Simulations Of Relativistic Jets Research Articles

Small-scale radio jets and tidal disruption events: a theory of high-luminosity compact symmetric objects

ABSTRACT Double lobe radio sources associated with active galactic nuclei represent one of the longest studied groups in radio astronomy. A particular subgroup of double radio sources comprises the compact symmetric objects (CSOs). CSOs are distinguished by their prominent double structure and subkpc total size. It has been argued that the vast majority of high-luminosity CSOs (CSO 2s) represent a distinct class of active galactic nuclei with its own morphological structure and lifecycle. In this work, we present theoretical considerations regarding CSO 2s. We develop a semi-analytic evolutionary model, inspired by the results of large-scale numerical simulations of relativistic jets, that reproduces the features of the radio source population. We show that CSO 2s may be generated by finite energy injections and propose stellar tidal disruption events as a possible cause. We find that tidal disruption events of giant branch stars with masses ≳1 M⊙ can fuel these sources and discuss possible approaches to confirming this hypothesis. We predict that if the tidal disruption scenario holds, CSO 2s with sizes less than 400 pc should outnumber larger sources by more than a factor of 10. Our results motivate future numerical studies to determine whether the scenarios we consider for fuelling and source evolution can explain the observed radio morphologies. Multiwavelength observational campaigns directed at these sources will also provide critical insight into the origins of these objects, their environments, and their lifespans.

Impact of anisotropic ejecta on jet dynamics and afterglow emission in binary neutron-star mergers

ABSTRACT Binary neutron-stars mergers widely accepted as potential progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts. After the remnant of the merger has collapsed to a black hole, a jet is powered and may breakout from the the matter expelled during the collision and the subsequent wind emission. The interaction of the jet with the ejecta may affect its dynamics and the resulting electromagnetic counterparts. We here examine how an inhomogeneous and anisotropic distribution of ejecta affects such dynamics, dictating the properties of the jet-ejecta cocoon and of the afterglow radiated by the jet upon deceleration. More specifically, we carry out general-relativistic hydrodynamical simulations of relativistic jets launched within a variety of geometrically inhomogeneous and anisotropic distributions of ejected matter. We find that different anisotropies impact the variance of the afterglow light curves as a function of the jet luminosity and ejected mass. A considerable amount of the jet energy is deposited in the cocoon through the jet-ejecta interaction with a small but important dependence on the properties of the ejecta. Furthermore, all configurations show a two-component behaviour for the polar structure of the jet, with a narrow core at large energies and Lorentz factors and a shallow segment at high latitudes from the jet axis. Hence, afterglows measured on off-axis lines of sight could be used to deduce the properties of the ejected matter, but also that the latter need to be properly accounted for when modelling the afterglow signal and the jet-launching mechanisms.

Numerical simulations of relativistic jets

In this paper, we review recent and ongoing work by our group on numerical simulations of relativistic jets. Relativistic outflows in astrophysics are related to dilute, high energy plasmas, with physical conditions out of the reach of current laboratory capabilities. Simulations are thus imperative for the study of these objects. We present a number of such scenarios that have been studied by our group at the Universitat de València. In particular, we have focused on the evolution of extragalactic outflows through galactic and intergalactic environments, deceleration by interaction with stars or clouds or the propagation of jets in X-ray binaries and interaction with stellar winds from massive companions. All also share their role as particle acceleration sites and production of non-thermal radiation throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. Therefore, our work is not only aimed at understanding the impact of outflows on their environments and thus their role in galaxy and cluster evolution, but also the nature and capabilities of these sites as generators of high- and very-high-energy radiation and cosmic rays.

Particle Acceleration by Magnetic Reconnection in Relativistic Jets: The Transition from Small to Large Scales

Several MHD works, and, in particular, the recent one by Medina-Torrejón et al. based on three-dimensional MHD simulations of relativistic jets, have evidenced that particle acceleration by magnetic reconnection driven by the turbulence in the flow occurs from the resistive up to the large injection scale of the turbulence. Particles experience Fermi-type acceleration up to ultrahigh energies, predominantly of the parallel velocity component to the local magnetic field, in the reconnection layers in all scales due to the ideal electric fields of the background fluctuations (V × B, where V and B are the velocity and magnetic field of the fluctuations, respectively). In this work, we show MHD-particle-in-cell (MHD-PIC) simulations following the early stages of the particle acceleration in the relativistic jet, which confirm these previous results, demonstrating the strong potential of magnetic reconnection driven by turbulence to accelerate relativistic particles to extreme energies in magnetically dominated flows. Our results also show that the dynamical time variations of the background magnetic fields do not influence the acceleration of the particles in this process.

