Radio-loud AGN variability from three-dimensional propagating relativistic jets

TL;DR

This study uses 3D relativistic jet simulations to explore the stability and variability of radio-loud AGNs, linking jet parameters to observed emission fluctuations and morphologies.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive simulation framework for understanding jet stability, morphology, and variability in radio-loud AGNs, including effects of jet parameters and Doppler boosting.

Findings

Jets with certain parameters produce FR I and FR II morphologies.

Simulated jet fluctuations match observed blazar variability with red-noise spectra.

Variability timescales are consistent with VLBI observations.

Abstract

The enormous sizes and variability of emission of radio-loud AGNs arise from the relativistic flows of plasma along two oppositely directed jets. We use the Athena hydrodynamics code to simulate an extensive suite of 54 propagating three-dimensional relativistic jets with wide ranges of input jet velocities and jet-to-ambient matter density ratios. We determine which parameter sets yield unstable jets that produce jet dominated FR I type radio galaxy morphologies and which tend to produce stable jets with hot-spots and FR II morphologies. Nearly all our simulations involve jets with internal pressures matched to those of the ambient medium but we also consider over-pressured jets and discuss differences from the standard ones. We also show that the results are not strongly dependent on the adiabatic index of the fluid. We focus on simulations that remain stable for extended distances (60-240) times the initial jet radius. Scaled to the much smaller sizes probed by VLBI observations, the fluctuations in such simulated flows yield variability in observed emissivity on timescales from months. Adopting results for the densities, pressures and velocities from these simulations we estimate normalized rest frame synchrotron emissivities from individual cells in the jets. The observed emission from each cell is strongly dependent upon its variable Doppler boosting factor. We sum the fluxes from thousands of zones around the primary reconfinement shock. The light curves an power-spectra, with red-noise slopes between -2.1 and -2.5, so produced are similar to those observed from blazars.