arXiv subjects

A. Mignone

Publications and source records attributed to A. Mignone.

67 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Formation of dynamical structures in relativistic jets: the FRI case

Strong observational evidence indicates that all extragalactic jets associated with AGNs move at relativistic speed up to 100 pc - 1 kpc scales from the nucleus. At larger distances, reflecting the Fanaroff-Riley radio source classification, we observe an abrupt deceleration in FR-I jets while relativistic motions persist up to Mpc scale in FR-II. Moreover, VLBI observations of some object like B2 1144+35, Mrk501 and M87 show limb brightening of the jet radio emission at the parsec scale. This effect is interpreted kinematically as due to the presence of a deboosted central spine at high Lorentz factor and of a weakly relativistic external layer. In this paper we investigate whether these effects can be interpreted by a breaking of the collimated flow by external medium entrainment favored by shear instabilities, namely Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. We examine in details the physical conditions under which significant deceleration of a relativistic flow is produced. We investigate the phenomenon by means of high-resolution three-dimensional relativistic hydrodynamic simulations using the PLUTO code for computational astrophysics. We find that the parameter of utmost importance in determining the instability evolution and the entrainment properties is the ambient/jet density contrast. We show that lighter jets suffer stronger slowing down in the external layer than in the central part and conserve a central spine at high Lorentz factor. Our model is verified by constructing synthetic emission maps from the numerical simulations that compare reasonably well with VLBI observations of the inner part of FR-I sources.

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arXiv2008

Aspect ratio dependence in magnetorotational instability shearing box simulations

Aims: We study the changes in the properties of turbulence driven by the magnetorotational instability in a shearing box, as the computational domain size in the radial direction is varied relative to the height Methods: We perform 3D simulations in the shearing box approximation, with a net magnetic flux, and we consider computational domains with different aspect ratios Results: We find that in boxes of aspect ratio unity the transport of angular momentum is strongly intermittent and dominated by channel solutions in agreement with previous work. In contrast, in boxes with larger aspect ratio, the channel solutions and the associated intermittent behavior disappear. Conclusions: There is strong evidence that, as the aspect ratio becomes larger, the characteristics of the solution become aspect ratio independent. We conclude that shearing box calculations with aspect ratio unity or near unity may introduce spurious effects.

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arXiv2007

Two-component jet simulations: I. Topological stability of analytical MHD outflow solutions

Observations of collimated outflows in young stellar objects indicate that several features of the jets can be understood by adopting the picture of a two-component outflow, wherein a central stellar component around the jet axis is surrounded by an extended disk-wind. The precise contribution of each component may depend on the intrinsic physical properties of the YSO-disk system as well as its evolutionary stage. In this context, the present article starts a systematic investigation of two-component jet models via time-dependent simulations of two prototypical and complementary analytical solutions, each closely related to the properties of stellar-outflows and disk-winds. These models describe a meridionally and a radially self-similar exact solution of the steady-state, ideal hydromagnetic equations, respectively. By using the PLUTO code to carry out the simulations, the study focuses on the topological stability of each of the two analytical solutions, which are successfully extended to all space by removing their singularities. In addition, their behavior and robustness over several physical and numerical modifications is extensively examined. It is found that radially self-similar solutions (disk-winds) always reach a final steady-state while maintaining all their well-defined properties. The different ways to replace the singular part of the solution around the symmetry axis, being a first approximation towards a two-component outflow, lead to the appearance of a shock at the super-fast domain corresponding to the fast magnetosonic separatrix surface. Conversely, the asymptotic configuration and the stability of meridionally self-similar models (stellar-winds) is related to the heating processes at the base of the wind.

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arXiv2007

Stability and nonlinear adjustment of vortices in Keplerian flows

We investigate the stability, nonlinear development and equilibrium structure of vortices in a background shearing Keplerian flow. We make use of high-resolution global two-dimensional compressible hydrodynamic simulations. We introduce the concept of nonlinear adjustment to describe the transition of unbalanced vortical fields to a long-lived configuration. We discuss the conditions under which vortical perturbations evolve into long-lived persistent structures and we describe the properties of these equilibrium vortices. The properties of equilibrium vortices appear to be independent from the initial conditions and depend only on the local disk parameters. In particular we find that the ratio of the vortex size to the local disk scale height increases with the decrease of the sound speed, reaching values well above the unity. The process of spiral density wave generation by the vortex, discussed in our previous work, appear to maintain its efficiency also at nonlinear amplitudes and we observe the formation of spiral shocks attached to the vortex. The shocks may have important consequences on the long term vortex evolution and possibly on the global disk dynamics. Our study strengthens the arguments in favor of anticyclonic vortices as the candidates for the promotion of planetary formation. Hydrodynamic shocks that are an intrinsic property of persistent vortices in compressible Keplerian flows are an important contributor to the overall balance. These shocks support vortices against viscous dissipation by generating local potential vorticity and should be responsible for the eventual fate of the persistent anticyclonic vortices. Numerical codes have be able to resolve shock waves to describe the vortex dynamics correctly.