Simulation of polarized emission from recollimation shocks in relativistic jets

ABSTRACT This paper presents a method for obtaining synthetic images of linearly polarized synchrotron radiation from steady-state numerical simulations of relativistic jets, in which the magnetic field is assumed to be initially either partially or completely disordered. The method is based on the earlier work which characterized the deformation of the fluid using infinitessimal fluid elements that are initially cubic, and which evolve into parallelepipeds. The method is described for a range of models for the initial magnetic field, including ordered components that are axial, helical, and toroidal with a bi-directional axial component. The method is then applied to steady, axisymmetric simulations of initially overpressured jets and the initial results are discussed. Some characteristic patterns and trends in polarization angle are identified. Although the recollimation shocks that form in these jets are not clearly visible in the total intensity images presented here, arcs of strongly polarized emission associated with radial velocity gradients in the vicinity of the shock waves are seen, and might prove to be a useful diagnostic feature of this model.

Gravitational waves from the propagation of long gamma-ray burst jets

ABSTRACT Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are produced during the propagation of ultra-relativistic jets. It is challenging to study the jet close to the central source, due to the high opacity of the medium. In this paper, we present numerical simulations of relativistic jets propagating through a massive, stripped envelope star associated to long GRBs, breaking out of the star and accelerating into the circumstellar medium. We compute the gravitational wave (GW) signal resulting from the propagation of the jet through the star and the circumstellar medium. We show that key parameters of the jet propagation can be directly determined by the GW signal. The signal presents a first peak corresponding to the jet duration and a second peak which corresponds to the break-out time for an observer located close to the jet axis (which in turn depends on the stellar size), or to much larger times (corresponding to the end of the acceleration phase) for off-axis observers. We also show that the slope of the GW signal before and around the first peak tracks the jet luminosity history and the structure of the progenitor star. The amplitude of the GW signal is h+D ∼ hundreds to several thousands cm. Although this signal, for extragalactic sources, is outside the range of detectability of current GW detectors, it can be detected by future instruments as BBO, DECIGO, and ALIA. Our results illustrate that future detections of GW associated to GRB jets may represent a revolution in our understanding of this phenomenon.

Inhomogeneous Jets from Neutron Star Mergers: One Jet to Rule Them All

Using the resultant profiles from 3D hydrodynamic simulations of relativistic jets interacting with neutron star merger wind ejecta, we show how the inhomogeneity of energy and velocity across the jet surface profile can alter the observed afterglow lightcurve. We find that the peak afterglow flux depends sensitively on the observer’s line-of-sight, not only via the jet inclination but also through the jet rotation: for an observer viewing the afterglow within the GRB-bright jet core, we find a peak flux variability on the order <0.5 dex through rotational orientation and <1.3 dex for the polar inclination. An observed afterglow’s peak flux can be used to infer the jet kinetic energy, and where a top-hat jet is assumed, we find the range of inferred jet kinetic energies for our various model afterglow lightcurves (with fixed model parameters), covers ∼1/3 of the observed short GRB population. Additionally, we present an analytic jet structure function that includes physically motivated parameter uncertainties due to variability through the rotation of the source. An approximation for the change in collimation due to the merger ejecta mass is included and we show that by considering the observed range of merger ejecta masses from short GRB kilonova candidates, a population of merger jets with a fixed intrinsic jet energy is capable of explaining the observed broad diversity seen in short GRB afterglows.

Gamma: a new method for modelling relativistic hydrodynamics and non-thermal emission on a moving mesh

ABSTRACT In recent years, dynamical relativistic jet simulation techniques have progressed to a point where it is becoming possible to fully numerically resolve gamma-ray burst (GRB) blast-wave evolution across scales. However, the modelling of emission is currently lagging behind and limits our efforts to fully interpret the physics of GRBs. In this work we combine recent developments in moving-mesh relativistic dynamics with a local treatment of non-thermal emission in a new code: gamma. The code involves an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian approach only in the dominant direction of fluid motion that avoids mesh entanglement and associated computational costs. Shock detection, particle injection, and local calculation of their evolution including radiative cooling are done at runtime. Even though gamma has been designed with GRB physics applications in mind, it is modular such that new solvers and geometries can be implemented easily with a wide range of potential applications. In this paper, we demonstrate the validity of our approach and compute accurate broad-band GRB afterglow radiation from early to late times. Our results show that the spectral cooling break shifts by a factor of ∼40 compared to existing methods. Its temporal behaviour also significantly changes from the previously calculated temporary steep increase after the jet break. Instead, we find that the cooling break does not shift with time between the relativistic and Newtonian asymptotes when computed from our local algorithm. gamma is publicly available at: https://github.com/eliotayache/gamma.

