Proper Motion of the Irradiated Jet HH 399 in the Trifid Nebula

HH 399 is one of the first Herbig Haro flows recognized to be irradiated by the UV radiation of the massive O7.5 star in the Trifid nebula. We present the proper motion of the first irradiated jet based on two epochs of HST observations of HH 399 separated nearly by five years using H$\alpha$ and [SII] line filters. High proper motion with continuous velocities between 200$\pm$55 and 528$\pm24$ \kms are detected in both lines along the 18$''$ extent of the jet axis. The irradiated fully-ionized jet consists of numerous knots along the jet but also shows the evidence for a number of isolated blob-like structures running immediately outside the jet with lower transverse velocities. The transverse velocities combined with radial velocity measurements indicate that the jet axis lies away from the plane of the sky by only few degrees. We argue that the jet is fully ionized based on [SII]/H$\alpha$ line ratio as well as radio continuum emission detected from the full extent of the jet at 3.6cm wavelength. The stellar mass-loss rate producing HH 399 is estimated to be \approx 2\times10^{-6} \msol yr$^{-1}$.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, ApJ (in press

3D Structures on Relativistic Jets

The properties of wave-like helically twisted normal mode structures on steady relativistic jets are summarized. Wave speeds are a function of the wavelength and less than the jet speed. However, normal mode interference can lead to both stationary and superluminal phase effects. A maximum pressure fluctuation criterion suggested by numerical simulations of axisymmetric relativistic jets is used to find the maximum asymmetric jet distortions and velocity fluctuations. Cyclic transverse velocity fluctuation can lead to variation in the flow direction on the order of the relativistic beaming angle. Resulting variation in the Doppler boost factor can lead to significant brightness asymmetries as helical structures twist around the jet beam. Growth of these structures is reduced as the jet density, Lorentz factor or Mach number are increased. Maximum jet distortion is reduced as the Lorentz factor increases and this suggests a reduction in mass entrainment or other non-linear disruptive processes that influence the morphological development of radio sources.Comment: to appear in Life Cycles of Radio Galaxies, ed. J. Biretta et al., New Astronomy Reviews; 8 pages, including 3 figure

X-ray variability in M87

We present the evidence for X-ray variability from the core and from knot A in the M87 jet based on data from two observations with the Einstein Observatory High Resolution Imager (HRI) and three observations with the ROSAT HRI. The core intensity showed a 16% increase in 17 months ('79-'80); a 12% increase in the 3 years '92 to '95; and a 17% drop in the last half of 1995. The intensity of knot A appears to have decreased by 16% between 92Jun and 95Dec. Although the core variability is consistent with general expectations for AGN nuclei, the changes in knot A provide constraints on the x-ray emission process and geometry. Thus we predict that the x-ray morphology of knot A will differ significantly from the radio and optical structure.Comment: 9 pages latex plus 6 ps figs. To appear in Monthly Notices of the RA

Collimation of extragalactic radio jets in compact steep spectrum and larger sources

We study the collimation of radio jets in the high-luminosity Fanaroff-Riley class II sources by examining the dependence of the sizes of hotspots and knots in the radio jets on the overall size of the objects for a sample of compact steep-spectrum or CSS and larger-sized objects. The objects span a wide range in overall size from about 50 pc to nearly 1 Mpc. The mean size of the hotspots increases with the source size during the CSS phase, which is typically taken to be about 20 kpc, and the relationship flattens for the larger sources. The sizes of the knots in the compact as well as the larger sources are consistent with this trend. We discuss possible implications of these trends. We find that the hotspot closer to the nucleus or core component tends to be more compact for the most asymmetric objects where the ratio of separations of the hotspots from the nucleus, r_d > 2. These highly asymmetric sources are invariably CSS objects, and their location in the hotspot size ratio - separation ratio diagram is possibly due to their evolution in an asymmetric environment. We also suggest that some soures, especially of lower luminosity, exhibit an asymmetry in the collimation of the oppositely-directed radio jets.Comment: MNRAS in press, 9 pages and 3 figures, MNRAS LaTe

