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1. How to Turn Jets into Cylinders near Supermassive Black Holes in 3D General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations

   https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad24fc  

   Rohoza, Valeriia ; Lalakos, Aretaios ; Paik, Max ; Chatterjee, Koushik ; Liska, Matthew ; Tchekhovskoy, Alexander ; Gottlieb, Ore ( February 2024 , The Astrophysical Journal Letters)

   Accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) produce highly magnetized relativistic jets that tend to collimate gradually as they propagate outward. However, recent radio interferometric observations of the 3C 84 galaxy reveal a stunning, cylindrical jet already at several hundred SMBH gravitational radii,r≳ 350r_g. We explore how such extreme collimation emerges via a suite of 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations. We consider an SMBH surrounded by a magnetized torus immersed in a constant-density ambient medium that starts at the edge of the SMBH sphere of influence, chosen to be much larger than the SMBH gravitational radius,r_B= 10³r_g. We find that radiatively inefficient accretion flows (e.g., M87) produce winds that collimate the jets into parabolas near the black hole. After the disk winds stop collimating the jets atr≲r_B, they turn conical. Once outsider_B, the jets run into the ambient medium and form backflows that collimate the jets into cylinders some distance beyondr_B. Interestingly, for radiatively efficient accretion, as in 3C 84, the radiative cooling saps the energy out of the disk winds; at early times, they cannot efficiently collimate the jets, which skip the initial parabolic collimation stage, start out conical near the SMBH, and turn into cylinders already atr≃ 300r_g, as observed in 3C 84. Over time, the jet power remains approximately constant, whereas the mass accretion rate increases; the winds grow in strength and start to collimate the jets, which become quasi-parabolic near the base, and the transition point to a nearly cylindrical jet profile moves outward while remaining insider_B.

    

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2. Jets with a Twist: The Emergence of FR0 Jets in a 3D GRMHD Simulation of Zero-angular-momentum Black Hole Accretion

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad0974  

   Lalakos, Aretaios ; Tchekhovskoy, Alexander ; Bromberg, Omer ; Gottlieb, Ore ; Jacquemin-Ide, Jonatan ; Liska, Matthew ; Zhang, Haocheng ( March 2024 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   Spinning supermassive black holes (BHs) in active galactic nuclei magnetically launch relativistic collimated outflows, or jets. Without angular momentum supply, such jets are thought to perish within 3 orders of magnitude in distance from the BH, well before reaching kiloparsec scales. We study the survival of such jets at the largest scale separation to date, via 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of rapidly spinning BHs immersed into uniform zero-angular-momentum gas threaded by a weak vertical magnetic field. We place the gas outside the BH sphere of influence, or the Bondi radius, chosen to be much larger than the BH gravitational radius,R_B= 10³R_g. The BH develops dynamically important large-scale magnetic fields, forms a magnetically arrested disk (MAD), and launches relativistic jets that propagate well outsideR_Band suppress BH accretion to 1.5% of the Bondi rate,${\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{B}}$. Thus, low-angular-momentum accretion in the MAD state can form large-scale jets in Fanaroff–Riley (FR) type I and II galaxies. Subsequently, the disk shrinks and exits the MAD state: barely a disk (BAD), it rapidly precesses, whips the jets around, globally destroys them, and lets 5%–10% of${\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{B}}$reach the BH. Thereafter, the disk starts rocking back and forth by angles 90°–180°: the rocking accretion disk (RAD) launches weak intermittent jets that spread their energy over a large area and suppress BH accretion to ≲2%${\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{B}}$. Because the BAD and RAD states tangle up the jets and destroy them well insideR_B, they are promising candidates for the more abundant, but less luminous, class of FR0 galaxies.

    

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3. AGN feeding and feedback in M84: from kiloparsec scales to the Bondi radius

