Summary
Motivated by observations of relativistic jets in galactic X-ray sources and in radio galaxies, we embark on a numerical survey of relativistic jet streams. We use second order, shock-capturing discretizations in finite volume treatments for relativistic hydro- and magnetohydrodynamic flows in combination with adaptive mesh refinement (AMR). We ensure physical consistency between the primitive $$\mathrm{(\rho,v,p,B)}$$ and conservative variables at limited linear reconstruction stages, as well as at all AMR restriction and prolongation stages. Special relativistic hydro simulations compare favorably with recent higher order implementations thanks to the AMR strategy. Magnetized relativistic jet simulations confirm morphological differences controlled by the inlet ratio of kinetic to electromagnetic (Poynting) flux.