We study the evolution of kink instability in a force-free, non-rotating plasma column of high magnetization. The main dissipation mechanism is identified as reconnection of magnetic field-lines with various intersection angles, driven by the compression of the growing kink lobes. We measure dissipation rates ${\rm d} U_{Bϕ}/{{\rm d}t} \approx -0.1 U_{Bϕ}/τ$, where $τ$ is the linear growth time of the kink instability. This value is consistent with the expansion velocity of the kink mode, which drives the reconnection. The relaxed state is close to a force-free Taylor state. We constraint the energy of that state using considerations from linear stability analysis. Our results are important for understanding magnetic field dissipation in various extreme astrophysical objects, most notably in relativistic jets. We outline the evolution of the kink instability in such jets and derive constrains on the conditions that allow for the kink instability to grow in these systems.
Relativistic jets are highly collimated plasma outflows emerging from accreting black holes. They are launched with a significant amount of magnetic energy, which can be dissipated to accelerate nonthermal particles and give rise to electromagnetic radiation at larger scales. Kink instabilities can be an efficient mechanism to trigger dissipation of jet magnetic energy. While previous works have studied the conditions required for the growth of kink instabilities in relativistic jets, the radiation signatures of these instabilities have not been investigated in detail. In this paper, we aim to…
This paper presents a simple model of polarisation rotation in optically thin relativistic jets of blazars. The model is based on the development of helical (kink) mode of current-driven instability. A possible explanation is suggested for the observational connection between polarisation rotations and optical/gamma-ray flares in blazars, if the current-driven modes are triggered by secular increases of the total jet power. The importance of intrinsic depolarisation in limiting the amplitude of coherent polarisation rotations is demonstrated. The polarisation rotation amplitude is thus very se…
Relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei (AGN) convert as much as half of their energy into radiation. To explore the poorly understood processes that are responsible for this conversion, we carry out fully 3D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of relativistic magnetized jets. Unlike the standard approach of injecting the jets at large radii, our simulated jets self-consistently form at the source and propagate and accelerate outward for several orders of magnitude in distance before they interact with the ambient medium. We find that this interaction can trigger strong energy dissipatio…
In the paradigm of magnetic acceleration of relativistic jets, one of the key points is identifying a viable mechanism to convert the Poynting flux into the kinetic energy of the plasma beyond equipartition. A promising candidate is the kink instability, which deforms the body of the jet through helical perturbations. Since the detailed structure of real jets is unknown, we explore a large family of cylindrical, force-free equilibria to get robust conclusions. We find that the growth rate of the instability depends primarily on two parameters: (i) the gradient of the poloidal magnetic field; (…
We analyze the evolution of current driven kink instabilities of a highly magnetized relativistic plasma column, focusing in particular on its dissipation properties. The instability evolution leads to the formation of thin current sheets where the magnetic energy is dissipated. We find that the total amount of dissipated magnetic energy is independent of the dissipation properties. Dissipation occurs in two stages: a peak when the instability saturates, which is characterized by the formation of a helicoidal current sheet at the boundary of the deformed plasma column, followed by a weaker alm…
Using the three-dimensional relativistic magnetohydrodynamic code RAISHIN, we investigated the influence of radial density profile on the spatial development of the current-driven kink instability along magnetized rotating, relativistic jets. For the purpose of our study, we used a non-periodic computational box, the jet flow is initially established across the computational grid, and a precessional perturbation at the inlet triggers the growth of the kink instability. We studied light as well as heavy jets with respect to the environment depending on the density profile. Different angular vel…
We investigate with relativistic MHD simulations the dissipation physics of BL Lac jets, by studying the synchrotron polarization signatures of particles accelerated by the kink instability in a magnetically-dominated plasma column. The nonlinear stage of the kink instability generates current sheets, where particles can be efficiently accelerated via magnetic reconnection. We identify current sheets as regions where s = J d/B is above some predefined threshold (where B is the field strength, J the current density and d the grid scale), and assume that the particle injection efficiency scales …
