Hot Spots in Radio Galaxies: A Comparison with Hydrodynamic Beam Cap Simulations
M. Smith, M. Norman, K.-H. Winkler, and L. Smarr, Mon. Not. Royal Astronomical Soc., 214, 67-85 (1985).
Abstract
Surface brightness distributions are derived for the beam cap of an axisymmetric supersonic jet ramming through its confining medium. The detailed structure and time-evolution of the working surface is computed numerically with a high-resolution gas dynamics code employing a special technique for accurately tracking and preserving the jet boundary. The synchrotron emissivity is assumed to be proportional to the square of the gas pressure inside the jet, and zero outside. The geometry of the beam cap is found to change on a dynamical time-scale, producing an enormous variety of hotspot shapes in a single evolution.