arXiv subjects

A. V. Plavin

Publications and source records attributed to A. V. Plavin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A hidden ultra-relativistic spine in the jet of a neutrino-associated blazar

Supermassive black holes launch powerful jets of plasma that can accelerate particles to extreme energies, but the physical conditions required to produce high-energy neutrinos remain unknown. In the blazar TXS 0506+056, the first source individually linked to a high-energy neutrino, radio images had seemed to reveal a jet too slow to sustain the extreme conditions required for neutrino production. Here we resolve this tension using long-term radio monitoring, particularly Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) imaging. We uncover a disturbance in emission propagating with an apparent speed of 21+-1 times the speed of light, that is masked by slower, radio-bright features that dominated earlier analyses. We interpret this as the signature of a stratified jet: an ultra-relativistic spine with Lorentz factor Gamma>20 embedded within a slower outer sheath. As the disturbance travels along the spine, it progressively illuminates the sheath, producing the delayed radio flare and naturally accounting for the years-long offset between neutrino and radio emission. The same pattern recurs in a second neutrino-associated event, pointing to a repeatable multi-messenger engine. These findings challenge the standard interpretation of VLBI jet speeds and establish a concrete, testable framework connecting structured jets to the sources of the Universe's highest-energy neutrinos.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Parsec-scale polarimetry and kinematics of a spine-sheath jet in the neutrino-blazar TXS 0506+056

In 2017, the blazar TXS 0506+056 showed a remarkable gamma-ray outburst simultaneously with a high-energy neutrino detection by IceCube from the same sky region. The significance of this association was found to be on the order of 3 sigma thus providing a strong link between the neutrino emission and the blazar flare. The high-energy flare in TXS 0506+056 was followed by a delayed radio flare, peaking in $\sim2020$ in the aftermath of the neutrino event. We investigate the parsec-scale jet structure and dynamics of TXS 0506+056 using 15 GHz full-polarization VLBI observations obtained between 2009 and 2025 with the Very Long Baseline Array. Our kinematic analysis reveals moderate superluminal jet speeds of $\sim(1-2)$c and two quasi-stationary components. A new jet component with comparable speed was ejected contemporaneously with the 2017 IceCube neutrino event. The stacked polarization map is consistent with a stratified spine-sheath jet structure: an inner spine with EVPA aligned with the jet, surrounded by a sheath layer with perpendicular EVPA. Variability in total intensity and polarization further indicates interaction between these layers, particularly evident in characteristic linear polarization flares, associated with EVPA rotations of the quasi-stationary components. The multi-layered jet configuration is consistent with previous studies that were able to explain the neutrino emission in this TXS 0506+056 through a spine-sheath jet structure. We suggest that TXS 0506+056 represents an archetypal case and that similar polarization signatures and geometric light curve flares may be present in other neutrino-emitting sources, potentially offering a solution to the Doppler-crisis phenomenon observed in TeV-emitting blazars.

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arXiv2026

Unique Science Opportunities for Space VLBI Systems with the SKA Telescopes

To date, two dedicated Space Very Long Baseline Interferometry (SVLBI) missions, the VLBI Space Observatory Programme (VSOP) and RadioAstron, have provided groundbreaking insights into the Universe at angular resolutions as fine as ~10 microarcseconds. The phased SKA-Mid, with its exceptional sensitivity and broad frequency coverage, will form a unique ground-based anchor for future SVLBI missions, driving major advances into previously unexplored regions of the angular resolution-sensitivity parameter space. The discovery of extreme brightness temperatures in blazars by RadioAstron demands detailed investigation with next-generation SVLBI. Such studies are crucial for understanding particle (re-)acceleration mechanisms, with direct implications for the search for high-energy neutrino sources. Combining centimeter-wavelength SVLBI with millimeter ground-based VLBI at comparable resolutions will enable detailed studies of plasma stratification and instabilities in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) jets, as well as the processes of jet formation, acceleration, collimation, and magnetic field evolution, for example through Faraday rotation mapping. The unprecedented sensitivity of the SKA-Mid will allow observations of active galactic nuclei to very high redshifts, tracing their evolution and overcoming opacity caused by the (1+z) shift of intrinsic emission frequencies. Future centimeter SVLBI experiments will also probe scattering in the interstellar medium through pulsar, maser, and AGN observations. Finally, the combination of multiple tied-array beams from the SKA telescopes and the extremely long SVLBI baselines will enable ultra-precise astrometry using the next-generation MultiView technique, allowing measurements of extragalactic parallaxes of pulsars and megamasers, proper motions of supermassive black holes, and even the astrometric detection of exoplanets.

