Shaping Outflows and Jets by Ambient Pressure: A Unified Framework
Astrophysical outflows are ubiquitous across cosmic scales, from stellar to galactic systems. While diverse launching mechanisms have been proposed, we demonstrate that these outflows share a fundamental commonality: their morphology follows the physics of pressure-confined supersonic flows. By exte...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada9ea |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1825206704468393984 |
|---|---|
| author | Willem A. Baan Tao An |
| author_facet | Willem A. Baan Tao An |
| author_sort | Willem A. Baan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Astrophysical outflows are ubiquitous across cosmic scales, from stellar to galactic systems. While diverse launching mechanisms have been proposed, we demonstrate that these outflows share a fundamental commonality: their morphology follows the physics of pressure-confined supersonic flows. By extending classical de Laval nozzle theory to account for ambient pressure gradients, we present a unified framework that successfully describes outflows from young stellar objects to active galactic nuclei. This simplified approach, compared to full magnetohydrodynamic treatments, captures the essential physics governing outflow shapes across different scales. Our model reveals a remarkable consistency of pressure profiles, characterized by a power-law exponent near “–2” across 6 orders of magnitude in spatial scale, independent of the internal characteristics of the outflow or the nature of the central engine. This discovery suggests a universal mechanism for outflow collimation and acceleration, bridging the gap between theoretical models and observational features across a wide range of astronomical scales. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-35e2575a1476446fbfd33d76ade3356c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-35e2575a1476446fbfd33d76ade3356c2025-02-07T06:39:13ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01980111910.3847/1538-4357/ada9eaShaping Outflows and Jets by Ambient Pressure: A Unified FrameworkWillem A. Baan0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3389-6838Tao An1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4341-0029Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory , CAS, 150 Science 1-Street, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830011, People’s Republic of China ; [email protected]; Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy ASTRON , NL-7991 PD Dwingeloo, The NetherlandsXinjiang Astronomical Observatory , CAS, 150 Science 1-Street, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830011, People’s Republic of China ; [email protected]; Shanghai Astronomical Observatory , CAS, 80 Nandan Road, Shanghai 200030, People’s Republic of China; Guizhou Radio Astronomical Observatory, Guizhou University , 550000, Guiyang, People’s Republic of ChinaAstrophysical outflows are ubiquitous across cosmic scales, from stellar to galactic systems. While diverse launching mechanisms have been proposed, we demonstrate that these outflows share a fundamental commonality: their morphology follows the physics of pressure-confined supersonic flows. By extending classical de Laval nozzle theory to account for ambient pressure gradients, we present a unified framework that successfully describes outflows from young stellar objects to active galactic nuclei. This simplified approach, compared to full magnetohydrodynamic treatments, captures the essential physics governing outflow shapes across different scales. Our model reveals a remarkable consistency of pressure profiles, characterized by a power-law exponent near “–2” across 6 orders of magnitude in spatial scale, independent of the internal characteristics of the outflow or the nature of the central engine. This discovery suggests a universal mechanism for outflow collimation and acceleration, bridging the gap between theoretical models and observational features across a wide range of astronomical scales.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada9eaRadio active galactic nucleiRadio jetsBipolar nebulaeYoung stellar objects |
| spellingShingle | Willem A. Baan Tao An Shaping Outflows and Jets by Ambient Pressure: A Unified Framework The Astrophysical Journal Radio active galactic nuclei Radio jets Bipolar nebulae Young stellar objects |
| title | Shaping Outflows and Jets by Ambient Pressure: A Unified Framework |
| title_full | Shaping Outflows and Jets by Ambient Pressure: A Unified Framework |
| title_fullStr | Shaping Outflows and Jets by Ambient Pressure: A Unified Framework |
| title_full_unstemmed | Shaping Outflows and Jets by Ambient Pressure: A Unified Framework |
| title_short | Shaping Outflows and Jets by Ambient Pressure: A Unified Framework |
| title_sort | shaping outflows and jets by ambient pressure a unified framework |
| topic | Radio active galactic nuclei Radio jets Bipolar nebulae Young stellar objects |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ada9ea |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT willemabaan shapingoutflowsandjetsbyambientpressureaunifiedframework AT taoan shapingoutflowsandjetsbyambientpressureaunifiedframework |