surrounding disk wind. Results. We find that at early times (of order the variability period), jet bow shocks travel in refilled pristine disk wind material, before interacting with the cocoon of older bow shocks. This opens the possibility of bow shock chemical enrichment (if the disk wind is molecular and dusty) and of probing the unperturbed disk wind structure near the jet base. Several distinctive signatures of the presence of a surrounding disk wind are identified, in the bow shock morphology and kinematics. Numerical simulations validate our analytical approach and further show that at large scale, the passage of many jet IWS inside a disk wind produces a stationary V-shaped cavity, closing down onto the axis at a finite distance from the source.

Structure, mechanical properties and surface morphology of the snapping shrimp claw

The snapping shrimp preys by rapidly closing its snapping claw to generate a fast water jet, creating a shockwave that bombards the nearby prey and other shrimp. This behaviour has led to considerable interest and research. However, the structure, surface morphology and mechanical properties of the snapping claw are unreported. We used a combination of techniques including scanning electron microscopy and nanoindentation to characterise the claw. These measurements were coupled with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to understand how the microstructure contributes to drag reduction. We found that cone-shaped micropapillae, rhombic dents and short straight stripes were hierarchically distributed on the surface of the claw. CFD simulation showed that the micropapillae units changed the interaction between the turbulent and the wall from sliding friction to rolling friction, resulting in tire-shaped vortices. This also reduced the turbulent kinetic energy in the near-wall region, thereby contributing to drag reduction. The cross section of the claw revealed four layers comprising an epicuticle, exocuticle, endocuticle and a membranous layer. The exocuticle is composed of chitin fibres arranged vertically in a lamellar fashion and the endocuticle has a Bouligand-type structure. This special structure provides the snapping shrimp with good mechanical resistance during rapid closure. Both modulus and hardness decreased from the outermost epicuticle to the innermost membranous layer. The gradient modulus and hardness may help to suppress microcracks at the interfaces between different layers. The findings improve our understanding of the unique mechanism of the snapping claw and may lead to the development of novel biomimetic materials with enhanced drag reduction, impact and crack resistance properties.

Extreme gaseous outflows in radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies

We present four radio-loud NLS1 galaxies with extreme emission-line shifts, indicating radial outflow velocities of the ionized gas of up to 2450 km/s, above the escape velocity of the host galaxies. The forbidden lines show strong broadening, up to 2270 km/s. An ionization stratification (higher line shift at higher ionization potential) implies that we see a large-scale outflow rather than single, localized jet-cloud interactions. Similarly, the paucity of zero-velocity [OIII]$\lambda$5007 emitting gas implies the absence of a second narrow-line region (NLR) component at rest, and therefore a large part of the high-ionization NLR is affected by the outflow. Given the radio loudness of these NLS1 galaxies, the observations are consistent with a pole on view onto their central engines, so that the effects of polar outflows are maximized. In addition, a very efficient driving mechanism is required, to reach the high observed velocities. We explore implications from recent hydrodynamic simulations of the interaction between fast winds or jets with the large-scale NLR. Overall, the best agreement with observations (and especially the high outflow speeds of the [NeV] emitting gas) can be reached if the NLS1 galaxies are relatively young sources with lifetimes not much exceeding 1 Myr. These systems represent sites of strong feedback at NLR scales at work, well below redshift one.

Bridging the Gap: Capturing the Lyα Counterpart of a Type-II Spicule and Its Heating Evolution with VAULT2.0 and IRIS Observations