Scattering in the vicinity of relativistic jets: a method for constraining jet parameters

Relativistic jets of radio loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) produce highly directed, intense beams of radiation. A fraction of this beamed radiation scatters on the thermal plasma generally surrounding an AGN. The morphology of the scattered emission can thus provide constraints on the physical properties of the jet. We present a model to study the feasibility of constraining the parameters of a jet, especially its inclination angle and bulk Lorentz factor in this way. We apply our model to the well studied jet of M87 and the surrounding diffuse gas and find that the observational limits of the surface brightness measured in the region of the putative counterjet provide the tightest constraints on the jet parameters consistent with constraints derived by other methods. We briefly discuss the applicability of our model to other sources exhibiting relativistic motionsComment: 17 pages, 15 figures, to appear in A&A, 420, 33 (2004

Energy transport faster than light in good conductors and superconductors

People need a model to study tachyons whose prediction can be tested easily. The dispersion relation w^2=k^2C^2-a^2C^2 of a low-frequency electromagnetic field in good conductors is equivalent to the energy-momentum equation E^2=p^2C^2-m^2C^4 of a tachyon where the proportionality coefficient is h^2. An experiment in 1980s to measure the phase velocity Vp [1] can be regarded as an indirect evidence of the superluminal velocity V>>c of those photons just equals the rate of energy flow S/w of the field.Instability of the tachyonic field corresponds to the Joule heat. To detect the speed of energy is difficult and we plan to modulate signals to observe the information velocity (speed of points of non-analyticity)[2].Comment: 16 page

Magnetic collimation of the relativistic jet in M87

We apply a two-zone MHD model to the jet of M87. The model consists of an inner relativistic outflow, which is surrounded by a non-relativistic outer disk-wind. The outer disk-wind collimates very well through magnetic self-collimation and confines the inner relativistic jet into a narrow region around the rotation axis. Further, we show by example, that such models reproduce very accurately the observed opening angle of the M87 jet over a large range from the kiloparsec scale down to the sub-parsec scale.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted by A&A Letter

Proper Motions of Ionized Gas at the Galactic Center: Evidence for Unbound Orbiting Gas

We present radio continuum observations of the spiral-shaped ionized feature (Sgr A West) within the inner pc of the Galactic center at three epochs spanning 1986 to 1995. The VLA A-configuration was used at $\lambda$2cm (resolution of 0\dasec1$\times$0\dasec2). We detect proper motions of a number of features in the Northern and Eastern Arms of Sgr A West including the ionized gas associated with IRS 13 with V(RA)= 113 \pm 10, V(Dec)=150 \pm15 km/s, IRS 2 with V(RA)= 122 \pm 11, V(Dec)=24 \pm 34 km/s and the Norther Arm V(RA)= 126 \pm 30, V(Dec)=--207 \pm 58 km/s. We also report the detection of features having transverse velocities > 1000 km/s including a head-tail radio structure, the ``Bullet'', $\approx4''$ northwest of Sgr A$^*$ with V(RA)= 722 \pm 156, V(Dec)=832 \pm 203 km/s, exceeding the escape velocity at the Galactic center. The proper motion measurements when combined with previous H92$\alpha$ radio recombination line data suggest an unambiguous direction of the flow of ionized gas orbiting the Galactic center. The measured velocity distribution suggests that the ionized gas in the Northern Arm is not bound to the Galactic center assuming a 2.5 million solar mass of dark matter residing at the Galactic center. This implies that the stellar and ionized gas systems are not dynamically coupled, thus, supporting a picture in which the gas features in the Northern Arm and its extensions are the result of an energetic phenomenon that has externally driven a cloud of gas cloud into the Galactic center.Comment: 11 pages, three figures (one color) and one table. Astrophysical Journal Letters in pres