Interpretation of Some Properties of Extragalactic Jets in the Context of a Two Component Model

Extract

We have studied a sample of extragalactic jets within the context of a two component model. This model supposes the existence of two flows in the extragalactic jets. An electron-positron fast beam coming from the internal regions of the accretion disk, responsible for the VLBI jet at the parsec scale and for the observed superluminal speeds. A second slow component, responsible for the jet observed at larger scales. The fast beam is destroyed when the parallel magnetic field is smaller than a critical value, B_II < B _crit = 3.2 × 10⁻³ n_p ^1/2, where n_p is the density of the background thermal plasma of the slow component.