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arXiv2026

Multi-messenger flare in the quasar PKS 0446+11

The physical mechanisms driving neutrino and electromagnetic flares in blazars remain poorly understood. We investigate a prominent multi-messenger flare in the quasar PKS 1424+240 to identify the processes responsible for its high-energy emission. We analyze the IceCube-240105A high-energy neutrino event together with contemporaneous observations in the gamma-ray, X-ray, optical, and radio bands. The on- and off-flare spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are modeled within a single-zone leptohadronic framework. Multi-epoch VLBA observations from the MOJAVE program provide parsec-scale polarization data that complement the multi-wavelength light curves. No significant time delay is detected between the neutrino arrival and the flares in different energy bands. This is consistent with an extremely small jet viewing angle below 1 deg, inferred from the parsec-scale polarization structure. The flare can be reproduced by the injection of a proton population and an increase of the Doppler factor from 18 to 24. We also detect an approximately 90 deg rotation of the EVPA in the parsec-scale core during the initial phase of the flare, indicating the emergence of a shock formed by the change in the bulk plasma speed. Our comprehensive multi-messenger analysis demonstrates that the extreme beaming and sub-degree viewing angle of this distant blazar can account for the observed neutrino and electromagnetic activity. These findings strengthen the case for blazars as efficient accelerators of hadrons and as significant contributors to the observed high-energy neutrino flux.

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arXiv2026

Heavy interstellar scattering toward the near end of the Galactic bar

We present results of a pilot observational wide-field VLBI campaign on probing scattering properties of the partly ionized interstellar medium towards the Galactic plane sky region between $28^\circ<l<36^\circ$ and $|b|<1^\circ$. This covers the region where the Galactic bar connects to the spiral arms and where a lot of star formation is currently ongoing. The Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of the whole region were performed in a special mode with multiple phase centers at L-band (1.4 -- 1.8 GHz) during April-June 2022 and a year later complemented by sessions at S (2.2 -- 2.4 GHz) and C-band (4.6 -- 5.0 GHz) partially covering the pilot region. We found compelling evidence that target sources are subject to scattering. The total detection rate in L, S and C-bands is 1.5, 3.4 and 9.2 per cent, respectively, and approximately scales with the square of the observation frequency. The low rate values imply that scattering is strong. Its power is non-uniform across the Galactic plane and it can be approximated by a Gaussian with a width of about $2^\circ$ peaking at the Galactic mid-plane. One of the brightest sources of the field shows anisotropic scattering, with a $λ^2$ dependence of its observed angular size, along a position angle of $26^\circ$ aligned with the line of constant Galactic latitude. We estimate the turbulence dissipation scale $r_\text{in}\approx1500$ km toward the source J1833+0015.

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arXiv2025

Constraints on the diffuse flux of multi-PeV astrophysical neutrinos obtained with the Baikal Gigaton Volume Detector

Various theoretical models predict cosmic neutrinos with multi-PeV energies. The recent detection of a ~10^17 eV neutrino in the KM3NeT experiment suggests that these energetic particles can be studied with present-day installations. Here, we present upper limits on the flux of astrophysical neutrinos with energies (10^15.5 - 10^20) eV obtained with the largest liquid-water neutrino telescope, Baikal Gigaton Volume Detector (GVD), operation using cascade-like events. We discuss astrophysical implications of these results and constrain several cosmogenic neutrino scenarios using a combination of Baikal-GVD, KM3NeT, IceCube and Auger data.

