CHANDRA Observations of X-ray Jet Structure on kpc to Mpc Scales

With its exquisite spatial resolution of better than 0.5 arcsecond, the Chandra observatory is uniquely capable of resolving and studying the spatial structure of extragalactic X-ray jets on scales of a few to a few hundred kilo-parsec. Our analyses of four recent Chandra images of quasar jets interpret the X-ray emission as inverse Compton scattering of high energy electrons on the cosmic microwave background. We infer that these jets are in bulk relativistic motion, carrying kinetic powers upwards of 10^46 ergs/s to distances of hundreds of kpc, with very high efficiency.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to be published in the proceedings of the Bologna jet workshop, "The Physics of Relativistic Jets in the CHANDRA and XMM Era.

TANAMI monitoring of Centaurus A: The complex dynamics in the inner parsec of an extragalactic jet

Context. Centaurus A (Cen A) is the closest radio-loud active galactic nucleus. Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) enables us to study the spectral and kinematic behavior of the radio jet¿counterjet system on milliarcsecond scales, providing essential information for jet emission and propagation models. Aims. In the framework of the TANAMI monitoring, we investigate the kinematics and complex structure of Cen A on subparsec scales. We have been studying the evolution of the central parsec jet structure of Cen A for over 3.5 years. The proper motion analysis of individual jet components allows us to constrain jet formation and propagation and to test the proposed correlation of increased high-energy flux with jet ejection events. Cen A is an exceptional laboratory for such a detailed study because its proximity translates to unrivaled linear resolution, where one milliarcsecond corresponds to 0.018 pc. Methods. As a target of the southern-hemisphere VLBI monitoring program TANAMI, observations of Cen A are done approximately every six months at 8.4 GHz with the Australian Long Baseline Array (LBA) and associated telescopes in Antarctica, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa, complemented by quasi-simultaneous 22.3 GHz observations. Results. The first seven epochs of high-resolution TANAMI VLBI observations at 8.4 GHz of Cen A are presented, resolving the jet on (sub-)milliarcsecond scales. They show a differential motion of the subparsec scale jet with significantly higher component speeds farther downstream where the jet becomes optically thin. We determined apparent component speeds within a range of 0.1c to 0.3c and identified long-term stable features. In combination with the jet-to-counterjet ratio, we can constrain the angle to the line of sight to theta approx 12deg-45deg. Conclusions. The high-resolution kinematics are best explained by a spine-sheath structure supported by the downstream acceleration occurring where the jet becomes optically thin. On top of the underlying, continuous flow, TANAMI observations clearly resolve individual jet features. The flow appears to be interrupted by an obstacle causing a local decrease in surface brightness and circumfluent jet behavior. We propose a jet-star interaction scenario to explain this appearance. The comparison of jet ejection times to high X-ray flux phases yields a partial overlap of the onset of the X-ray emission and increasing jet activity, but the limited data do not support a robust correlation

Gravitational Lensing at Millimeter Wavelengths

With today's millimeter and submillimeter instruments observers use gravitational lensing mostly as a tool to boost the sensitivity when observing distant objects. This is evident through the dominance of gravitationally lensed objects among those detected in CO rotational lines at z>1. It is also evident in the use of lensing magnification by galaxy clusters in order to reach faint submm/mm continuum sources. There are, however, a few cases where millimeter lines have been directly involved in understanding lensing configurations. Future mm/submm instruments, such as the ALMA interferometer, will have both the sensitivity and the angular resolution to allow detailed observations of gravitational lenses. The almost constant sensitivity to dust emission over the redshift range z=1-10 means that the likelihood for strong lensing of dust continuum sources is much higher than for optically selected sources. A large number of new strong lenses are therefore likely to be discovered with ALMA, allowing a direct assessment of cosmological parameters through lens statistics. Combined with an angular resolution <0.1", ALMA will also be efficient for probing the gravitational potential of galaxy clusters, where we will be able to study both the sources and the lenses themselves, free of obscuration and extinction corrections, derive rotation curves for the lenses, their orientation and, thus, greatly constrain lens models.Comment: 69 pages, Review on quasar lensing. Part of a LNP Topical Volume on "Dark matter and gravitational lensing", eds. F. Courbin, D. Minniti. To be published by Springer-Verlag 2002. Paper with full resolution figures can be found at ftp://oden.oso.chalmers.se/pub/tommy/mmviews.ps.g

Constraining the neutrino emission of gravitationally lensed Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars with ANTARES data

This paper proposes to exploit gravitational lensing effects to improve the sensitivity of neutrino telescopes to the intrinsic neutrino emission of distant blazar populations. This strategy is illustrated with a search for cosmic neutrinos in the direction of four distant and gravitationally lensed Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars. The magnification factor is estimated for each system assuming a singular isothermal profile for the lens. Based on data collected from 2007 to 2012 by the ANTARES neutrino telescope, the strongest constraint is obtained from the lensed quasar B0218+357, providing a limit on the total neutrino luminosity of this source of 1.08 x 10(46) erg s(-1) This limit is about one order of magnitude lower than those previously obtained in the ANTARES standard point source searches with non-lensed Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars

A Radio Survey For Gravitational Lenses In The Southern Hemisphere

We are undertaking an imaging survey with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) to find gravitational lens candidates in flat-spectrum Parkes Catalogue radio sources. Flat-spectrum radio sources typically possess a single high brightness temperature nucleus of milliarcsecond size. Such sources, if lensed, will show multiply imaged nuclei with separations that are large compared to their milliarcsecond sizes. Our flat-spectrum sample was selected using the criteria α2.7/5.0 &gt; −0.5 (S(v) ∝ vα), S2.7 &gt; 0.34Jy and δ ≤ −20°, and comprises a total of 461 sources.</jats:p

Flux Density Variations Of PKS 1830–211

We have been observing the strong radio source and Einstein ring gravitational lens PKS 1830–211 as part of a flux density monitoring program at 2.3 and 8.4 GHz using the 26 m antenna at the Mt Pleasant Observatory. As can be seen from Figure 1 this source is variable at both frequencies. The 2.3 GHz flux density decreased from 10 Jy in 1990 November to a minimum of 9 Jy during 1992, and has since steadily increased to its present ∼12 Jy. Over the same interval, the flux density at 8.4 GHz has exhibited greater variability, more than doubling from an initial value of 5 Jy in late 1990 to a peak of ∼11 Jy early in 1992, before decreasing to a level of ∼7.5 Jy. VLA observations by van Ommen et al. (1995) show that the 15 GHz total flux density increased before the 8.4 GHz brightening seen at Mount Pleasant. Although the 15 GHz time series is not well sampled, it is clear from these data that the 15 GHz outburst precedes the 8.4 GHz feature by ∼400 days.</jats:p

The gamma-ray emitting radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy PKS 2004-447 II. The Radio View

Contains fulltext : 157955.pdf (preprint version ) (Open Access

VLBI Observations of Southern EGRET Identifications

We present high resolution VLBI images of three southern radio sources: PKS 0208–512, PKS 0521–365 and PKS 0537–441. These sources have been identified as &gt; 100 MeV gamma-ray sources with the Energetic Gamma-Ray Telescope (EGRET) on board the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (Thompson et al. 1995). These are the first results in a continuing program of VLBI observations of southern EGRET identifications with the Southern Hemisphere VLBI Experiment (SHEVE) array of telescopes (Jauncey et al., 1994).</jats:p