Asymmetries of AGN jets in inhomogeneous media

TL;DR

This paper investigates how inhomogeneous interstellar media in host galaxies cause asymmetries in AGN jets, finding that hydrodynamical effects lead to significantly larger asymmetries than 1D models predict, especially in gas-rich, high-redshift galaxies.

Contribution

The study uses hydrodynamical simulations to quantify jet asymmetries, revealing they are about three times larger than 1D estimates, highlighting the impact of medium inhomogeneity.

Findings

Hydrodynamical simulations show larger asymmetries than 1D models.

Asymmetries are typically a factor of ~3 greater in simulations.

Large asymmetries are expected in high-redshift, gas-rich galaxies.

Abstract

Considerable asymmetries in jets from active galactic nuclei (AGN) and associated double radio sources can be caused by an inhomogeneous interstellar medium of the host galaxy. These asymmetries can easily be estimated by 1D propagation models, but hydrodynamical simulations have shown that the actual asymmetries can be considerably larger. With a set of smaller-scale hydrodynamical simulations we examine these asymmetries, and find they are typically a factor of $\sim 3$ larger than in 1D models. We conclude that, at high redshift, large asymmetries in radio sources are expected in gas-rich galaxies with a clumpy interstellar medium.