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arXiv2025

Dim cores of radio-bright AGN jets: VLBI and Gaia astrometry pinpoint different parsec-scale features

Astrometry with the very long baseline radio interferometry (VLBI) allows to determine the position of a point close to the source's brightest compact detail at milliarcsecond scales. For most active galactic nuclei (AGNs), this compact detail is the opaque core of the radio jet. Rare cases of sources whose brightest detail is not the core but a prominent jet feature parsecs away from the core have been reported, but such sources remained elusive. In this work, we use a novel method for a systematic search of these sources. We scrutinize the AGNs for which the offset between their coordinates determined with VLBI and Gaia is statistically significant and coincides with the vector between two dominant features in their VLBI images, using publicly available archival multi-frequency data. We find 35 sources whose VLBI coordinates are associated with a bright component of their jet separated by several to tens of mas from the radio core. Their Gaia coordinates, in turn, correspond to the jet origin close to the radio jet core. The previously published jet directions of most of them must be reversed. These sources exhibit atypically low brightness temperatures of the radio cores, down to 10^9 K in the host galaxy frame, and, at the same time, extreme brightness of the dominating jet components. We argue that these bright components are standing shock fronts and discuss possible physical explanations for the low core brightness, such as ineffective particle heating, atypical absorption, or differential Doppler boosting.

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arXiv2025

Looking into the Jet Cone of the Neutrino-Associated Very High Energy Blazar PKS 1424+240

The acceleration process of massive particles as well as the production of very high energy (VHE) photons and neutrinos remains a fundamental challenge in astrophysics. We investigate the parsec-scale jet structure and magnetic field of the blazar PKS 1424+240, that has been selected on the basis of strong VHE gamma-ray emission and identified with one of the highest peaks in the IceCube 9-year neutrino sky. We analyze 15 GHz VLBA observations of this BL Lac object, stacking 42 polarization-sensitive images collected in 2009-2025 to enhance the signal and reveal persistent parsec-scale structure. Our observations uncover a rare scenario. The object is viewed inside the jet cone, very close to the axis of its relativistic jet, with a viewing angle of <0.6 deg. This effectively maximizes Doppler boosting to values ~30 and enhances both electromagnetic and neutrino emission in the observer's direction. Based on polarimetric observations, we unambiguously detect a net toroidal component of the jet's magnetic field, indicating a current carrying jet flowing almost directly towards our line of sight. Blazars with very small jet viewing angles offer a solution to the longstanding mismatch between Doppler factors inferred from low VLBI apparent jet speed and those derived from VHE observations -- the so-called "Doppler factor crisis". We show that relativistic beaming plays the critical role in the gamma-ray and neutrino emission of blazars, with direct implications for models of their multi-messenger emission.

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arXiv2025

Probing the Galactic neutrino flux at neutrino energies above 200 TeV with the Baikal Gigaton Volume Detector

Recent observations of the Galactic component of the high-energy neutrino flux, together with the detection of the diffuse Galactic gamma-ray emission up to sub-PeV energies, open new possibilities to study the acceleration and propagation of cosmic rays in the Milky Way. At the same time, both large non-astrophysical backgrounds at TeV energies and scarcity of neutrino events in the sub-PeV band currently limit these analyses. Here we use the sample of cascade events with estimated neutrino energies above 200 TeV, detected by the partially deployed Baikal Gigaton Volume Detector (GVD) in six years of operation, to test the continuation of the Galactic neutrino spectrum to sub-PeV energies. We find that the distribution of the arrival directions of Baikal-GVD cascades above 200 TeV in the sky suggests an excess of neutrinos from low Galactic latitudes with the chance probability of 1.4e-2. We find the excess above 200 TeV also in the most recent IceCube public data sets, both of cascades and tracks. The chance probability of the excess in the combined IceCube and Baikal-GVD analysis is 3.4e-4. The flux of Galactic neutrinos above 200~TeV challenges often-used templates for neutrino search based on cosmic-ray simulations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Hard X-ray emission from blazars associated with high-energy neutrinos

