Evidence for Helical Magnetic Fields Associated with AGN Jets and the Action of a Cosmic Battery

• Main Author: Denise Gabuzda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-12-01
• Series: Galaxies
• Subjects: active galactic nuclei; relativistic jets; magnetic fields; radio interferometry
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4434/7/1/5

Theoretical models for the electromagnetic launching of astrophysical jets have long indicated that this process should generate helical magnetic fields, which should then propagate outward with the jet plasma. Polarization observations of jets are key for testing this idea, since they provide direct information about the magnetic field structures in the synchrotron-emitting radio jets. Together with Faraday rotation measurements, it is possible in some cases to reconstruct the three-dimensional magnetic-field structure. There is now plentiful evidence for the presence of helical magnetic fields associated with the jets of active galactic nuclei, most directly the detection of transverse Faraday-rotation gradients indicating a systematic change in the line-of-sight magnetic field component across the jets. A variety of models involving helical jet magnetic fields have also been used to explain a great diversity of phenomena, including not only the linear polarization and Faraday rotation structures, but also circular polarization, anomalous wavelength dependences of the linear polarization, variability of jet ridge lines, variability of the Faraday rotation sign and polarization angle rotations. A joint consideration of Faraday rotation measurements on parsec and kiloparsec scales indicates a magnetic-field and current structure similar to that of a co-axial cable, suggesting the action of some kind of battery mechanism, such as the Poynting–Robertson cosmic battery.