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Current-Driven Kink Instability in Relativistic Jets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2011

Yosuke Mizuno
Affiliation:
CSPAR, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, 320 Sparkman Drive, NSSTC, Huntsville, AL 35805, USA email: mizuno@cspar.uah.edu
Philip E. Hardee
Affiliation:
Dept. Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
Yuri Lyubarsky
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
Ken-Ici Nishikawa
Affiliation:
CSPAR, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, 320 Sparkman Drive, NSSTC, Huntsville, AL 35805, USA email: mizuno@cspar.uah.edu
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Abstract

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We have investigated the development of current-driven (CD) kink instability in relativistic jets via 3D RMHD simulations. In this investigation a static force-free equilibrium helical magnetic field configuration is considered in order to study the influence of the initial configuration on the linear and nonlinear evolution of the instability. We found that the initial configuration is strongly distorted but not disrupted by the CD kink instability. The linear growth and nonlinear evolution of the CD kink instability depends moderately on the radial density profile and strongly on the magnetic pitch profile. Kink amplitude growth in the nonlinear regime for decreasing magnetic pitch leads to a slender helically twisted column wrapped by magnetic field. On the other hand, kink amplitude growth in the nonlinear regime nearly ceases for increasing magnetic pitch.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

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