Abstract
Recent observations with sub-kpc resolution show that the hotspots in powerful extragalactic radio sources (for example, Cygnus A1, 3C3512, 3C268.43, 3C1334, 3C204, 3C1964) often exhibit internal double structure. One subcomponent is usually extremely compact, of size <1 kpc, whereas the other, which is more diffuse, often appears to point away from the smaller component and is usually further from the nucleus. We present here a model of a jet with variable direction that is able to account for this structure, interpreting the compact subcomponent as the initial point of impact of the jet with the intergalactic medium and the more diffuse subcomponent as a ‘splatter-spot’ formed by jet material deflected asymmetrically by the compact subcomponent.
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Williams, A., Gull, S. Multiple hotspots in extragalactic radio sources. Nature 313, 34–36 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/313034a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/313034a0
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