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Abstract We present a bottom-up calculation of the flux of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) and high-energy neutrinos produced by powerful jets of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). By propagating test particles in 3D relativistic magnetohydrodynamic jet simulations, including a Monte Carlo treatment of sub-grid pitch-angle scattering and attenuation losses due to realistic photon fields, we study the spectrum and composition of the accelerated UHECRs and estimate the amount of neutrinos produced in such sources. We find that UHECRs may not be significantly affected by photodisintegration in AGN jets where theespressomechanism efficiently accelerates particles, consistent with Auger’s results that favor a heavy composition at the highest energies. Moreover, we present estimates andupper boundsfor the flux of high-energy neutrinos expected from AGN jets. In particular, we find that (i) source neutrinos may account for a sizable fraction, or even dominate, the expected flux of cosmogenic neutrinos; (ii) neutrinos from theβ-decay of secondary neutrons produced in nucleus photodisintegration end up in the teraelectronvolt to petaelectronvolt band observed by IceCube, but can hardly account for the observed flux; (iii) UHECRs accelerated via theespressomechanism lead to nearly isotropic neutrino emission, which suggests that nearby radio galaxies may be more promising as potential sources. We discuss our results in light of multimessenger astronomy and current/future neutrino experiments.
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Simulations of Precessing Jets and the Formation of X-shaped Radio Galaxies
Abstract Jet precession is sometimes invoked to explain asymmetries in radio galaxy (RG) jets and “X/S/Z-shaped” RGs, caused by the presence of a binary black hole companion to the source active galactic nucleus or by accretion instabilities. We present a series of simulations of RG jet precession to examine how these sources would evolve over time, including a passive distribution of cosmic-ray electrons so we can model radio synchrotron emissions and create synthetic radio maps of the sources. We find that a single source viewed from different angles can result in differing RG morphological classifications, confusing physical implications of these classifications. Additionally, the jet trajectories can become unstable due to their own self-interactions and lead to “reorientation events” that may look like the effects of external dynamics such as shocks, winds, or cold fronts in the medium. Finally, something akin to an “Odd Radio Circle” may be observed in the case of viewing the radio remnant of such a precessing source from a line of sight near the precession axis.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1907850
- PAR ID:
- 10411066
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.3847
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Volume:
- 948
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0004-637X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: Article No. 25
- Size(s):
- Article No. 25
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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