Relativistic MHD simulations of core-collapse GRB jets: 3D instabilities and magnetic dissipation

Understand

Relativistic jets naturally occur in astrophysical systems that involve accretion onto compact objects, such as core collapse of massive stars in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and accretion onto supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGN).

• It is generally accepted that these jets are powered electromagnetically, by the magnetised rotation of a central compact object.
• However, how they produce the observed emission and survive the propagation for many orders of magnitude in distance without being disrupted by current-driven non-axisymmetric instabilities is the subject of active debate.
• We carry out time-dependent 3D relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of relativistic, Poynting flux dominated jets.