Two-component jet simulations: Combining analytical and numerical approaches

TL;DR

This paper develops and analyzes two-component jet models for young stellar objects by combining analytical disk and stellar wind solutions, studying their evolution, interactions, and resulting observable features.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to construct and simulate two-component jets by mixing analytical solutions, exploring their dynamics and observable structures.

Findings

Simulations reach steady states similar to initial solutions.

Flow fluctuations produce condensations resembling observed jet knots.

Time variability has limited impact on overall jet dynamics.

Abstract

Recent observations as well as theoretical studies of YSO jets suggest the presence of two steady components: a disk wind type outflow needed to explain the observed high mass loss rates and a stellar wind type outflow probably accounting for the observed stellar spin down. In this framework, we construct numerical two-component jet models by properly mixing an analytical disk wind solution with a complementary analytically derived stellar outflow. Their combination is controlled by both spatial and temporal parameters, in order to address different physical conditions and time variable features. We study the temporal evolution and the interaction of the two jet components on both small and large scales. The simulations reach steady state configurations close to the initial solutions. Although time variability is not found to considerably affect the dynamics, flow fluctuations generate condensations, whose large scale structures have a strong resemblance to observed YSO jet knots.