1,610 research outputs found
Unmasking the Active Galactic Nucleus in PKS J2310-437
PKS J2310-437 is an AGN with bright X-ray emission relative to its weak radio
emission and optical continuum. It is believed that its jet lies far enough
from the line of sight that it is not highly relativistically beamed. It thus
provides an extreme test of AGN models. We present new observations aimed at
refining the measurement of the source's properties. In optical photometry with
the NTT we measure a central excess with relatively steep spectrum lying above
the bright elliptical galaxy emission, and we associate the excess wholly or in
part with the AGN. A new full-track radio observation with the ATCA finds that
the core 8.64GHz emission has varied by about 20 per cent over 38 months, and
improves the mapping of the weak jet. With Chandra we measure a
well-constrained power-law spectral index for the X-ray core, uncontaminated by
extended emission from the cluster environment, with a negligible level of
intrinsic absorption. Weak X-ray emission from the resolved radio jet is also
measured. Our analysis suggests that the optical continuum in this radio galaxy
has varied by at least a factor of four over a timescale of about two years,
something that should be testable with further observations. We conclude that
the most likely explanation for the bright central X-ray emission is
synchrotron radiation from high-energy electrons.Comment: 7 pages, 12 figure
Multiple description video coding for stereoscopic 3D
In this paper, we propose an MDC schemes for stereoscopic 3D video. In the literature, MDC has previously been applied in 2D video but not so much in 3D video. The proposed algorithm enhances the error resilience of the 3D video using the combination of even and odd frame based MDC while retaining good temporal prediction efficiency for video over error-prone networks. Improvements are made to the original even and odd frame MDC scheme by adding a controllable amount of side information to improve frame interpolation at the decoder. The side information is also sent according to the video sequence motion for further improvement. The performance of the proposed algorithms is evaluated in error free and error prone environments especially for wireless channels. Simulation results show improved performance using the proposed MDC at high error rates compared to the single description coding (SDC) and the original even and odd frame MDC
HEAO 1 measurements of the galactic ridge
The HEAO A2 experiment data was systematically searched for unresolved galactic disc emission. Although there were suggestions of non-uniformities in the emission, the data were consistent with a disc of half-thickness 241 + 22 pc and surface emissivity (2-10 keV) at galactic radius R(kpc) of 2.2 10 to the minus 7th power exp(-R/3.5) erg/sq cm to the (-2)power/s (R 7.8 kpc). giving a luminosity of approximately 4.4 10 to the 37th power erg S to the (-1) power. If the model is extrapolated to radii less than 7.8 kpc, the unresolved disc emission is approximately 1.4 10 to the 38th power erg S to the (-1) power (2-10 keV) i.e., a few percent of the luminosity of the galaxy in resolved sources. the disc emission has a spectrum which is significantly softer than that of the high galactic latitude diffuse X-ray background and it is most probably of discrete source origin
The magnetized medium around the radio galaxy B2 0755+37: an interaction with the intra-group gas
We explore the magneto-ionic environment of the isolated radio galaxy B2
0755+37 using detailed imaging of the distributions of Faraday rotation and
depolarization over the radio source from Very Large Array observations at
1385,1465 and 4860 MHz and new X-ray data from XMM-Newton. The Rotation Measure
(RM) distribution is complex, with evidence for anisotropic fluctuations in two
regions. The approaching lobe shows low and uniform RM in an unusual `stripe'
along an extension of the jet axis and a linear gradient transverse to this
axis over its Northern half. The leading edge of the receding lobe shows
arc-like RM structures with sign reversals. Elsewhere, the RM structures are
reasonably isotropic. The RM power spectra are well described by cut-off power
laws with slopes ranging from 2.1 to 3.2 in different sub-regions. The
corresponding magnetic-field autocorrelation lengths, where well-determined,
range from 0.25 to 1.4 kpc. It is likely that the fluctuations are mostly
produced by compressed gas and field around the leading edges of the lobes. We
identify areas of high depolarization around the jets and inner lobes. These
could be produced by dense gas immediately surrounding the radio emission
containing a magnetic field which is tangled on small scales. We also identify
four ways in which the well known depolarization (Faraday depth) asymmetry
between jetted and counter-jetted lobes of extended radio sources can be
modified by interactions with the surrounding medium.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS. Full
resolution paper available at: ftp://ftp.ira.inaf.it/pub/outgoing/guidetti/
Subjects: Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO
