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Title:
Instabilities in astrophysical jets. II - Numerical simulations of slab jets
Authors:
Zhao, Jun-Hui; Burns, Jack O.; Norman, Michael L.; Sulkanen, Martin E.
Affiliation:
AA(National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro; New Mexico, University, Albuquerque), AB(New Mexico State University, Las Cruces), AC(National Center for Supercomputing Applications; Illinois, University, Urbana), AD(NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL)
Publication:
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 387, March 1, 1992, p. 83-94. Research supported by University of New Mexico. (ApJ Homepage)
Publication Date:
03/1992
Category:
Astrophysics
Origin:
STI
NASA/STI Keywords:
COMPUTATIONAL ASTROPHYSICS, GALACTIC CLUSTERS, SHOCK WAVE INTERACTION, SUPERSONIC JET FLOW, MACH NUMBER, PERTURBATION THEORY, RADIO TELESCOPES, SHOCK WAVE PROPAGATION, SURFACE WAVES, VERY LARGE ARRAY (VLA)
DOI:
10.1086/171062
Bibliographic Code:
1992ApJ...387...83Z

Abstract

Numerical simulations of an unstable supersonic slab-symmetric jet are described. The instabilities within the jet are characterized by growing internal body waves and their coupled surface waves that are also predicted in linear perturbation theory. The characteristic theory of fluid dynamics is used to help interpret the wave morphologies. It is demonstrated that these waves can be excited by imposing an arbitrary disturbance. From the numerical simulations, it is found that the sound waves propagating against the flow slow down as they propagate outward, and they grow in amplitude. These waves eventually disrupt the jet at a certain length. This disruption length is related to the jet Mach number and the perturbation intensity. Thus, the Mach number of a jet observed with a radio telescope can be estimated by measuring the disruption length and estimating the perturbation intensity. The jet Mach numbers in radio tailed sources determined in this way agree quite well with estimates from ram pressure bending arguments. The wiggles and flares observed in many extragalactic jets, especially in tailed radio sources, appear to be intimately related to instabilities and the jet disruption process.

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