Vol. 659
4. Extragalactic astronomy

Making Faranoff-Riley I radio sources. III. The effects of the magnetic field on relativistic jets’ propagation and source morphologies

The authors present a remarkable series of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the propagation of mildly relativistic jets on the tens of kiloparsec scales covering the power range of both Fanaroff-Riley types. Their three-dimensional models are compared with observed jet morphologies and length scales with considerable success. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the visualization is how the inferred jet properties depend on the viewing angle and how they change over time as the core continues to power the flow (be sure to watch the animations). A further result, which should serve as inspiration to observers, is that despite being imbedded in a spherically symmetric environment, one set of models shows small fluctuations that morph into large-scale bending. This disrupts the flow, generates turbulent structures, and the jets transition between morphological classes.