Radio/X-ray Offsets of Large Scale Jets Caused by Synchrotron Time Lags

Abstract

In the internal shock scenario, we argue that electrons in most kpc (or even larger) scale jets can be accelerated to energies high enough to emit synchrotron X-rays, if shocks exist on these scales. These high energy electrons emit synchrotron radiation at high frequencies and cool as they propagate downstream along the jet, emitting at progressively lower frequencies and resulting in time lags and hence radio/X-ray (and optical/X-ray if the optical knot is detectable) offsets at bright knots, with the centroids of X-ray knots being closer to the core. Taking into account strong effects of jet expansion, the behaviour of radio/X-ray and optical/X-ray offsets at bright knots in M87, Cen A, 3C 66B, 3C 31, 3C 273, and PKS 1127-145 is consistent with that of synchrotron time lags due to radiative losses. This suggests that the large scale X-ray and optical jets in these sources are due to synchrotron emission.