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arXiv2007

Equation of State in Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics: variable versus constant adiabatic index

The role of the equation of state for a perfectly conducting, relativistic magnetized fluid is the main subject of this work. The ideal constant $Γ$-law equation of state, commonly adopted in a wide range of astrophysical applications, is compared with a more realistic equation of state that better approximates the single-specie relativistic gas. The paper focus on three different topics. First, the influence of a more realistic equation of state on the propagation of fast magneto-sonic shocks is investigated. This calls into question the validity of the constant $Γ$-law equation of state in problems where the temperature of the gas substantially changes across hydromagnetic waves. Second, we present a new inversion scheme to recover primitive variables (such as rest-mass density and pressure) from conservative ones that allows for a general equation of state and avoids catastrophic numerical cancellations in the non-relativistic and ultrarelativistic limits. Finally, selected numerical tests of astrophysical relevance (including magnetized accretion flows around Kerr black holes) are compared using different equations of state. Our main conclusion is that the choice of a realistic equation of state can considerably bear upon the solution when transitions from cold to hot gas (or viceversa) are present. Under these circumstances, a polytropic equation of state can significantly endanger the solution.

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arXiv2007

PLUTO: a Numerical Code for Computational Astrophysics

We present a new numerical code, PLUTO, for the solution of hypersonic flows in 1, 2 and 3 spatial dimensions and different systems of coordinates. The code provides a multi-physics, multi-algorithm modular environment particularly oriented towards the treatment of astrophysical flows in presence of discontinuities. Different hydrodynamic modules and algorithms may be independently selected to properly describe Newtonian, relativistic, MHD or relativistic MHD fluids. The modular structure exploits a general framework for integrating a system of conservation laws, built on modern Godunov-type shock-capturing schemes. Although a plethora of numerical methods has been successfully developed over the past two decades, the vast majority shares a common discretization recipe, involving three general steps: a piecewise polynomial reconstruction followed by the solution of Riemann problems at zone interfaces and a final evolution stage. We have checked and validated the code against several benchmarks available in literature. Test problems in 1, 2 and 3 dimensions are discussed.

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arXiv2007

A Simple and Accurate Riemann Solver for Isothermal MHD

A new approximate Riemann solver for the equations of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) with an isothermal equation of state is presented. The proposed method of solution draws on the recent work of Miyoshi and Kusano, in the context of adiabatic MHD, where an approximate solution to the Riemann problem is sought in terms of an average constant velocity and total pressure across the Riemann fan. This allows the formation of four intermediate states enclosed by two outermost fast discontinuities and separated by two rotational waves and an entropy mode. In the present work, a corresponding derivation for the isothermal MHD equations is presented. It is found that the absence of the entropy mode leads to a different formulation which is based on a three-state representation rather than four. Numerical tests in one and two dimensions demonstrates that the new solver is robust and comparable in accuracy to the more expensive linearized solver of Roe, although considerably faster.

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arXiv2006

An HLLC Solver for Relativistic Flows -- II. Magnetohydrodynamics

An approximate Riemann solver for the equations of relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (RMHD) is derived. The HLLC solver, originally developed by Toro, Spruce and Spears, generalizes the algorithm described in a previous paper (Mignone & Bodo 2004) to the case where magnetic fields are present. The solution to the Riemann problem is approximated by two constant states bounded by two fast shocks and separated by a tangential wave. The scheme is Jacobian-free, in the sense that it avoids the expensive characteristic decomposition of the RMHD equations and it improves over the HLL scheme by restoring the missing contact wave. Multidimensional integration proceeds via the single step, corner transport upwind (CTU) method of Colella, combined with the contrained tranport (CT) algorithm to preserve divergence-free magnetic fields. The resulting numerical scheme is simple to implement, efficient and suitable for a general equation of state. The robustness of the new algorithm is validated against one and two dimensional numerical test problems.

