A Magnetized Jet from a Massive Protostar

Abstract

Stellar Jets Supersonic jets of energized charged particles are a common phenomenon in astrophysics, emanating from sources that range widely in mass: from brown dwarfs to super massive black holes in the centers of galaxies. Carrasco-González et al. (p. 1209 ; see the Perspective by Ray ) present observations, of a jet emanating from a young stellar object, which show that the jet is magnetized and has characteristics that are similar to those of jets found in much larger and more massive systems. The results support the idea that all astrophysical jets are launched and collimated through the same basic mechanism, involving launching of material along magnetic field lines.