We investigate the launching and stability of extragalactic jets through nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation and linear eigenmode analysis. In the simulations of jet evolution, a small-scale equilibrium magnetic arcade is twisted by a differentially rotating accretion disk. These simulations produce a collimated outflow which is unstable to the current driven m=1 kink mode for low rotational velocities of the accretion disk relative to the Alfven speed of the coronal plasma. The growth rate of the kink mode in the jet is shown to be inversely related to the rotation rate of the disk…
Magnetized jets in GRBs and AGNs are thought to be efficient accelerators of particles, however, the process responsible for the acceleration is still a matter of active debate. In this work, we study the kink-instability in non-rotating force-free jets using first-principle particle-in-cell simulations. We obtain similar overall evolution of the instability as found in MHD simulations. The instability first generates large scale current sheets, which at later times break up into small-scale turbulence. Reconnection in these sheets proceeds in the strong guide field regime, which results in a …
Relativistic AGN jets exhibit multi-timescale variability and a broadband non-thermal spectrum extending from radio to gamma-rays. These highly magnetized jets are prone to undergo several Magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities during their propagation in space and could trigger jet radiation and particle acceleration. This work aims to study the implications of relativistic kink mode instability on the observed long-term variability in the context of the twisting in-homogeneous jet model. To achieve this, we investigate the physical configurations preferable for forming kink mode instabilit…
Relativistic magnetized jets from active galaxies are among the most powerful cosmic accelerators, but their particle acceleration mechanisms remain a mystery. We present a new acceleration mechanism associated with the development of the helical kink instability in relativistic jets, which leads to the efficient conversion of the jet's magnetic energy into nonthermal particles. Large-scale three-dimensional ab initio simulations reveal that the formation of highly tangled magnetic fields and a large-scale inductive electric field throughout the kink-unstable region promotes rapid energization…
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 p…
In a prior paper (Kim et al. 2015) we considered the linear stability of magnetized jets that carry no net electric current and do not have current sheets. In this paper, in addition to physically well-motivated magnetic field structures, we also include the effects of jet shear. The jets we study have finite thermal pressure in addition to having realistic magnetic field structures and velocity shear. We find that shear has a strongly stabilizing effect on various modes of jet instability. Increasing shear stabilizes the fundamental pinch modes at long wavelengths and short wavelengths. Incre…
Particle acceleration in magnetized relativistic jets still puzzles theorists, specially when one tries to explain the highly variable emission observed in blazar jets or gamma-ray bursts putting severe constraints on current models. In this work we investigate the acceleration of particles injected in a three-dimensional relativistic magnetohydrodynamical jet subject to current driven kink instability (CDKI), which drives turbulence and fast magnetic reconnection. Test protons injected in the nearly stationary snapshots of the jet, experience an exponential acceleration up to a maximum energy…
In this paper we consider stability of magnetized jets that carry no net electric current and do not have current sheets (Gourgouliatos et al. 2012). The non-relativistic MHD equations are linearized around the background velocity and the magnetic field structure of the jet. The resulting linear equations are solved numerically inside the jet. We find that introduction of current-sheet-free magnetic field significantly improves jet stability relative to unmagnetized jets or magnetized jets with current sheets at their surface. This particularly applies to the fundamental pinch and kink modes -…
We perform 3D relativistic ideal MHD simulations to study the collisions between high-$σ$ (Poynting-flux-dominated) blobs which contain both poloidal and toroidal magnetic field components. This is meant to mimic the interactions inside a highly variable Poynting-flux-dominated jet. We discover a significant electromagnetic field (EMF) energy dissipation with an Alfvénic rate with the efficiency around 35\%. Detailed analyses show that this dissipation is mostly facilitated by the collision-induced magnetic reconnection. Additional resolution and parameter studies show a robust result that the…
Relativistic jets naturally occur in astrophysical systems that involve accretion onto compact objects, such as core collapse of massive stars in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and accretion onto supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGN). It is generally accepted that these jets are powered electromagnetically, by the magnetised rotation of a central compact object. However, how they produce the observed emission and survive the propagation for many orders of magnitude in distance without being disrupted by current-driven non-axisymmetric instabilities is the subject of active debate. …
