Mirror and Point Symmetries in a Ballistic Jet from a Binary System

• Published in: Astrophysical journal. Letters Vol. 707; no. 1; pp. L6 - L11
• Main Authors: Raga, A. C, Esquivel, A, Velázquez, P. F, Cantó, J, Haro-Corzo, S, Riera, A, Rodríguez-González, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IOP Publishing 10.12.2009
• Subjects: ACCRETION DISKS; ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; HERBIG-HARO OBJECTS; MATTER; NEBULAE; ORBITS; PLANETARY NEBULAE; REFLECTION; SIMULATION; STARS; SYMMETRY; THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
• ISSN: 1538-4357; 0004-637X; 2041-8205; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/707/1/L6

Models of accretion disks around a star in a binary system predict that the disk will have a retrograde precession with a period a factor of ~10 times the orbital period. If the star+disk system ejects a bipolar outflow, this outflow will be subject to the effects of both the orbital motion and the precession. We present an analytic, ballistic model and a three-dimensional gasdynamical simulation of a bipolar outflow from a source in a circular orbit, and with a precessing outflow axis. We find that this combination results in a jet/counterjet system with a small spatial scale, reflection-symmetric spiral (resulting from the orbital motion) and a larger-scale, point-symmetric spiral (resulting from the longer period precession). These results provide interesting possibilities for modeling specific Herbig-Haro jets and bipolar planetary nebulae.