Relativistic Outflows from Active Galactic Nuclei

Abstract. We review recent progress in the theory of relativistic jet production in AGN and Micro-quasars. The current popular model for launching, accelerating and collimating astrophysical jets is based on magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). AGN jets are most probably powered by energy extracted from either an accretion disk or a rotating Black Hole. A strong electromagnetic field in the central engine, coupled with differential rotation, serves to con-vert rotational energy into kinetic energy of outflows. In the last few years, some progress in understanding accretion processes for rotating Black Holes has been made: standard disks are truncated at some radius depending on the accretion rate so that disk outflows are driven away by the hot inner disk. Slow outflows are the norm when the magnetorotational insta-bility is at work in the weak field limit. In order to achieve Lorentz bulk factors of about 10, strong large-scale magnetic fields must thread the Black Hole’s ergosphere. The production of relativistic ouflows is then completely understood within stationary MHD models. Some special cases, such as the force-free limit (so-called Poynting flux jets) have been investi-gated in the last years. In general, however, the jet plasma not only consists of magnetic fields, but also of thermal ions and electrons. In the collimated region, the electrons are boosted up to a non-thermal distribution, which is the basis of all observations. Key words. Quasars – Jets – Magnetohydrodynamics 1