Relativistic electrons in extragalactic radio jets could act as tracers of only a restricted area of a magnetic field generated by the current structure. In the present paper we present a model for a conical distribution of relativistic electrons inside a cylindrical thermal jet which obeys the MHD model of Chiuderi, Pietrini, and Torricelli-Ciamponi (1989). Two different geometries are explained on the basis of stochastic diffusion of the relativistic particles on the field lines. This diffusion is shown to be a consequence of the properties of the MHD turbulence which develops in the jet. Model predictions for intensity profiles, degree of polarization, and apparent magnetic field configurations are shown, and many of them are in good agreement with observed radio jet structures.
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Corbelli et al. (1989) studied this question.