Magnetic field structure of relativistic jets without current sheets

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new class of analytical equilibrium solutions for relativistic magnetized jets that lack boundary current sheets, demonstrating their stability and potential as initial conditions for simulations.

Contribution

The authors present a novel analytical model of relativistic jets without boundary current sheets, improving numerical resistive stability over previous force-free models.

Findings

Solutions are dynamically stable.

Jets are volumetrically confined with no surface pressure gradient.

Suitable as initial conditions for simulations.

Abstract

We present an analytical class of equilibrium solutions for the structure of relativistic sheared and rotating magnetized jets that contain no boundary current sheets. We demonstrate the overall dynamical stability of these solutions and, most importantly, a better numerical resistive stability than the commonly employed force-free structures which inevitably require the presence of dissipative surface currents. The jet is volumetrically confined by the external pressure, with no pressure gradient on the surface. We calculate the expected observed properties of such jets. Given the simplicity of these solution we suggest them as useful initial conditions for relativistic jet simulations.