We investigate the self-consistent particle acceleration physics associated with the development of the kink instability (KI) in nonrelativistic, electron-ion plasma jets. Using 3D fully kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, we show that the KI efficiently converts the initial toroidal magnetic field energy into energetic ions. The accelerated ions form a nonthermal power-law tail in the energy spectrum, containing $\simeq10\%$ of the initial magnetic field energy, and with the maximum ion energy extending to the confinement energy of the jet. We find that the ions are efficiently accele…
Dissipation and particle acceleration in astrophysical jets with velocity and magnetic shear: Interaction of Kelvin-Helmholtz and Drift-Kink Instabilities
We have investigated the influence of velocity shear and a radial density profile on the spatial development of the current driven kink instability along helically magnetized relativistic jets via three-dimensional relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations. In this study, we use a non-periodic computational box, the jet flow is initially established across the computational grid, and a precessional perturbation at the inlet triggers growth of the kink instability. If the velocity shear radius is located inside the characteristic radius of the helical magnetic field, a static non-propagating…
Kink instabilities are likely to occur in the current-carrying magnetized plasma jets. Recent observations of the blazar radiation and polarization signatures suggest that the blazar emission region may be considerably magnetized. While the kink instability has been studied with first-principle magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations, the corresponding time-dependent radiation and polarization signatures have not been investigated. In this paper, we perform comprehensive polarization-dependent radiation modeling of the kink instability in the blazar emission region based on relativistic MHD (RMH…
We have performed magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of relativistic jets from supermassive blackholes over a few tens of kpc for a range of jet parameters. One of the primary aims were 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 depend on internal jet parameters like the Lorentz factor, the ratio of the density and pressure to the external medium and …
Dissipation and particle acceleration at intermittent structures with velocity and magnetic shear: Interaction of Kelvin-Helmholtz and Drift-Kink instabilities
The dissipation of energy flux in blazar jets plays a key role in the acceleration of relativistic particles. Two possibilities are commonly considered for the dissipation processes, magnetic reconnection -- possibly triggered by instabilities in magnetically-dominated jets -- , or shocks -- for weakly magnetized flows. We consider the polarimetric features expected for the two scenarios analyzing the results of state-of-the-art simulations. For the magnetic reconnection scenario we conclude, using results from global relativistic MHD simulations, that the emission likely occurs in turbulent r…
In our prior papers, we considered the non-relativistic linear stability analysis of magnetized jets that do not have current sheet at the boundary. In this paper, we extend our analysis to relativistic jets. In order to find the unstable modes of current sheet-free, magnetized relativistic jets, we linearize full relativistic magnetohydrodynamics equations and solve them numerically. We find the dispersion relation of the pinch and kink mode instabilities. By comparing the dispersion relations of mildly relativistic jet (Lorentz factor 2) with moderately relativistic jet (Lorentz factor 10), …
We calculate the dissipation efficiency of relativistic reconfinement shocks. Building on previous work (Nalewajko & Sikora 2009), we consider different distributions of the external pressure. The average dissipation efficiency epsilon_diss is a function of the product of two parameters - the jet Lorentz factor Gamma_j and the reconfinement angle Theta_r, which is related to the opening angle Theta_j and the external pressure index eta. The spatial distribution of the dissipation rate strongly depends on eta. We discuss the significance of these results for the properties of relativistic jets …
We present results from 2.5-dimensional Particle-in-Cell simulations of the interaction of nonlinear Alfven waves with thin current sheets in relativistic plasmas. We find that the Alfven waves cause the current sheet to bend and kink and increase its dissipation. The electrons are eventually heated to form a double Maxwellian, with the hotter Maxwellian caused by the current sheet dissipation and cooler Maxwellian caused by the Alfven turbulence cascade. These results may have important implications for the kinetic dissipation of MHD turbulence in which both nonlinear Alfven waves and current…
Relativistic jets associated with active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts propagate over huge distances without significant loss of momentum. At the same time they are bright emitters, which is indicative of strong energy dissipation. This points towards a mechanism of internal dissipation which does not result in a global disruption of the flow. One possibility is internal shocks and another one is turbulence driven by local instabilities. Such instabilities can be triggered when a freely expanding jet is reconfined by either the cocoon or external gas pressure. In this paper we study the…
