Electric currents
along astrophysical jets
Ioannis Contopoulos
Research Center for Astronomy and Applied
Mathematics, Academy of Athens
National Research Nuclear University MEPhI
Large scale magnetic fields
along astrophysical jets
Do they exist?
Can we observe them?
Electric currents
along astrophysical jets
Can we observe them?
Kronberg, Lovelace, Lapenta, Colgate, ApJL 2011
Gabuzda and collaborators; Govoni et al. A&A
Christodoulou et al. A&A 2016
Feain et al. ApJ 2009
Law et al. ApJ 2011
37,543 VLA sources, Pshirkov et al. ApJ 2011
Christodoulou et al. A&A 2016
Christodoulou et al. A&A 2016
Christodoulou et al. A&A 2016
Large scale magnetic fields
along astrophysical jets
Do they exist? Yes!
Where do they come from?
The Cosmic Battery
Contopoulos & Kazanas 1998
Contopoulos et al. 2006, 09, 15
Christodoulou et al. 2008, 16
Kylafis et al. 2012
Gabuzda et al. 2012
Koutsantoniou & Contopoulos ApJ 2014, 17
Electric currents
along astrophysical jets
They exist and they are observable!
Always flowing outward on kpc scales!
Inner or outer? Core or sheath?
How can we observe more of them?
4.5
3.5
r
θ = π/2
a = 0.9
4
3
2.5
Koutsantoniou &
Contopoulos ApJ 2017
inner edge
Radiation Reversal