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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2017
At the head of a jet the confining medium of plasma frequency νp is compressed, so that streaming instabilities between relativistic electrons and this plasma produce waves at νp′ > νp. Considerable power can be lodged in these electrostatic waves, and conversion to electromagnetic waves allows them to propagate far beyond the jet. Emission at ν ≈ νp′ or Compton boosted radiation at ν ≲ γ2 νp′ yields a cone of radiation of angle ~ 1/γ, which illuminates the region directly in front of the jet. This emission is not absorbed by the surrounding plasma unless a cloud blocks the jet. Absorption in a cloud can lead to tunneling through large clouds, or propelling of smaller clouds out of the jet path. In this fashion jets may clear their way through an inhomogeneous medium, avoiding lateral disturbances and preheating their path.