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad824  

   Bambic, C. J. ; Russell, H. R. ; Reynolds, C. S. ; Fabian, A. C. ; McNamara, B. R. ; Nulsen, P. E. J. ( May 2023 , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   We present the deepest Chandra observation to date of the galaxy M84 in the Virgo Cluster, with over 840 ks of data provided by legacy observations and a recent 730 ks campaign. The increased signal-to-noise ratio allows us to study the origins of the accretion flow feeding the supermassive black hole in the centre of M84 from the kiloparsec scales of the X-ray halo to the Bondi radius, RB. Temperature, metallicity, and deprojected density profiles are obtained in four sectors about M84’s active galactic nucleus (AGN), extending into the Bondi radius. Rather than being dictated by the potential of the black hole, the accretion flow is strongly influenced by the AGN’s bipolar radio jets. Along the jet axis, the density profile is consistent with ne ∝ r−1; however, the profiles flatten perpendicular to the jet. Radio jets produce a significant asymmetry in the flow, violating a key assumption of Bondi accretion. Temperature in the inner kiloparsec is approximately constant, with only a slight increase from 0.6 to 0.7 keV approaching RB, and there is no evidence for a temperature rise imposed by the black hole. The Bondi accretion rate $\dot{M}_{\rm B}$ exceeds the rate inferred from AGN luminosity and jet power by over four orders of magnitude. In sectors perpendicular to the jet, $\dot{M}_{\rm B}$ measurements agree; however, the accretion rate is >4σ lower in the North sector along the jet, likely due to cavities in the X-ray gas. Our measurements provide unique insight into the fuelling of AGN responsible for radio mode feedback in galaxy clusters.

    

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4. High-resolution VLA low radio frequency observations of the Perseus cluster: radio lobes, mini-halo, and bent-jet radio galaxies

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa2003  

   Gendron-Marsolais, M ; Hlavacek-Larrondo, J ; van Weeren, R J ; Rudnick, L ; Clarke, T E ; Sebastian, B ; Mroczkowski, T ; Fabian, A C ; Blundell, K M ; Sheldahl, E ; et al ( November 2020 , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   null (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT We present the first high-resolution 230–470 MHz map of the Perseus cluster obtained with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. The high dynamic range and resolution achieved have allowed the identification of previously unknown structures in this nearby galaxy cluster. New hints of sub-structures appear in the inner radio lobes of the brightest cluster galaxy NGC 1275. The spurs of radio emission extending into the outer X-ray cavities, inflated by past nuclear outbursts, are seen for the first time at these frequencies, consistent with spectral aging. Beyond NGC 1275, we also analyse complex radio sources harboured in the cluster. Two new distinct, narrowly collimated jets are visible in IC 310, consistent with a highly projected narrow-angle tail radio galaxy infalling into the cluster. We show how this is in agreement with its blazar-like behaviour, implying that blazars and bent-jet radio galaxies are not mutually exclusive. We report the presence of filamentary structures across the entire tail of NGC 1265, including two new pairs of long filaments in the faintest bent extension of the tail. Such filaments have been seen in other cluster radio sources such as relics and radio lobes, indicating that there may be a fundamental connection between all these radio structures. We resolve the very narrow and straight tail of CR 15 without indication of double jets, so that the interpretation of such head–tail sources is yet unclear. Finally, we note that only the brightest western parts of the mini-halo remain, near NGC 1272 and its bent double jets. 

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5. A Unified Theory of Jetted Tidal Disruption Events: From Promptly Escaping Relativistic to Delayed Transrelativistic Jets

   https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad0037  

   Teboul, Odelia ; Metzger, Brian D. ( October 2023 , The Astrophysical Journal Letters)

   Only a tiny fraction ∼1% of stellar tidal disruption events (TDEs) generate powerful relativistic jets evidenced by luminous hard X-ray and radio emissions. We propose that a key property responsible for both this surprisingly low rate and a variety of other observations is the typically large misalignmentψbetween the orbital plane of the star and the spin axis of the supermassive black hole (SMBH). Such misaligned disk/jet systems undergo Lense–Thirring precession together about the SMBH spin axis. We find that TDE disks precess sufficiently rapidly that winds from the accretion disk will encase the system on large scales in a quasi-spherical outflow. We derive the critical jet efficiencyη>η_critfor both aligned and misaligned precessing jets to successfully escape from the disk wind ejecta. Asη_critis higher for precessing jets, less powerful jets only escape after alignment with the SMBH spin. Alignment can occur through magneto-spin or hydrodynamic mechanisms, which we estimate occur on typical timescales of weeks and years, respectively. The dominant mechanism depends onηand the orbital penetration factorβ. Hence, depending only on the intrinsic parameters of the event {ψ,η,β}, we propose that each TDE jet can either escape prior to alignment, thus exhibiting an erratic X-ray light curve and two-component radio afterglow (e.g., Swift J1644+57), or escape after alignment. Relatively rapid magneto-spin alignments produce relativistic jets exhibiting X-ray power-law decay and bright afterglows (e.g., AT2022cmc), while long hydrodynamic alignments give rise to late jet escape and delayed radio flares (e.g., AT2018hyz).

    

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