Effects of Ambient Medium Profiles on the Evolution of Relativistic Magnetized Jets
Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University（同济大学李政道研究所）；School of Physics & Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University（上海交通大学物理与天文学院）；Key Laboratory for Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology (MOE), Shanghai Key Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University（上海交通大学粒子物理、天体物理与宇宙学教育部重点实验室）
An internal shock model is proposed to interpret the radio to infrared (IR) emission of the compact jets observed in the hard spectral state of X-ray binaries. Assuming that the specific bulk Lorentz factor of the jet at its base varies with a flicker noise power spectrum (i.e. P(f)~1/f), I estimate the energy dissipation profile along the jet and the resulting partially self-absorbed synchrotron emission. For this type of velocity fluctuations, and a conical jet geometry, the shock dissipation at large distance from the black hole balances exactly the adiabatic losses. This leads to a flat ra…
We have investigated the influence of jet rotation and differential motion on the linear and nonlinear development of the current-driven (CD) kink instability of force-free helical magnetic equilibria via three-dimensional relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations. In this study, we follow the temporal development within a periodic computational box. Displacement of the initial helical magnetic field leads to the growth of the CD kink instability. We find that, in accord with linear stability theory, the development of the instability depends on the lateral distribution of the poloidal magn…
Diverging supersonic flows are accelerating, as in the case of a de Laval nozzle, and the same concept has been applied for acceleration of magnetohydrodynamic flows in the universe. Here, we study the dynamics of "non-diverging" cylindrical supersonic flows and show that they can be accelerated by effects of radiative cooling and the tangled magnetic field. In addition to radiative cooling of the jet materials (cooling effect), conversion of the ordered magnetic field into the turbulent one (conversion effect) and dissipation of the turbulent magnetic field (dissipation effect) are formulated…
Time-dependent photospheric radiative transfer in structured GRB jets: spectral evolution and polarization diagnostics
Nanchang University（南昌大学）；Henan Institute for Drug and Medical Device Control (Henan Vaccine Issuance Center)（河南省药品医疗器械检验研究院（河南省疫苗发放中心））；Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.（上海强生制药有限公司）
Bridging relativistic jets from black hole scales to long-term electromagnetic radiation distances: A moving-mesh general relativistic hydrodynamics code with the HLLC Riemann solver
We propose a simple analytical jet model of magnetic jets, in which radially-averaged profiles of main physical quantities are obtained based on conservation laws and some results of published GRMHD jet simulations. We take into account conversion of the magnetic energy flux to bulk acceleration in jets formed around rotating black holes assuming the mass continuity equation and constant jet power, which leads to the Bernoulli equation. For assumed profiles of the bulk Lorentz factor and the radius, this gives us the profile of the toroidal magnetic field component along the jet. We then consi…
We study the structures of ultra-relativistic jets injected into the intracluster medium (ICM) and the associated flow dynamics, such as shocks, velocity shear, and turbulence, through three-dimensional relativistic hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations. To that end, we have developed a high-order accurate RHD code, equipped with a weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme and a realistic equation of state (Seo et al. 2021, Paper I). Using the code, we explore a set of jet models with the parameters relevant to FR-II radio galaxies. We confirm that the overall jet morphology is primarily det…
Ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) may be produced in active galactic nuclei (AGN) or gamma-ray burst (GRB) jets. I argue that magnetic reconnection in jets can accelerate UHECRs rather independently of physical processes in the magnetic dissipation region. First order Fermi acceleration can efficiently take place in the region where the unreconnected (upstream) magnetized fluid converges into the reconnection layer. I find that protons can reach energies up to E~10^{20} eV in GRB and powerful AGN jets while iron nuclei can reach similar energies in AGN jets of more moderate luminosity.
A recent progress in the study of $γ$-ray jets is reviewed, with a focus on some theoretical interpretations of the VHE emission from M87, and possibly other misaligned blazars; the connection betwe en the GeV breaks exhibited by bright LAT blazars and opacity sources in the broad line region; the consequences of the detection of GeV emission from GRBs to models of magnetic outf lows; and the implications of the thermal emission observed is some GRBs to dissipation of the outflow bulk energy.