Abstract We present results from an observing campaign in support of the VAULT2.0 sounding rocket launch on 2014 September 30. VAULT2.0 is a Lyα (1216 Å) spectroheliograph capable of providing spectroheliograms at high cadence. Lyα observations are highly complementary to the IRIS observations of the upper chromosphere and the low transition region (TR) but have previously been unavailable. The VAULT2.0 data provide new constraints on upper-chromospheric conditions for numerical models. The observing campaign was closely coordinated with the IRIS mission. Taking advantage of this simultaneous multi-wavelength coverage of target AR 12172 and by using state-of-the-art radiative-MHD simulations of spicules, we investigate in detail a type-II spicule associated with a fast (300 km s−1) network jet recorded in the campaign observations. Our analysis suggests that spicular material exists suspended high in the atmosphere but at lower temperatures (seen in Lyα) until it is heated and becomes visible in TR temperatures as a network jet. The heating begins lower in the spicule and propagates upwards as a rapidly propagating thermal front. The front is then observed as fast, plane-of-the-sky motion typical of a network jet, but contained inside the pre-existing spicule. This work supports the idea that the high speeds reported in network jets should not be taken as real mass upflows but only as apparent speeds of a rapidly propagating heating front along the pre-existing spicule.

Solar jet on 2014 April 16 modeled by Kelvin–Helmholtz instability

We study here the arising of Kelvin–Helmholtz Instability (KHI) in one fast jet of 2014 April 16 observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in different UV and EUV wavelengths. The evolution of jet indicates the blob like structure at its boundary which could be one of the observable features of the KHI development. We model the jet as a moving cylindrical magnetic flux tube of radius a embedded in a magnetic field Bi and surrounded by rest magnetized plasma with magnetic field Be. We explore the propagation of the kink MHD mode along the jet that can become unstable against the KHI if its speed exceeds a critical value. Concerning magnetic fields topology we consider three different configurations, notably of (i) spatially homogeneous magnetic fields (untwisted magnetic flux tube), (ii) internal (label ‘i’) twisted magnetic field and external homogeneous one (label ‘e’) (single-twisted flux tube), and (iii) both internal and external twisted magnetic fields (double-twisted magnetic flux tube). Electron number densities in the two media ni and ne are assumed to be homogeneous. The density contrast is defined in two ways: first as ne/ni and second as ne/(ni+ne). Computations show that the KHI can occur at accessible flow velocities in all the cases of untwisted and single-twisted flux tubes. It turns out, however, that in the case of a double-twisted flux tube the KHI can merge at an accessible jet speed only when the density contrast is calculated from the ratio ne/(ni+ne). Evaluated KHI developing times and kink mode wave phase velocities at wavelength of 4 Mm lie in the ranges of 1–6.2 min and 202–271 km s−1, respectively—all being reasonable for the modeled jet.

Velocimetry of fast microscopic liquid jets by nanosecond dual-pulse laser illumination for megahertz X-ray free-electron lasers.

To conduct X-ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL) measurements at megahertz (MHz) repetition rates, sample solution must be delivered in a micron-sized liquid free-jet moving at up to 100 m/s. This exceeds by over a factor of two the jet speeds measurable with current high-speed camera techniques. Accordingly we have developed and describe herein an alternative jet velocimetry based on dual-pulse nanosecond laser illumination. Three separate implementations are described, including a small laser-diode system that is inexpensive and highly portable. We have also developed and describe analysis techniques to automatically and rapidly extract jet speed from dual-pulse images.

Electron Jet Detected by MMS at Dipolarization Front

AbstractUsing MMS high‐resolution measurements, we present the first observation of fast electron jet (Ve ~2,000 km/s) at a dipolarization front (DF) in the magnetotail plasma sheet. This jet, with scale comparable to the DF thickness (~ 0.9 di), is primarily in the tangential plane to the DF current sheet and mainly undergoes the E × B drift motion; it contributes significantly to the current system at the DF, including a localized ring‐current that can modify the DF topology. Associated with this fast jet, we observed a persistent normal electric field, strong lower hybrid drift waves, and strong energy conversion at the DF. Such strong energy conversion is primarily attributed to the electron‐jet‐driven current (E ⋅ je ≈ 2 E ⋅ ji), rather than the ion current suggested in previous studies.

