33 research outputs found
Magnetic Fields in Quasar Cores II
Multi-frequency polarimetry with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA)
telescope has revealed absolute Faraday Rotation Measures (RMs) in excess of
1000 rad/m/m in the central regions of 7 out of 8 strong quasars studied (e.g.,
3C 273, 3C 279, 3C 395). Beyond a projected distance of ~20 pc, however, the
jets are found to have |RM| < 100 rad/m/m. Such sharp RM gradients cannot be
produced by cluster or galactic-scale magnetic fields, but rather must be the
result of magnetic fields organized over the central 1-100 pc. The RMs of the
sources studied to date and the polarization properties of BL Lacs, quasars and
galaxies are shown to be consistent so far with the predictions of unified
schemes. The direct detection of high RMs in these quasar cores can explain the
low fractional core polarizations usually observed in quasars at centimeter
wavelengths as the result of irregularities in the Faraday screen on scales
smaller than the telescope beam. Variability in the RM of the core is reported
for 3C 279 between observations taken 1.5 years apart, indicating that the
Faraday screen changes on that timescale, or that the projected superluminal
motion of the inner jet components samples a new location in the screen with
time. Either way, these changes in the Faraday screen may explain the dramatic
variability in core polarization properties displayed by quasars.Comment: Accepted to the ApJ. 27 pages, 9 figures including figure 6 in colo
Comptonization of Infrared Radiation from Hot Dust by Relativistic Jets in Quasars
We demonstrate the importance of near-infrared radiation from hot dust for
Compton cooling of electrons/positrons in quasar jets. In our model, we assume
that the non-thermal radiation spectra observed in OVV quasars are produced by
relativistic electrons/positrons accelerated in thin shells which propagate
down the jet with relativistic speeds. We show that the Comptonization of the
near-IR flux is likely to dominate the radiative output of OVV quasars in the
energy range from tens of keV up to hundreds of MeV, where it exceeds that
produced by Comptonization of the UV radiation reprocessed and rescattered in
the Broad Emission Line region. The main reason for this lies in the fact that
the jet encounters the ambient IR radiation over a relatively large distance as
compared to the distance where the energy density of the broad emission line
light peaks. In the soft - to mid energy X-ray band, the spectral component
resulting from Comptonization of the near-IR radiation joins smoothly with the
synchrotron-self-Compton component, which may be responsible for the soft X-ray
flux. At the highest observed gamma-ray energies, in the GeV range,
Comptonization of broad emission lines dominates over other components.Comment: 23 pages, including 5 Postscript figures and 3 tables, uses aastex.
Astrophysical Journal, accepted for publication in the December 20, 2000
issu
VLTI monitoring of the dust formation event of the Nova V1280 Scorpii
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from EDP Sciences via the DOI in this record.Context. We present the first high spatial-resolution monitoring of the dust-forming nova V1280 Sco, performed with the Very Large
Telescope Interferometer (VLTI).
Aims. These observations promise to improve the distance determination of such events and constrain the mechanisms leading to very
efficient dust formation under the harsh physical conditions encountered in novae ejecta.
Methods. Spectra and visibilities were regularly acquired between the onset of dust formation, 23 days after discovery (or 11 days
after maximum), and day 145, using the beam-combiner instruments AMBER (near-IR) and MIDI (mid-IR). These interferometric
observations were complemented by near-infrared data from the 1.2 m Mt. Abu Infrared Observatory, India. The observations are
initially interpreted in terms of simple uniform models; however more complex models, probably involving a second shell, are required
to explain data acquired following t = 110 d after outburst. This behavior is in accordance with the light curve of V1280 Sco, which
exhibits a secondary peak at about t = 106 d, followed by a new, steep decline, suggesting a new dust-forming event. Spherical dust
shell models generated with the DUSTY code are used to investigate the parameters of the main dust shell.
Results. Using uniform disk models, these observations allow us to determine an apparent linear expansion rate for the dust shell of
0.35 ± 0.03 mas day−1 and the approximate ejection time of the matter in which dust formed of tejec = 10.5 ± 7 d, i.e. close to the
maximum brightness. This information, combined with the expansion velocity of 500 ± 100 km s−1, implies a distance estimate of
1.6 ± 0.4 kpc. The sparse uv coverage does not enable deviations from spherical symmetry to be clearly discerned. The dust envelope
parameters were determined. The dust mass generated was typically 2–8 × 10−9 M day−1, with a probable peak in production at
about 20 days after the detection of dust and another peak shortly after t = 110 d, when the amount of dust in the shell was estimated
as 2.2 × 10−7 M. Considering that the dust-forming event lasted at least 200–250 d, the mass of the ejected material is likely to have
exceeded 10−4 M. The conditions for the formation of multiple shells of dust are also discussed.
K
A Study of 3CR Radio Galaxies from z = 0.15 to 0.65. II. Evidence for an Evolving Radio Structure
Radio structure parameters were measured from the highest quality radio maps
available for a sample of 3CR radio galaxies in the redshift range 0.15 < z <
0.65. Combined with similar data for quasars in the same redshift range, these
morphology data are used in conjunction with a quantification of the richness
of the cluster environment around these objects (the amplitude of the
galaxy-galaxy spatial covariance function, Bgg) to search for indirect evidence
of a dense intracluster medium (ICM). This is done by searching for confinement
and distortions of the radio structure that are correlated with Bgg.
