The Influence of Helical Magnetic Fields in the Dynamics and Emission of Relativistic Jets

TL;DR

This paper uses numerical simulations to explore how helical magnetic fields influence the behavior and emission features of relativistic jets in Active Galactic Nuclei, especially focusing on stationary shock components.

Contribution

It demonstrates that jet magnetization levels affect the brightness of stationary emission features, linking magnetic field strength to observable jet characteristics.

Findings

Brighter recollimation shock knots are associated with lower magnetization.

Jets with stationary components likely have magnetic fields at or below equipartition.

Magnetic field strength influences the emission and dynamics of relativistic jets.

Abstract

We present numerical relativistic magnetohydrodynamic and emission simulations aimed to study the role played by the magnetic field in the dynamics and emission of relativistic jets in Active Galactic Nuclei. We focus our analysis on the study of the emission from recollimation shocks since they may provide an interpretation for the stationary components seen at parsec-scales in multiple sources. We show that the relative brightness of the knots associated with the recollimation shocks decreases with increasing jet magnetization, suggesting that jets presenting stationary components may have a relatively weak magnetization, with magnetic fields of the order of equipartition or below.