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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

  • Vary each control and watch the rail readouts respond.
  • Compare the diagnostic plot against the live scene.