Ray-tracing in relativistic jet simulations: A polarimetric study of magnetic field morphology and electron scaling relations

Context. The jets emanating from the centers of active galactic nuclei are among the most energetic objects in the Universe. Investigating how the morphology of the jet’s synchrotron emission depends on the magnetic nature of the jet’s relativistic plasma is fundamental to the comparison between numerical simulations of relativistic jets and their observed polarization. Aims. Through the use of 3D relativistic magnetohydrodynamic jet simulations (computed using the PLUTO code) we study how the synchrotron emission from a jet depends on the morphology of its magnetic field structure. Through the application of polarized radiative transfer and ray-tracing (via the RADMC-3D code), we create synthetic radio maps of the total intensity of a jet as well as the linearly and circularly polarized intensity for each jet simulation. Methods. In particular, we create synthetic ray-traced images of the polarized synchrotron emission from a jet when this latter carries a predominantly poloidal, helical, and toroidal magnetic field. We also explore several scaling relations in which the underlying electron power-law distribution is set proportional to: (i) the jet’s thermal plasma density, (ii) its internal energy density, and (iii) its magnetic energy density. Results. We find that: (i) the jet emission is edge-brightened when the magnetic field is toroidal in nature and spine brightened when the magnetic field is poloidal in nature; (ii) the circularly polarized emission exhibits both negative and positive sign for the toroidal magnetic field morphology at an inclination of i = 45° as well as i = 5°; and (iii) the relativistic jet’s emission is largely independent of different emission scaling relations when the ambient medium is excluded.

The Fate of the Merger Remnant in GW170817 and Its Imprint on the Jet Structure

Abstract The first neutron star binary merger detected in gravitational waves, GW170817, and the subsequent detection of its emission across the electromagnetic spectrum showed that these systems are viable progenitors of short γ-ray bursts (sGRB). The afterglow signal of GW170817 has been found to be consistent with a structured GRB jet seen off-axis, requiring significant amounts of relativistic material at large angles. This trait can be attributed to the interaction of the relativistic jet with the external wind medium. Here we perform numerical simulations of relativistic jets interacting with realistic wind environments in order to explore how the properties of the wind and central engine affect the structure of successful jets. We find that the angular energy distribution of the jet depends primarily on the ratio between the lifetime of the jet and the time it takes the merger remnant to collapse. We make use of these simulations to constrain the time it took for the merger remnant in GW170817 to collapse into a black hole based on the angular structure of the jet as inferred from afterglow observations. We conclude that the lifetime of the merger remnant in GW170817 was ≈1–1.7 s, which, after collapse, triggered the formation of the jet.

Simulating the dynamics and non-thermal emission of relativistic magnetized jets I. Dynamics

ABSTRACT We have performed magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of relativistic jets from supermassive blackholes over a few tens of kpc for a range of jet parameters. One of the primary aims was to investigate the effect of different MHD instabilities on the jet dynamics and their dependence on the choice of jet parameters. We find that two dominant MHD instabilities affect the dynamics of the jet, small-scale Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) modes and large-scale kink modes, whose evolution depends on internal jet parameters like the Lorentz factor, the ratio of the density and pressure to the external medium, and the magnetization and hence consequently on the jet power. Low power jets are susceptible to both instabilities, kink modes for jets with higher central magnetic field and KH modes for lower magnetization. Moderate power jets do not show appreciable growth of kink modes, but KH modes develop for lower magnetization. Higher power jets are generally stable to both instabilities. Such instabilities decelerate and decollimate the jet while inducing turbulence in the cocoon, with consequences on the magnetic field structure. We model the dynamics of the jets following a generalized treatment of the Begelman–Cioffi relations, which we present here. We find that the dynamics of stable jets match well with simplified analytic models of expansion of non-self-similar FRII jets, whereas jets with prominent MHD instabilities show a nearly self-similar evolution of the morphology as the energy is more evenly distributed between the jet head and the cocoon.

