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A. Rosen, P. Hardee (U. Alabama)
Jet flows are important in many astrophysical objects, from protostars and Galactic superluminals within our own Galaxy to extragalactic radio sources. Since the evolution of these flows follow from nonlinear dynamical systems of equations (e.g., hydrodynamics or magnetohydrodynamics), numerical simulations are needed to more fully understand the nature of these flows. Here, we focus on the effects that magnetic fields will have on the amount of mass entrained by the flow. We also compare the mass entrainment rate with simulated intensity (at radio wavelengths) images of the simulated jets, so that observable structures may be compared with the underlying flow. Linear stability analysis suggests an explanation for the initial spatial growth of mass entrainment in supermagnetosonic flows. We also examine the mass, momentum, and energy fluxes of these simulations. We acknowledge support from NSF grant AST-9802955.