Relativistic jet

A narrow outflow of particles moving near the speed of light from an energetic astrophysical system. Jets are launched by systems such as accreting black holes and neutron stars.

Magnetohydrodynamics: The study of electrically conducting fluids interacting with magnetic fields. Magnetohydrodynamic forces help accelerate and collimate plasma in many astrophysical jets.
Black hole: A region of spacetime whose gravity prevents anything, including light, from escaping beyond its event horizon. Many powerful jets originate in environments surrounding accreting black holes.
Blazar: An active galactic nucleus whose relativistic jet points close to the observer's line of sight. Its extreme variability and brightness show the effects of a nearly head-on jet.
Radio galaxy: A galaxy whose radio emission is dominated by large structures powered by its active nucleus. Its lobes trace where jets deposit energy into the surrounding intergalactic medium.
Accretion disk: A rotating disk of gas spiraling around a central object under gravity. Disk rotation and magnetic fields can supply the energy and structure associated with jet launching.
Blandford–Znajek process: A mechanism for extracting rotational energy from a spinning black hole through electromagnetic fields. It offers a leading explanation for powering jets from spinning black holes.
Microquasar: A binary star system with a compact object that produces relativistic jets resembling scaled-down quasar jets. Microquasars let astronomers study jet behavior on timescales much shorter than those of galaxies.
Radio lobe: A diffuse region of radio-emitting plasma inflated by an astrophysical jet. Lobes record the accumulated energy carried outward by jets.
Relativistic beaming: The apparent brightening and directional concentration of radiation from a relativistically moving source. A jet aimed toward Earth can appear far brighter than an identical jet pointed elsewhere.
Blandford–Payne process: A mechanism that launches gas from an accretion disk along magnetic field lines. It describes how disk material can be magnetically accelerated into an outflow.

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