CONTINUUM RADIATION FROM ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

In this paper we present the calculation of continuum radiation from shocked gas, at a large range of wavelengths. The basic dynamical processes are jets and winds which produce shock waves by interaction with gaseous inhomogeneities in active galactic nuclei. Four representative cases of emitting gas clouds are considered, and the continuum emission is calculated for each case. In the radio band, synchrotron emission is due to acceleration of particles through the shock front. High temperatures in the postshock zone produce X-rays by free-free emission which extends to the radio range. In addition, the presence of dust, cooling the gas by grain-gas collisions, affects the whole continuum spectrum and produces a strong infrared emission. The results show that synchrotron emission dominates in the radio range, whereas the infrared continuum is dominated by dust emission and X-rays come from the free-free mechanism. Since shock propagation is the only energy source for continuum emission, the continuum fluxes, integrated over the different wavelength bands, show a good correlation, in agreement with observations.