Correlations between physical size and hot spot placement with Bgg show
evidence for an ICM only at z 0.4,
suggesting an epoch of z ~ 0.4 for the formation of an ICM in these Abell
richness class 0-1, FR2-selected clusters. X-ray selected clusters at
comparable redshifts, which contain FR1 type sources exclusively, are
demonstrably richer than the FR2-selected clusters found in this study. The
majority of the radio sources with high Bgg values at z < 0.4 can be described
as ``fat doubles'' or intermediate FR2/FR1s. The lack of correlation between
Bgg and bending angle or Bgg and lobe length asymmetry suggests that these
types of radio source distortion are caused by something other than interaction
with a dense ICM. Thus, a large bending angle cannot be used as an unambiguous
indicator of a rich cluster around powerful radio sources. These results
support the hypothesis made in Paper 1 that cluster quasars fade to become
FR2s, then FR1s, on a timescale of 0.9 Gyrs (for H0 = 50 km s^-1 Mpc^-1).Comment: 44 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables; to be published in the September 2002
issue of The Astronomical Journa
Millimeter dust continuum emission unveiling the true mass of giant molecular clouds in the Small Magellanic Cloud
CO observations have been so far the best way to trace molecular gas in
external galaxies, but at low metallicity the gas mass deduced could be largely
underestimated. At present, the kinematic information of CO data cubes are used
to estimate virial masses and trace the total mass of the molecular clouds.
Millimeter dust emission can also be used as a dense gas tracer and could
unveil H2 envelopes lacking CO. These different tracers must be compared in
different environments. This study compares virial masses to masses deduced
from millimeter emission, in two GMC samples: the local molecular clouds in our
Galaxy and their equivalents in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), one of the
nearest low metallicity dwarf galaxy. In our Galaxy, mass estimates deduced
from millimeter emission are consistent with masses deduced from gamma ray
analysis and trace the total mass of the clouds. Virial masses are
systematically larger (twice on average) than mass estimates from millimeter
dust emission. This difference decreases toward high masses and has already
been reported in previous studies. In the SMC however, molecular cloud masses
deduced from SIMBA millimeter observations are systematically higher (twice on
average for conservative values of the dust to gas ratio and dust emissivity)
than the virial masses from SEST CO observations. The observed excess can not
be accounted for by any plausible change of dust properties. Taking a general
form for the virial theorem, we show that a magnetic field strength of ~15
micro Gauss in SMC clouds could provide additional support to the clouds and
explain the difference observed. Masses of SMC molecular clouds have therefore
been underestimated so far. Magnetic pressure may contribute significantly to
their support.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, Astronomy & Astrophysics accepte
50 µas resolution VLBI images of AGN's at λ3mm
We present 15 images from the global mm-VLBI sessions in 1990 April at 100GHz and 1993 April at 86GHz. These observations probe the central engines of the 16 observed AGN's with up to 50 µas resolution. Among other sources previously observed with λ3mm VLBI we present the first λ3mm maps of 0735+178, 0748+126, 1055+018, 2145+067, and CTA102, in total we have been able to image 13 out of the 16 observed sources. 6 out of the 13 imaged sources observed exhibit curvature and rapid structural changes, although the low dynamic range in two thirds of the maps limits the detection of weak features. Most of the sources have unresolved cores even at this high resolution. There is substantial evidence that the observed sources can be grouped into two general groups: A misaligned population with parsec scale jets in the form of low pitch helices and an aligned population with straight jets with small changes in PA due to intrinsic bends
The Supermassive Black Hole at the Galactic Center
The inner few parsecs at the Galactic Center have come under intense scrutiny
in recent years, in part due to the exciting broad-band observations of this
region, but also because of the growing interest from theorists motivated to
study the physics of black hole accretion, magnetized gas dynamics and unusual
star formation. The Galactic Center is now known to contain arguably the most
compelling supermassive black hole candidate, weighing in at a little over 2.6
million suns. Its interaction with the nearby environment, comprised of
clusters of evolved and young stars, a molecular dusty ring, ionized gas
streamers, diffuse hot gas, and a hypernova remnant, is providing a wealth of
accretion phenomenology and high-energy processes for detailed modeling. In
this review, we summarize the latest observational results, and focus on the
physical interpretation of the most intriguing object in this region---the
compact radio source Sgr A*, thought to be the radiative manifestation of the
supermassive black hole.Comment: Annual Review of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Vol. 39 (2001), in press,
48 pages, 20 figures (partially in reduced quality), also available at
http://www.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/staff/hfalcke/publications.html#gcrevie
VLBI observations at 147 GHz: first detection of transatlantic fringes in bright AGN
At 147 GHz (2mm wavelength), we detected three prominent AGN (NRAO150, 3C279,
1633+382) with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) with an angular
resolution of only 18 micro-arcseconds on the baseline between two antennas in
Arizona (10m HHT and 12m KittPeak) and the IRAM 30m antenna on Pico Veleta in
Spain. This is a new world record in radio interferometry and astronomical
imaging and opens fascinating future possibilities to directly image and study
the innermost regions in Quasars and other Active Galactic Nuclei.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, appears in: Proceedings of the 6th European VLBI
Network Symposium held on June 25th-28th in Bonn, Germany. Edited by: E. Ros,
R.W. Porcas, A.P. Lobanov, and J.A. Zensu