This is a study of the dynamics and emission structures in the relativistic jets associated with active galactic nuclei (AGN) and gamma ray bursts (GRBs). The research includes both theory and numerical simulations, which will be compared with observations. The macroscopic study of jet dynamics will address whether and where jets are magnetically or kinetically dominated, which involves estimating the sound, Alfven and flow speeds, heating and cooling rates, and viscosity, for both the jet and the medium. This research will use relativistic magneto-hydrodynamic theory and simulations. The microscopic process study will determine the required properties of shocks in jets, studying particle acceleration, magnetic field generation, and high frequency emission from AGN and GRBs. This research will use a relativistic electromagnetic particle code, enhanced to compute emission from a relativistic shock.
This research will provide a fundamental physical understanding of various microscopic plasma processes, and will develop perturbation theory and numerical simulation methods of broad applicability. The work involves a student and a post-doctoral fellow supported by other funds, and requires significant interaction between university and research facility scientists.
