GRB and blazar jets shining through their stripes
Abstract
Black hole-driven relativistic astrophysical jets, such as blazars and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), are powerful sources of electromagnetic radiation. Their emission is powered by some energy dissipation and particle acceleration mechanism operating in situ at large distances from the black hole. We propose that the formation of the dissipative structures in the jet is controlled by the time variability of the accretion disc. We argue that the open magnetic field lines through the black hole, which drive a strongly magnetized jet, may have their polarity reversing over time-scales related to the growth of the magnetorotational dynamo in the disc. Consequently, the jet is characterized by an alternating toroidal field polarity along its propagation axis, i.e. it is a ‘striped jet’. Magnetic reconnection in the current sheets that form between the stripes dissipates the alternating field energy and thus powers further jet acceleration. Here, we consider a jet with a broad distribution of stripe widths l > lmin, above a dominant scale lmin. We find that the bulk acceleration of the jet, driven by the annihilation of the stripes, is very gradual. The dissipation rate peaks at a distance $$z_{\rm peak}\sim 10^6 R_\mathrm{ g}\, (\Gamma _\infty /30)^2\, (l_{\rm min}/1000R_\mathrm{ g})$$|, where Rg is the black hole’s gravitational radius and Γ∞ the jet’s asymptotic Lorentz factor, and exhibits a very broad plateau extending by ~4–5 orders of magnitude in distance. The prolonged energy dissipation accounts for the flat-to-inverted long-wavelength spectra commonly observed in jets. The model can also account for the broad range of flaring time-scales of blazars and the fact that their bulk acceleration appears to continue out to ~100 pc scales. In GRB jets, the model predicts comparable power for the photopsheric and Thomson-thin emission components.
- Authors:
-
- Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)
- Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States). Center for Integrated Plasma Studies
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1611045
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0008409; NNX16AB32G; NNX17AG21G; NNX16AB28G; NNX17AK57G; AST-1411879
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 484; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 0035-8711
- Publisher:
- Royal Astronomical Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; Astronomy & Astrophysics; relativistic processes; BL Lacertae objects: general; galaxies: jets; gamma-ray burst: general
Citation Formats
Giannios, D., and Uzdensky, D. A. GRB and blazar jets shining through their stripes. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1093/mnras/stz082.
Giannios, D., & Uzdensky, D. A. GRB and blazar jets shining through their stripes. United States. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stz082
Giannios, D., and Uzdensky, D. A. Thu .
"GRB and blazar jets shining through their stripes". United States. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stz082. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1611045.
@article{osti_1611045,
title = {GRB and blazar jets shining through their stripes},
author = {Giannios, D. and Uzdensky, D. A.},
abstractNote = {Black hole-driven relativistic astrophysical jets, such as blazars and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), are powerful sources of electromagnetic radiation. Their emission is powered by some energy dissipation and particle acceleration mechanism operating in situ at large distances from the black hole. We propose that the formation of the dissipative structures in the jet is controlled by the time variability of the accretion disc. We argue that the open magnetic field lines through the black hole, which drive a strongly magnetized jet, may have their polarity reversing over time-scales related to the growth of the magnetorotational dynamo in the disc. Consequently, the jet is characterized by an alternating toroidal field polarity along its propagation axis, i.e. it is a ‘striped jet’. Magnetic reconnection in the current sheets that form between the stripes dissipates the alternating field energy and thus powers further jet acceleration. Here, we consider a jet with a broad distribution of stripe widths l > lmin, above a dominant scale lmin. We find that the bulk acceleration of the jet, driven by the annihilation of the stripes, is very gradual. The dissipation rate peaks at a distance $z_{\rm peak}\sim 10^6 R_\mathrm{ g}\, (\Gamma _\infty /30)^2\, (l_{\rm min}/1000R_\mathrm{ g})$|, where Rg is the black hole’s gravitational radius and Γ∞ the jet’s asymptotic Lorentz factor, and exhibits a very broad plateau extending by ~4–5 orders of magnitude in distance. The prolonged energy dissipation accounts for the flat-to-inverted long-wavelength spectra commonly observed in jets. The model can also account for the broad range of flaring time-scales of blazars and the fact that their bulk acceleration appears to continue out to ~100 pc scales. In GRB jets, the model predicts comparable power for the photopsheric and Thomson-thin emission components.},
doi = {10.1093/mnras/stz082},
journal = {Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society},
number = 1,
volume = 484,
place = {United States},
year = {2019},
month = {1}
}
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