To investigate the nature of radio galaxies and their interaction with the ambient medium, our group conducts numerical simulations of radio jet propagation. These high-resolution 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations also explicitly model acceleration, transport, and cooling of a population of cosmic rays, allowing us to construct synthetic observations of the simulated nonthermal emission. Ultimately, our primary goal in this project is to identify the physical processes that generate observed features in radio galaxies.

Animations from Test Simulations of Bidirected Head-Tail Radio Jets

• flow speed
• log density
• log pressure
• log magnetic field strength

3D Simulations of Radio Jet Propagation Through a Variety of External Environments

• Downloadable animations
• 2004 AAS poster

Simulations of Radio Galaxy Dynamics and Nonthermal Emissions