Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 July 2016
We consider a current carrying extragalactic jet and the corresponding return current closing the circuit. The Lorentz force for the return path is expansive. Assuming that the expansion occurs at the local Alfvén velocity, we calculate numerically the radial distance from the jet axis which the return circuit reaches due to this electrodynamic expansion. The calculations are made explicity for parameter values observed for the sources Cygnus A, NGC 6251, 3C465 and M84. The results obtained can explain several magnetic features observed in these sources. The possible importance of previous generations of extragalactic jets in the large scale magnetization of the intergalactic medium is also discussed.