The ubiquitous relativistic jet phenomena associated with black holes play a major role in high and very-high-energy (VHE) astrophysics. In particular, observations have demonstrated that blazars show VHE emission with time-variability from days (in the GeV band) to minutes (in the TeV band), implying very compact emission regions. The real mechanism able to explain the particle acceleration process responsible for this emission is still debated, but magnetic reconnection has been lately discussed as a strong potential candidate and, in some circumstances, as the only possible one. In this wor…
Black-hole driven relativistic astrophysical jets, such as blazars and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), are powerful sources of electromagnetic radiation. Their emission is powered by some energy dissipation and particle acceleration mechanism operating in-situ at large distances from the black hole. We propose that the formation of the dissipative structures in the jet is controlled by the time variability of the accretion disc. We argue that the open magnetic field lines through the black hole, which drive a strongly magnetized jet, may have their polarity reversing over time-scales related to the g…
Guide-Field-mediated Multiscale Instabilities in Relativistic Reconnection
KU Leuven（荷语鲁汶大学）；Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy（比利时皇家空间气科学研究院）；Dartmouth College（达特茅斯学院）；University of Maryland（马里兰大学）；Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics（加拿大理论天体物理研究所）
A 3D simulation of a non-relativistic, magnetically driven jet propagating in a stratified atmosphere is presented, covering about three decades in distance and two decades in sideways expansion. The simulation captures the jet acceleration through the critical surfaces and the development of (kink-)instabilities driven by the free energy in the toroidal magnetic field component. The instabilities destroy the ordered helical structure of the magnetic field, dissipating the toroidal field energy on a length scale of about 2-15 times the Alfven distance. We compare the results with a 2.5D (axisy…
We consider a two-parameter family of cylindrical force-free equilibria, modeled to match numerical simulations of relativistic force-free jets. We study the linear stability of these equilibria, assuming a rigid impenetrable wall at the outer cylindrical radius R_j. We find that equilibria in which the Lorentz factor γ(R) increases monotonically with increasing radius R are stable. On the other hand, equilibria in which γ(R) reaches a maximum value at an intermediate radius and then declines to a smaller value γ_j at R_j are unstable. The most rapidly growing mode is an m=1 kink instability w…
Models invoking magnetic reconnection as the particle acceleration mechanism within relativistic jets often adopt a gradual energy dissipation profile within the jet. However, such a profile has yet to be reproduced in first-principles simulations. Here, we perform a suite of 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of post-neutron star merger disks with an initially purely toroidal magnetic field. We explore the variations in both the microphysics (e.g., nuclear recombination, neutrino emission) and system parameters (e.g., disk mass). In all our simulations, we find the format…
We carry out an extensive linear stability analysis of magnetized cylindrical jets in a global framework. Foregoing the commonly invoked force-free limit, we focus on the small-scale, internal instabilities triggered in regions of the jet dominated by a toroidal magnetic field, with a weak vertical field and finite thermal pressure gradient. Such regions are likely to occur far from the jet source and boundaries, and are potential sites of magnetic energy dissipation that is essential to explain the particle acceleration and radiation observed from astrophysical jets. We validate the local sta…
Relativistic magnetized jets, such as those from AGN, GRBs and XRBs, are susceptible to current- and pressure-driven MHD instabilities that can lead to particle acceleration and non-thermal radiation. Here we investigate the development of these instabilities through 3D kinetic simulations of cylindrically symmetric equilibria involving toroidal magnetic fields with electron-positron pair plasma. Generalizing recent treatments by Alves et al. (2018) and Davelaar et al. (2020), we consider a range of initial structures in which the force due to toroidal magnetic field is balanced by a combinati…
Prompt gamma-ray burst (GRB) emission requires some mechanism to dissipate an ultrarelativistic jet. Internal shocks or some form of electromagnetic dissipation are candidate mechanisms. Any mechanism needs to answer basic questions, such as what is the origin of variability, what radius does dissipation occur at, and how does efficient prompt emission occur. These mechanisms also need to be consistent with how ultrarelativistic jets form and stay baryon pure despite turbulence and electromagnetic reconnection near the compact object and despite stellar entrainment within the collapsar model. …
We have investigated the relaxation of a hydrostatic hot plasma column containing toroidal magnetic field by the Current-Driven (CD) kink instability as a model of pulsar wind nebulae. In our simulations the CD kink instability is excited by a small initial velocity perturbation and develops turbulent structure inside the hot plasma column. We demonstrate that, as envisioned by Begelman, the hoop stress declines and the initial gas pressure excess near the axis decreases. The magnetization parameter σ, the ratio of the Poynting to the kinetic energy flux, declines from an initial value of 0.3 …
Accretion onto the supermassive black hole in some active galactic nuclei (AGN) drives relativistic jets of plasma, which dissipate a significant fraction of their kinetic energy into gamma-ray radiation. The location of energy dissipation in powerful extragalactic jets is currently unknown, with implications for particle acceleration, jet formation, jet collimation, and energy dissipation. Previous studies have been unable to constrain the location between possibilities ranging from the sub-parsec-scale broad-line region to the parsec-scale molecular torus, and beyond. Here we show using a si…