Numerical investigation on influence of focusing gas type on liquid micro-jet characteristics

Liquid micro-jets, produced from gas dynamic virtual nozzles (GDVNs), are used as sample carriers for interaction with X-ray beam in serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX). A numerical investigation of the effect of the focusing gas type on the liquid micro-jet properties (its length and thickness) is presented. The study complements our previous research on the influence of operating conditions and the nozzle geometry on GDVN performance. The influence of helium, argon, carbon dioxide and nitrogen gases (at a fixed mass flow rate of 1.6 × 104 mg/min) on focusing pure water jet (flow rate of 33 µl/min) is analysed. An experimentally validated numerical model, based on laminar two-phase Newtonian compressible flow with ideal gas assumption, finite volume method and volume of fluid interface tracking, is used. Helium is found to be the most suitable gas among the tested ones for producing thin, long and fast jets. The study provides a basis for the focusing gas selection in SFX experiments.

SALT HRS Discovery of the Binary Nucleus of the Etched Hourglass Nebula MyCn 18

AbstractThe shaping of various morphological features of planetary nebulae is increasingly linked to the role of binary central stars. Identifying a binary within a planetary nebula offers a powerful tool with which to directly investigate the formation mechanisms behind these features. The Etched Hourglass Nebula, MyCn 18, is the archetype for several binary-linked morphological features, yet it has no identified binary nucleus. It has the fastest jets seen in a planetary nebula of 630 km s−1, a central star position offset from the nebula centre, and a bipolar nebula with a very narrow waist. Here we report on the Southern African Large Telescope High Resolution Spectrograph detection of radial velocity variability in the nucleus of MyCn 18 with an orbital period of 18.15 ± 0.04 d and a semi-amplitude of 11.0 ± 0.3 km s−1. Adopting an orbital inclination of 38 ± 5° and a primary mass of 0.6 ± 0.1 M⊙ yields a secondary mass of 0.19 ± 0.05 M⊙ corresponding to an M5V companion. The detached nature of the binary rules out a classical nova as the origin of the jets and the offset central star as hypothesised in the literature. Furthermore, scenarios that produce the offset central star during the AGB and that form narrow waist bipolar nebulae result in orbital separations 80–800 times larger than observed in MyCn 18. The inner hourglass and jets may have formed from part of the common envelope ejecta that remained bound to the binary system in a circumbinary disk, whereas the offset central star position may best be explained by proper motion. Detailed simulations of MyCn 18 are encouraged that are compatible with the binary nucleus to further investigate its complex formation history.

Formation of Cool and Warm Jets by Magnetic Flux Emerging from the Solar Chromosphere to Transition Region

Abstract In the solar atmosphere, jets are ubiquitous at various spatial-temporal scales. They are important for understanding the energy and mass transports in the solar atmosphere. According to recent observational studies, the high-speed network jets are likely to be intermittent but continual sources of mass and energy for the solar wind. Here, we conduct a 2D magnetohydrodynamics simulation to investigate the mechanism of these network jets. A combination of magnetic flux emergence and horizontal advection is used to drive the magnetic reconnection in the transition region between a strong magnetic loop and a background open flux. The simulation results show that not only a fast warm jet, much similar to the network jets, is found, but also an adjacent slow cool jet, mostly like classical spicules, is launched. Differing from the fast warm jet driven by magnetic reconnection, the slow cool jet is mainly accelerated by gradients of both thermal pressure and magnetic pressure near the outer border of the mass-concentrated region compressed by the emerging loop. These results provide a different perspective on our understanding of the formation of both the slow cool jets from the solar chromosphere and the fast warm jets from the solar transition region.

Modelling of fast jet formation under explosion collision of two-layer alumina/copper tubes

Under explosion collapse of two-layer tubes with an outer layer of high-modulus ceramics and an inner layer of copper, formation of a fast and dense copper jet is plausible. We have performed a numerical simulation of the explosion collapse of a two-layer alumina/copper tube using ANSYS AUTODYN software. The simulation was performed in a 2D-axis symmetry posting on an Eulerian mesh of 3900x1200 cells. The simulation results indicate two separate stages of the tube collapse process: the nonstationary and the stationary stage. At the initial stage, a non-stationary fragmented jet is moving with the velocity of leading elements up to 30 km/s. The collapse velocity of the tube to the symmetry axis is about 2 km/s, and the pressure in the contact zone exceeds 700 GPa. During the stationary stage, a dense jet is forming with the velocity of 20 km/s. Temperature of the dense jet is about 2000 K, jet failure occurs when the value of effective plastic deformation reaches 30.