Numerical modelling of the lobes of radio galaxies in cluster environments – IV. Remnant radio galaxies

ABSTRACT We examine the remnant phase of radio galaxies using three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of relativistic jets propagating through cluster environments. By switching the jets off once the lobes have reached a certain length we can study how the energy distribution between the lobes and shocked intracluster medium compares to that of an active source, as well as calculate synchrotron emission properties of the remnant sources. We see that as a result of disturbed cluster gas beginning to settle back into the initial cluster potential, streams of dense gas are pushed along the jet axis behind the remnant lobes, causing them to rise out of the cluster faster than they would due to buoyancy. This leads to increased adiabatic losses and a rapid dimming. The rapid decay of total flux density and surface brightness may explain the small number of remnant sources found in samples with a high flux density limit and may cause analytic models to overestimate the remnant fraction expected in sensitive surveys such as those now being carried out with LOFAR.

Relativistic Jet Simulations of the Weibel Instability in the Slab Model to Cylindrical Jets with Helical Magnetic Fields

The particle-in-cell (PIC) method was developed to investigate microscopic phenomena, and with the advances in computing power, newly developed codes have been used for several fields, such as astrophysical, magnetospheric, and solar plasmas. PIC applications have grown extensively, with large computing powers available on supercomputers such as Pleiades and Blue Waters in the US. For astrophysical plasma research, PIC methods have been utilized for several topics, such as reconnection, pulsar dynamics, non-relativistic shocks, relativistic shocks, and relativistic jets. PIC simulations of relativistic jets have been reviewed with emphasis placed on the physics involved in the simulations. This review summarizes PIC simulations, starting with the Weibel instability in slab models of jets, and then focuses on global jet evolution in helical magnetic field geometry. In particular, we address kinetic Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities and mushroom instabilities.

Relativistic centrifugal instability

Abstract Near the central engine, many astrophysical jets are expected to rotate about their axis. Further out they are expected to go through the processes of reconfinement and recollimation. In both these cases, the flow streams along a concave surface and hence, it is subject to the centrifugal force. It is well known that such flows may experience the centrifugal instability (CFI), to which there are many laboratory examples. The recent computer simulations of relativistic jets from active galactic nuclei undergoing the process of reconfinement show that in such jets CFI may dominate over the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability associated with velocity shear (Gourgouliatos & Komissarov). In this letter, we generalize the Rayleigh criterion for CFI in rotating fluids to relativistic flows using a heuristic analysis. We also present the results of computer simulations which support our analytic criterion for the case of an interface separating two uniformly rotating cylindrical flows. We discuss the difference between CFI and the Rayleigh–Taylor instability in flows with curved streamlines.

Relativistic jet feedback – II. Relationship to gigahertz peak spectrum and compact steep spectrum radio galaxies

We propose that Gigahertz Peak Spectrum (GPS) and Compact Steep Spectrum (CSS) radio sources are the signposts of relativistic jet feedback in evolving galaxies. Our simulations of relativistic jets interacting with a warm, inhomogeneous medium, utilize cloud densities and velocity dispersions in the range derived from optical observations, show that free-free absorption can account for the $\sim \rm GHz$ peak frequencies and low frequency power laws inferred from the radio observations. These new computational models replace the power-law model for the free-free optical depth in the \citep{bicknell97a} model by a more fundamental model involving disrupted log-normal distributions of warm gas. One feature of our new models is that at early stages, the low frequency spectrum is steep but progressively flattens as a result of a broader distribution of optical depths, suggesting that the steep low frequency spectra discovered by \citet{callingham17a} may possibly be attributed to young sources. We also investigate the inverse correlation between peak frequency and size and find that the initial location on this correlation is determined by the average density of the warm ISM. The simulated sources track this correlation initially but eventually fall below it, indicating the need for a more extended ISM than presently modelled. GPS and CSS sources can potentially provide new insights into the phenomenon of AGN feedback since their peak frequencies and spectra are indicative of the density, turbulent structure and distribution of gas in the host galaxy.

Substructures in Simulations of Relativistic Jet Formation

We present a set of simulations of relativistic jets from accretion disk initial setup with numerical solutions of a system of general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) partial differential equations in a fixed black hole (BH) spacetime which is able to show substructures formations inside the jet as well as lobe formation on the jet head. For this, we used a central scheme of finite volume method without dimensional split and with no Riemann solvers namely the Nessyahu-Tadmor method. Thus, we were able to obtain stable numerical solutions with spurious oscillations under control and with no excessive numerical dissipation. Therefore, we developed some setups for initial conditions capable of simulating the formation of relativistic jets from the accretion disk falling onto central black hole until its ejection, both immersed in a magnetosphere. In our simulations, we were able to observe some substructure of a jet created from an accretion initial disk, namely, jet head, knots, cocoon, and lobe. Also, we present an explanation for cocoon formation and lobe formation. Each initial scenario was determined by ratio between disk density and magnetosphere density, showing that this relation is very important for the shape of the jet and its substructures.

