The jet feedback mechanism (JFM): from supernovae to clusters of galaxies

TL;DR

This study uses hydrodynamical simulations to reveal common jet-medium interaction features across diverse astrophysical systems, emphasizing the jet feedback mechanism as a universal process regulating accretion and heating.

Contribution

It demonstrates the similarities in jet interactions across systems like galaxy clusters, supernovae, planetary nebulae, and stellar evolution, highlighting the universality of the jet feedback mechanism.

Findings

Jets create hot bubbles with bipolar structures.

Vortices form around and inside bubbles, causing fragmentation.

Heating in galaxy clusters occurs via mixing, not shocks.

Abstract

We study the similarities of jet-medium interactions in several quite different astrophysical systems using 2D and 3D hydrodynamical numerical simulations, and find many similarities. The systems include cooling flow (CF) clusters of galaxies, core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), planetary nebulae (PNe), and common envelope (CE) evolution. The similarities include hot bubbles inflated by jets in a bipolar structure, vortices on the sides of the jets, vortices inside the inflated bubbles, fragmentation of bubbles to two and more bubbles, and buoyancy of bubbles. The activity in many cases is regulated by a negative feedback mechanism. Namely, higher accretion rate leads to stronger jet activity that in turn suppresses the accretion process. After the jets power decreases the accretion resumes, and the cycle restarts. In the case of CF in galaxies and clusters of galaxies we also study the accretion process, which is most likely by cold clumps, i.e., the cold feedback mechanism. In CF clusters we find that heating of the intra-cluster medium (ICM) is done by mixing hot shocked jet gas with the ICM, and not by shocks. Our results strengthen the jet feedback mechanism (JFM) as a common process in many astrophysical objects.