PoS - Proceedings of Science
Volume 399 - European VLBI Network Mini-Symposium and Users' Meeting 2021 (EVN2021) - Gravitational Physics and Theory
Ray-Tracing in Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic Jet Simulations: A Polarimetric Study
J. Kramer* and N. MacDonald
Full text: pdf
Pre-published on: March 21, 2022
Published on: May 24, 2022
Abstract
The jets emanating from the centers of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are among the most energetic objects in the universe. Investigations on how the morphology of the jet’s synchrotron emission depends on the magnetic nature of the jet’s relativistic plasma are fundamental to the comparison between numerical simulations and the observed polarization of the jet. Through the use of 3D relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) jet simulations (computed using the PLUTO code) we study how the jet’s synchrotron emission depends upon the morphology of the jet’s magnetic field structure. Through the application of polarized radiative transfer and ray-tracing (via the RADMC-3D code) we create synthetic radio maps of the jet’s total intensity as well as the linearly and circularly polarized intensity for each magnetic field jet simulation. In particular, we create synthetic ray-traced images of the jet’s polarized synchrotron emission when the jet carries a predominantly poloidal, helical, and toroidal magnetic field. We also explore several scaling relations in which the underlying electron power-law distribution is set proportional to: (i) the jet’s thermal plasma density, (ii) the jet’s internal energy density, and (iii) the jet’s magnetic energy density. Magnetic field morphology within the jet has a clear effect on the jet’s resultant synchrotron emission. In particular, a toroidal field results in an edge-brightened jet whereas a poloidal field, in contrast, highlights the jet’s central recollimation shock. Also, the circularly polarized emission clearly exhibits two signs in the toroidal field case whereas only one sign is visible in the poloidal jet.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22323/1.399.0025
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