Bright blazars were found to be prominent neutrino sources, and a number of IceCube events were associated with them. Evaluating high-energy photon emission of such blazars is crucial for better understanding of the processes and regions where neutrinos are produced. Here, we focus on hard X-ray emission observed by the SRG/ART-XC telescope, by the Swift/BAT imager, and by the INTEGRAL/IBIS telescope. Their energy range ~10 keV is well-suited for probing photons that potentially participate in neutrino production by interacting with ultrarelativistic protons. We find that neutrino-associated blazars tend to demonstrate remarkably strong X-ray emission compared to other VLBI blazars in the sky. Both neutrinos and hard X-rays are found to come from blazars at cosmological distances z ~ 1, and are boosted by relativistic beaming that makes it possible to detect them on Earth. Our results suggest that neutrinos are produced within compact blazar jets, with target X-ray photons emitted from accelerated jet regions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

High-energy neutrino-induced cascade from the direction of the flaring radio blazar TXS 0506+056 observed by Baikal-GVD in 2021

The existence of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos has been unambiguously demonstrated, but their sources remain elusive. IceCube reported an association of a 290-TeV neutrino with a gamma-ray flare of TXS 0506+056, an active galactic nucleus with a compact radio jet pointing to us. Later, radio-bright blazars were shown to be associated with IceCube neutrino events with high statistical significance. These associations remained unconfirmed with the data of independent experiments. Here we report on the detection of a rare neutrino event with the estimated energy of 224+-75 TeV from the direction of TXS 0506+056 by the new Baikal Gigaton Volume Detector (Baikal-GVD) in April 2021. This event is the highest-energy cascade detected so far by the Baikal-GVD neutrino telescope from a direction below horizon. The result supports previous suggestions that radio blazars in general, and TXS 0506+056 in particular, are the sources of high-energy neutrinos, and opens up the cascade channel for the neutrino astronomy.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Diffuse neutrino flux measurements with the Baikal-GVD neutrino telescope

Baikal-GVD is a next generation, kilometer-scale neutrino telescope currently under construction in Lake Baikal. GVD consists of multi-megaton subarrays (clusters) and is designed for the detection of astrophysical neutrino fluxes at energies from a few TeV up to 100 PeV. The large detector volume and modular design of Baikal-GVD allows for the measurements of the astrophysical diffuse neutrino flux to be performed already at early phases of the array construction. We present here recent results of the measurements on the diffuse cosmic neutrino flux obtained with the Baikal-GVD neutrino telescope using cascade-like events.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Search for directional associations between Baikal Gigaton Volume Detector neutrino-induced cascades and high-energy astrophysical sources

Baikal-GVD has recently published its first measurement of the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux, performed using high-energy cascade-like events. We further explore the Baikal-GVD cascade dataset collected in 2018-2022, with the aim to identify possible associations between the Baikal-GVD neutrinos and known astrophysical sources. We leverage the relatively high angular resolution of the Baikal-GVD neutrino telescope (2-3 deg.), made possible by the use of liquid water as the detection medium, enabling the study of astrophysical point sources even with cascade events. We estimate the telescope's sensitivity in the cascade channel for high-energy astrophysical sources and refine our analysis prescriptions using Monte-Carlo simulations. We primarily focus on cascades with energies exceeding 100 TeV, which we employ to search for correlation with radio-bright blazars. Although the currently limited neutrino sample size provides no statistically significant effects, our analysis suggests a number of possible associations with both extragalactic and Galactic sources. Specifically, we present an analysis of an observed triplet of neutrino candidate events in the Galactic plane, focusing on its potential connection with certain Galactic sources, and discuss the coincidence of cascades with several bright and flaring blazars.

