Where Centaurus A gets its X-ray knottiness
D.M. Worrall, M. Birkinshaw, R.P. Kraft, G.R. Sivakoff, A. Jordan,, M.J. Hardcastle, N.J. Brassington, J.H. Croston, D.A. Evans, W.R. Forman,, W.E. Harris, C. Jones, A.M. Juett, S.S. Murray, P.E.J. Nulsen, S., Raychaudhury, C.L. Sarazin, K.A. Woodley
TL;DR
This study analyzes the transverse X-ray spectral structure of the Centaurus A jet, revealing spectral steepening with distance from the axis, likely caused by knot migration indicating transverse motion within the jet flow.
Contribution
It provides new insights into the jet's knotty structure and suggests a novel explanation involving knot migration and transverse motion, challenging previous surface feature models.
Findings
Spectral steepening with distance from jet axis
Knot migration as a cause of spectral changes
Evidence for transverse motion of knots
Abstract
We report an X-ray spectral study of the transverse structure of the Centaurus A jet using new data from the Chandra Cen A Very Large Project. We find that the spectrum steepens with increasing distance from the jet axis, and that this steepening can be attributed to a change in the average spectrum of the knotty emission. Such a trend is unexpected if the knots are predominantly a surface feature residing in a shear layer between faster and slower flows. We suggest that the spectral steepening of the knot emission as a function of distance from the jet axis is due to knot migration, implying a component of transverse motion of knots within the flow.
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