X-Ray Jets
Quote:
The supermassive black holes that lie at the centers of galaxies can spawn tremendous bipolar jets of atomic particles.
The physical processes that drive these jets and cause them to radiate are among the important outstanding problems of modern astrophysics.
One of the problems in deciphering how the jet mechanisms operate, and how they interact with the environment near the black hole nuclei, is the comparatively gradual way that radio emission responds to changes. As a result, differences that may occur along the jet (or at different times in the same location) appear blurred together when viewed at radio wavelengths.
Conclusions: The first is that bright knots along the jet are driven by the effects of local magnetic fields. Another is that changes in the jets seem to have taken place during comparatively short timescales -- only tens or hundreds of thousands of years.
|
I find these jets very interesting. Their speed being the most fascinating. This article is more about studying how they change over time.
Cheers