Three-dimensional relativistic MHD simulations of active galactic nuclei jets: magnetic kink instability and Fanaroff–Riley dichotomy

Abstract Energy deposition by active galactic nuclei jets into the ambient medium can affect galaxy formation and evolution, the cooling of gas flows at the centres of galaxy clusters, and the growth of the supermassive black holes. However, the processes that couple jet power to the ambient medium and determine jet morphology are poorly understood. For instance, there is no agreement on the cause of the well-known Fanaroff–Riley (FR) morphological dichotomy of jets, with FRI jets being shorter and less stable than FRII jets. We carry out global 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations of relativistic jets propagating through the ambient medium. We show that the flat density profiles of galactic cores slow down and collimate the jets, making them susceptible to the 3D magnetic kink instability. We obtain a critical power, which depends on the galaxy core mass and radius, below which jets become kink-unstable within the core, stall, and inflate cavities filled with relativistically hot plasma. Jets above the critical power stably escape the core and form powerful backflows. Thus, the kink instability controls the jet morphology and can lead to the FR dichotomy. The model-predicted dependence of the critical power on the galaxy optical luminosity agrees well with observations.

Large-scale jets from active galactic nuclei as a source of intracluster medium heating: cavities and shocks

The evolution of powerful extragalactic jets is not only interesting by itself, but also for its impact on the evolution of the host galaxy and its surroundings. We have performed long-term axisymmetric numerical simulations of relativistic jets with different powers to study their evolution through an environment with a pressure and density gradient. Our results show key differences in the evolution of jets with different powers in terms of the spatial and temporal scales of energy deposition. According to our results, the observed morphology in X-ray cavities requires that an important fraction of the jet's energetic budget is in the form of internal energy. Thus, light, lepton-dominated jets are favoured. In all cases, heating is mainly produced by shocks. Cavity overpressure is sustained by an important population of thermal particles. Our simulations reproduce the cool-core structure in projected, luminosity-weighted temperature. We have performed an additional simulation of a slow, massive jet and discuss the differences with its relativistic counterparts. Important qualitative and quantitative differences are found between the non-relativistic and the relativistic jets. Our conclusions point towards a dual-mode of AGN kinetic feedback, depending on the jet power.

OBSERVATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF GAMMA-RAY BURST AFTERGLOW JET SIMULATIONS AND NUMERICAL LIGHT CURVE CALCULATIONS

We discuss jet dynamics for narrow and wide gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow jets and the observational implications of numerical simulations of relativistic jets in two dimensions. We confirm earlier numerical results that sideways expansion of relativistic jets during the bulk of the afterglow emission phase is logarithmic in time and find that this also applies to narrow jets with half opening angle of 0.05 radians. As a result, afterglow jets remain highly nonspherical until after they have become nonrelativistic. Although sideways expansion steepens the afterglow light curve after the jet break, the jet edges becoming visible dominates the jet break, which means that the jet break is sensitive to the observer angle even for narrow jets. Failure to take the observer angle into account can lead to an overestimation of the jet energy by up to a factor 4. This weakens the challenge posed to the magneter energy limit by extreme events such as GRB090926A. Late time radio calorimetry based on a spherical nonrelativistic outflow model remains relevant when the observer is approximately on-axis and where differences of a few in flux level between the model and the simulation are acceptable. However, this does not imply sphericity of the outflow and therefore does not translate to high observer angles relevant to orphan afterglows. For more accurate calorimetry and in order to model significant late time features such as the rise of the counterjet, detailed jet simulations remain indispensable.

Magnetic field structure of relativistic jets without current sheets

We present an analytical class of equilibrium solutions for the structure of relativistic sheared and rotating magnetized jets that contain no boundary current sheets. We demonstrate the overall dynamical stability of these solutions and, most importantly, a better numerical resistive stability than the commonly employed force-free structures which inevitably require the presence of dissipative surface currents. The jet is volumetrically confined by the external pressure, with no pressure gradient on the surface. We calculate the expected observed properties of such jets. Given the simplicity of these solution we suggest them as useful initial conditions for relativistic jet simulations.