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arXiv2005

Relativistic MHD Simulations of Jets with Toroidal Magnetic Fields

This paper presents an application of the recent relativistic HLLC approximate Riemann solver by Mignone & Bodo to magnetized flows with vanishing normal component of the magnetic field. The numerical scheme is validated in two dimensions by investigating the propagation of axisymmetric jets with toroidal magnetic fields. The selected jet models show that the HLLC solver yields sharper resolution of contact and shear waves and better convergence properties over the traditional HLL approach.

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arXiv2005

An HLLC Riemann Solver for Relativistic Flows: I. Hydrodynamics

We present an extension of the HLLC approximate Riemann solver by Toro, Spruce and Speares to the relativistic equations of fluid dynamics. The solver retains the simplicity of the original two-wave formulation proposed by Harten, Lax and van Leer (HLL) but it restores the missing contact wave in the solution of the Riemann problem. The resulting numerical scheme is computationally efficient, robust and positively conservative. The performance of the new solver is evaluated through numerical testing in one and two dimensions.

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arXiv2005

Time-Dependent MHD Shocks and Line Emission: The Case of the DG Tau Jet

The line emission from a growing number of Herbig-Haro jets can be observed and resolved at angular distances smaller than a few arcseconds from the central source. The interpretation of this emission is problematic, since the simplest model of a cooling jet cannot sustain it. It has been suggested that what one actually observes are shocked regions with a filling factor of $\sim 1%$. In this framework, up to now, comparisons with observations have been based on stationary shock models. Here we introduce for the first time the self-consistent dynamics of such shocks and we show that considering their properties at different times, i.e. locations, we can reproduce observational data of the DG Tau microjet. In particular, we can interpret the spatial behavior of the [SII]6716/6731 and [NII]/[OI]6583/6300 line intensity ratios adopting a set of physical parameters that yield values of mass loss rates and magnetic fields consistent with previous estimates. We also obtain the values of the mean ionization fraction and electron density along the jet, compare these values with the ones derived from observations using the sulfur doublet to constrain the electron density (e.g. Bacciotti et al. 1995).

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arXiv2005

The Piecewise Parabolic Method for Multidimensional Relativistic Fluid Dynamics

We present an extension of the Piecewise Parabolic Method to special relativistic fluid dynamics in multidimensions. The scheme is conservative, dimensionally unsplit, and suitable for a general equation of state. Temporal evolution is second-order accurate and employs characteristic projection operators; spatial interpolation is piece-wise parabolic making the scheme third-order accurate in smooth regions of the flow away from discontinuities. The algorithm is written for a general system of orthogonal curvilinear coordinates and can be used for computations in non-cartesian geometries. A non-linear iterative Riemann solver based on the two-shock approximation is used in flux calculation. In this approximation, an initial discontinuity decays into a set of discontinuous waves only implying that, in particular, rarefaction waves are treated as flow discontinuities. We also present a new and simple equation of state which approximates the exact result for the relativistic perfect gas with high accuracy. The strength of the new method is demonstrated in a series of numerical tests and more complex simulations in one, two and three dimensions.

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arXiv2005

The Dynamics of Radiative Shock Waves: Linear and Nonlinear Evolution

The stability properties of one-dimensional radiative shocks with a power-law cooling function of the form $Λ\propto ρ^2T^α$ are the main subject of this work. The linear analysis originally presented by Chevalier & Imamura, is thoroughfully reviewed for several values of the cooling index $α$ and higher overtone modes. Consistently with previous results, it is shown that the spectrum of the linear operator consists in a series of modes with increasing oscillation frequency. For each mode a critical value of the cooling index, $α_\textrm{c}$, can be defined so that modes with $α< α_\textrm{c}$ are unstable, while modes with $α> α_\textrm{c}$ are stable. The perturbative analysis is complemented by several numerical simulations to follow the time-dependent evolution of the system for different values of $α$. Particular attention is given to the comparison between numerical and analytical results (during the early phases of the evolution) and to the role played by different boundary conditions. It is shown that an appropriate treatment of the lower boundary yields results that closely follow the predicted linear behavior. During the nonlinear regime, the shock oscillations saturate at a finite amplitude and tend to a quasi-periodic cycle. The modes of oscillations during this phase do not necessarily coincide with those predicted by linear theory, but may be accounted for by mode-mode coupling.

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