MRI findings and physical performance as predictors of flight-induced musculoskeletal pain incidence among fighter pilots

Summary Study aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association of pre-career magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) find­ings and physical performance level with possible musculoskeletal disorders during jet flight training. Material and methods: The study group consisted of 73 fighter pilots who had undergone pre-career cervical and lumbar spine MRI. Physical performance of a subgroup of the pilots (n = 67) was measured initially at the same time and followed up to the fast jet training phase (ranging from 3.8 to 7.0 years). Musculoskeletal pain history during pilot training was taken from the medical charts. MRI findings and physical performance were associated with perceived clinical complaints during the follow-up. Results: 82% of the cervical and 92% of the lumbar spines showed abnormalities at at least one disk level. MRI did not reveal significant cervical degeneration. Thirteen disk bulges in the lumbar spine were discovered, while 5 pilots had listhesis and/or osteophyte formation on the spine (lumbar vertebra 4/sacroiliac joint level, L4-SI). 41% of the studied pilots suffered spinal symptoms during the follow-up, but only 16% and 17% of the cervical and lumbar MRI findings, respectively, were associated with subsequent symptoms. Endurance and strength levels were not, but lower body motor skills were, strongly (relative risk, RR 0.46) associated with a decreased number of flight-induced medical appointments in the early flight career. Conclusions: Minor MRI findings have no predictable value in the very early flight career. Nevertheless, versatile, skills/power-oriented exercises before the flight career seem to be occupationally beneficial in reducing musculoskeletal disorders.

Knots in Relativistic Transverse Stratified Jets

We investigate the plasmoid knot formation in stratified relativistic jet by means of relativistic magneto-hydrodynamics simulations. Indeed, astrophysical jets in active galactic nuclei (AGN) seem to be transversely stratified, with a fast inner jet and a slower outer jet. It is likely that the launching mechanism for each component is different. On the other hand, the steady and moving knots’ properties are observed along these jets. With the proposed model, we were able to link the different types of observed knot in various radio loud AGN with specific stratified jet characteristics. We showed that the increase energy flux at the outer edge of the jet induces a steady knot near the core and a moving knot at a greater distance.

Deflagration-to-detonation transition in crossed-flow fast jets of propellant components

It was experimentally proven for the first time that the turbulence produced by crossed-flow supersonic jets of a fuel (natural gas) and an oxidizer (oxygen), which are injected at a pressure of 25 to 150 atm into a smooth detonation tube 74 mm in diameter, causes a fast deflagration-to-detonation transition at distances as short as 300 mm (up to 4 tube diameters) in times of tenths of a millisecond (∼0.4 ms). The obtained results can be used for designing compact predetonators for detonation combustors of promising energy-converting devices.

Jet-setting atmosphere

A fast equatorial jet in the Venusian cloud layer has been revealed by the Akatsuki orbiter by tracking cloud movement in near-infrared images. The findings suggest that the Venusian atmosphere is more variable than previously thought.

Experimental study and numerical simulation of barium sulfate precipitation process in a continuous multi-orifice-impinging transverse jet reactor

Fast jet mixing plays an important role in the intensification of precipitation process. In this work, the precipitation of barium sulfate in a multi-orifice-impinging transverse (MOIT) jet reactor was studied experimentally and numerically. RANS approach coupled with population balance equation (PBE) model was used to predict the process. Large scale variance and small scale variance were solved to evaluate the effect of macromixing and micromixing on the precipitation process, respectively. The influence of Reynolds number (ReM), initial feeding concentration of reactants (C0), and the scale-up of the jet reactor, on the distribution of supersaturation ratio, nucleation rate and crystal growth rate was discussed. The precipitation process can be intensified (here referring to producing smaller nanoparticles with narrower particle size distribution) by increasing ReM at lower ReM region or when the jet reactor is scaled up, or by increasing C0 when C0 is less than 0.4kmol/m3.