Hadronic jet models today
Abstract
The matter content of relativistic jets in AGNs is dominated by a mixture of protons, electrons, and positrons. During dissipative events these particles tap a significant portion of the internal and/or kinetic energy of the jet and convert it into electromagnetic radiation. While leptons - even those with only mildly relativistic energies - can radiate efficiently, protons need to be accelerated up to energies exceeding 1016-19 eV to dissipate radiatively a significant amount of energy via either trigerring pair cascades or direct synchrotron emission. Here I review various constraints imposed on the role of hadronic non-adiabatic cooling processes in shaping the high energy spectra of blazars. It will be argued that protons, despite being efficiently accelerated and presumably playing a crucial role in jet dynamics and dissipation of the jet kinetic energy to the internal energy of electrons and positrons, are more likely to remain radiatively passive in AGN jets.
- Publication:
-
Jets at All Scales
- Pub Date:
- February 2011
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S1743921310015644
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1011.0904
- Bibcode:
- 2011IAUS..275...59S
- Keywords:
-
- galaxies: active;
- (galaxies:) BL Lacertae objects: general;
- galaxies: jets;
- (galaxies:) quasars: general;
- gamma rays: theory;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 9 pages