Magnetocentrifugally Driven Flows from Young Stars and Disks. V. Asymptotic Collimation into Jets

Abstract

We consider the asymptotic behavior of magnetocentrifugally driven X-winds, taking into proper account the pressure balance across the interface between the open stellar field lines of the dead zone devoid of matter and the open field lines of the wind. At large distances from the source the outflow collimates into jets along the rotation axis. Being almost cylindrically symmetric even close to the source of the outflow, the density distribution appears more jetlike than the collection of streamlines, which always contains a few members that skim over the surface of the disk.