What is the primary function of the high-speed jets ejected from young protostars?

Answer

Carry away excess angular momentum

The process of mass transfer from the surrounding protoplanetary disk onto the central protostar is complicated by the conservation of angular momentum due to the disk's rotation. If all the angular momentum from the original cloud were confined to the small, forming star, the rotation rate would become prohibitively fast, halting further accretion. To regulate this growth, young protostars utilize powerful magnetic activity to eject narrow, high-speed jets of energetic material. These jets flow outward along the rotational poles, effectively carrying away the excess angular momentum, which allows the remaining mass in the disk to spiral inward and continue feeding the growing protostar.

What is the primary function of the high-speed jets ejected from young protostars?

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