THE STRUCTURE OF THE M87 JET: A TRANSITION FROM PARABOLIC TO CONICAL STREAMLINES
THE STRUCTURE OF THE M87 JET: A TRANSITION FROM PARABOLIC TO CONICAL STREAMLINES
复制标题
DOI：
10.1088/2041-8205/745/2/l28
复制
发表时间：
2012-02-01
影响因子：
7.9
通讯作者：
Nakamura, Masanori
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Asada, Keiichi;Nakamura, Masanori
利用欧洲VLBI网络、MERLIN和甚长基线阵列拍摄的图像，对M87喷流的结构进行了从毫角秒到角秒尺度的广泛研究。我们发现，射流保持抛物线流线的范围内的大小规模等于105倍的史瓦西半径。然后，射流在更远的下游处转变成圆锥形。这表明磁流体动力学喷流最初受到外部气体的约束，而外部气体受超大质量黑洞引力的影响。然后，射流以圆锥形状自由膨胀。这种几何过渡表明，HST-1复合体的起源可能是射流过准直的结果。我们的结果表明，当未来的亚毫米甚长基线干涉测量实验提供更高的角分辨率时，我们将能够探索活动星系核喷流的起源。
The structure of the M87 jet, from milliarcsecond to arcsecond scales, is extensively investigated, utilizing the images taken with the European VLBI Network, MERLIN, and Very Long Baseline Array. We discover that the jet maintains a parabolic streamline over a range in size scale equal to 105 times the Schwarzschild radius. The jet then transitions into a conical shape farther downstream. This suggests that the magnetohydrodynamic jet is initially subjected to the confinement by the external gas which is dominated by the gravitational influence of the supermassive black hole. Afterward the jet then freely expands with a conical shape. This geometrical transition indicates that the origin of the HST-1 complex may be a consequence of the overcollimation of the jet. Our result suggests that when even higher angular resolution is provided by a future submillimeter very long baseline interferometry experiments, we will be able to explore the origin of active galactic nucleus jets.