The inner jet of radio galaxy NGC 315 as observed with Chandra and the VLA
We present Chandra X-ray results for the jet, nucleus, and gaseous atmosphere
of NGC 315, a nearby radio galaxy whose jet kinematics are known through deep
radio mapping. Diffuse X-ray synchrotron emission is detected from the jet out
to 30 arcsec from the nucleus, through regions both of fast bulk flow and
deceleration. The X-ray to radio flux ratio drops considerably where the flow
decelerates, but the X-ray and radio emissions show similar transverse extents
throughout, requiring distributed particle acceleration to maintain the supply
of X-ray-emitting electrons. A remarkable knotty filament within the jet is
seen in both the radio and X-ray, contributing roughly 10 per cent of the
diffuse emission along its extent at both wavelengths. No completely
satisfactory explanation for the filament is found, though its oscillatory
appearance, roughly aligned magnetic field, and requirements for particle
acceleration, suggest that it is a magnetic strand within a shear layer between
fast inner and slower outer flow.Comment: Accepted for publication in the MNRAS. 13 pages,14 figures (some in
colour
New insights into the evolution of the FR I radio galaxy 3C 270 (NGC 4261) from VLA and GMRT radio observations
We present Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) 240 MHz observations of the
nearby luminous FR I radio source 3C 270, in the group-central elliptical NGC
4261. Combining these data with reprocessed Very Large Array (VLA) 1.55 and 4.8
GHz observations, we produce spectral index maps that reveal a constant
spectral index along the jets and a gradual steepening from the ends of the
jets through the lobes towards the nucleus. A Jaffe & Perola (JP) model fitted
to the integrated spectrum of the source gives an asymptotic low-frequency
index of , while JP models fitted to the
observed spectral index trend along the lobes allow us to estimate radiative
ages of Myr and Myr for the west and east lobes respectively.
Our age estimates are a factor of two lower than the 75-Myr upper limit derived
from X-ray data (O'Sullivan et al. 2011). We find unlikely the scenario of an
early supersonic phase in which the lobe expanded into the ISM at approximately
Mach 6 (3500 km s), and suggest that either the source underwent
multiple AGN outbursts with possible large changes in jet power, or possibly
that the source age that we find is due to a backflow that transports young
electrons from the jet tips through the lobes toward the nucleus relatively
quickly. We calculate that in the lobes the energy ratio of non-radiating to
radiating particles is indicating significant gas entrainment. If
the lobes are in pressure balance with their surroundings, the total energy
required to heat the entrained material is erg, 40% of the
total enthalpy of the lobes.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, 8 tables. Accepted for publication by MNRAS.
Revised throughout in response to referee's comment
Multifrequency Study of The Radio Galaxy NGC326
We present the results of a multi-frequency study of the inversion symmetric
radio galaxy NGC326 based on Very Large Array observations at 1.4, 1.6, 4.8,
8.5 and 14.9 GHz. The morphological, spectral and polarization properties of
this peculiar object are studied at different levels of spatial resolutions.
The interpretation of the data will be discussed in forthcoming papers.Comment: 15 pages, 15 ps figures, accepted by A&
Ordered magnetic fields around radio galaxies: evidence for interaction with the environment
We present detailed imaging of Faraday rotation and depolarization for the
radio galaxies 0206+35, 3C 270, 3C 353 and M 84, based on Very Large Array
observations at multiple frequencies in the range 1365 to 8440 MHz. This work
suggests a more complex picture of the magneto-ionic environments of radio
galaxies than was apparent from earlier work. All of the sources show
spectacular banded rotation measure (RM) structures with contours of constant
RM perpendicular to the major axes of their radio lobes. We give a
comprehensive description of the banded RM phenomenon and present an initial
attempt to interpret it as a consequence of interactions between the sources
and their surroundings. We show that the material responsible for the Faraday
rotation is in front of the radio emission and that the bands are likely to be
caused by magnetized plasma which has been compressed by the expanding radio
lobes. A two-dimensional magnetic structure in which the field lines are a
family of ellipses draped around the leading edge of the lobe can produce RM
bands in the correct orientation for any source orientation. We also report the
first detections of rims of high depolarization at the edges of the inner radio
lobes of M 84 and 3C 270. These are spatially coincident with shells of
enhanced X-ray surface brightness, in which both the field strength and the
thermal gas density are likely to be increased by compression.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS. Full
resolution paper available at http://www.ira.inaf.it/~guidetti/bands/
Subjects: Astrophysics (astro-ph
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