Part I: Relativistic jets emitted from the centers of some galaxies (called active galaxies)\ exhibit many interesting behaviors that are not yet fully understood: acceleration and collimation\ over vast distances, for instance, and occasional flaring activity. In the first part of my thesis, I\ examine the possibility of collimation and acceleration of relativistic jets by the pressure of the\ ambient medium surrounding the jet base. I discuss the differences in predicted jet behavior due to\ including the effects of a magnetic field threading the jet interior, and I describe the conditions that\ create some observed jet shapes, such as the \textquotedbllefthollow cone\textquotedblright structure seen in M87 and similar jets.\ I also discuss what happens when the pressure outside of the jet drops so slowly that the jet shocks\ repeatedly, generating entropy at its boundary. Finally, I examine the spectra of the 40 brightest\ gamma-ray flares from blazars (active galaxies with jets pointed toward us) recorded by the Fermi\ Gamma-ray Space Telescope in its first four years of operation. I develop models to describe the\ observed behavior of these flares and discuss the physical implications of these models.\
CY - Boulder, CO DA - 12-12014 N2 -Part I: Relativistic jets emitted from the centers of some galaxies (called active galaxies)\ exhibit many interesting behaviors that are not yet fully understood: acceleration and collimation\ over vast distances, for instance, and occasional flaring activity. In the first part of my thesis, I\ examine the possibility of collimation and acceleration of relativistic jets by the pressure of the\ ambient medium surrounding the jet base. I discuss the differences in predicted jet behavior due to\ including the effects of a magnetic field threading the jet interior, and I describe the conditions that\ create some observed jet shapes, such as the \textquotedbllefthollow cone\textquotedblright structure seen in M87 and similar jets.\ I also discuss what happens when the pressure outside of the jet drops so slowly that the jet shocks\ repeatedly, generating entropy at its boundary. Finally, I examine the spectra of the 40 brightest\ gamma-ray flares from blazars (active galaxies with jets pointed toward us) recorded by the Fermi\ Gamma-ray Space Telescope in its first four years of operation. I develop models to describe the\ observed behavior of these flares and discuss the physical implications of these models.\
PB - University of Colorado Boulder PP - Boulder, CO PY - 2014 EP - 234 TI - Causality and Communication: Relativistic astrophysical jets and the implementation of science communication training in astronomy classes VL - Ph. D. ER -