Back

Quasar Relativistic Jet

What you are seeing: a supermassive black hole with a glowing accretion disk and a bipolar relativistic jet at bulk Lorentz factor Γ\Gamma. The viewer angle θobs\theta_{\rm obs} from the jet axis controls Doppler boosting: the approaching side is amplified by δ+3−α\delta_+^{3-\alpha} and the receding side dimmed by δ−3−α\delta_-^{3-\alpha}

Figure 1. Doppler-boosted jet pair from a SMBH; viewing-angle sweep shows blazar ($\theta_{\rm obs} \approx 0$) vs radio galaxy ($\theta_{\rm obs} \approx 90°$) regimes. Method: $\delta_\pm = 1/(\Gamma (1 \mp \beta \cos \theta))$, flux $\propto \delta^{3 - \alpha}$.
Lorentz Gamma10.0
theta_obs (deg)20.0
animation speed2
show counter-jeton

WHAT TO TRY

  • Raise the bulk Lorentz factor Gamma: relativistic beaming concentrates the jet emission into a forward cone, so the approaching jet brightens enormously and the receding one fades.
  • Tilt theta_obs toward the line of sight: the flux ratio between jet and counter-jet explodes, and the apparent transverse speed can exceed c, the superluminal motion seen in blazars.
  • Toggle the counter-jet: it is almost always invisible, beamed away from us, which is why most quasars show only a one-sided jet.