Jet-intracluster medium interaction in hydra A - II. The effect of jet precession

Abstract

We present three-dimensional relativistic hydrodynamical simulations of a precessing jet interacting with the intracluster medium and compare the simulated jet structure with the observed structure of the Hydra A northern jet. For the simulations, we use jet parameters obtained in the parameter space study of the first paper in this series and probe different values for the precession period and precession angle. We find that for a precession period P ≈ 1 Myr and a precession angle ψ ≈ 20°, the model reproduces (i) the curvature of the jet, (ii) the correct number of bright knots within 20 kpc at approximately correct locations and (iii) the turbulent transition of the jet to a plume. The Mach number of the advancing bow shock ≈1.85 is indicative of gentle cluster atmosphere heating during the early stages of the AGN's activity.