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arXiv2023

Baikal-GVD Astrophysical Neutrino Candidate near the Blazar TXS~0506+056

We report on the observation of a rare neutrino event detected by Baikal-GVD in April 2021. The event GVD210418CA is the highest-energy cascade observed by Baikal-GVD so far from the direction below the horizon. The estimated cascade energy is $224\pm75$~TeV. The evaluated signalness parameter of GVD210418CA is 97.1\% using an assumption of the E$^{-2.46}$ spectrum of astrophysical neutrinos. The arrival direction of GVD210418CA is near the position of the well-known radio blazar TXS~0506+056, with the angular distance being within a 90\% directional uncertainty region of the Baikal-GVD measurement. The event was followed by a radio flare observed by the RATAN-600 radio telescope, further strengthening the case for the neutrino-blazar association.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Probing neutrino production in blazars by millimeter VLBI

The advancement of neutrino observatories has sparked a surge in multi-messenger astronomy. Multiple neutrino associations among blazars are reported while neutrino production site is located within their central (sub)parsecs. Yet many questions remain on the nature of those processes. The next generation Event Horizon Telescope (ngEHT) is uniquely positioned for these studies, as its high frequency and resolution can probe both the accretion disk region and the parsec-scale jet. This opens up new opportunities for connecting the two regions and unraveling the proton acceleration and neutrino production in blazars. We outline observational strategies for ngEHT and highlight what it can contribute to the multi-messenger study of blazars.

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arXiv2023

RadioAstron discovery of a mini-cocoon around the restarted parsec-scale jet in 3C 84

We present RadioAstron space-based very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of the nearby radio galaxy 3C84 (NGC1275) at the centre of the Perseus cluster. The observations were carried out on September 21-22, 2013 and involved a global array of 24 ground radio telescopes observing at 5 GHz and 22 GHz, together with the Space Radio Telescope (SRT). Furthermore, the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) and the phased Very Large Array (VLA) observed the source quasi-simultaneously at 15 GHz and 43 GHz. Fringes between the ground array and the SRT were detected on baseline lengths up to 8.1 times the Earth's diameter, providing unprecedented resolution for 3C 84 at these wavelengths. We note that the corresponding fringe spacing is 125 microarcsec at 5 GHz and 27 microarcsec at 22 GHz. Our space-VLBI images reveal a previously unseen sub-structure inside the compact 1 pc long jet that was ejected about ten years earlier. In the 5 GHz image, we detected, for the first time, low-intensity emission from a cocoon-like structure around the restarted jet. Our results suggest that the increased power of the young jet is inflating a bubble of hot plasma as it carves its way through the ambient medium of the central region of the galaxy. Here, we estimate the minimum energy stored in the mini-cocoon, along with its pressure, volume, expansion speed, and the ratio of heavy particles to relativistic electrons, as well as the density of the ambient medium. About half of the energy delivered by the jet is dumped into the mini-cocoon and the quasi-spherical shape of the bubble suggests that this energy may be transferred to a significantly larger volume of the interstellar medium than what would be accomplished by the well-collimated jet on its own. The pressure of the hot mini-cocoon also provides a natural explanation for the almost cylindrical jet profile seen in the 22 GHz RadioAstron image.

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arXiv2023

Growing evidence for high-energy neutrinos originating in radio blazars

Evidence for bright radio blazars being high-energy neutrino sources was found in recent years. However, specifics of how and where these particles get produced still need to be determined. In this paper, we add 14 new IceCube events from 2020-2022 to update our analysis of the neutrino-blazars connection. We test and refine earlier findings by utilising the total of 71 track-like high-energy IceCube events from 2009-2022. We correlate them with the complete sample of 3412 extragalactic radio sources selected by their compact radio emission. We demonstrate that neutrinos are statistically associated with radio-bright blazars with a post-trial p-value of 3*10^-4. In addition to this statistical study, we confirm previous individual neutrino-blazar associations, find and discuss several new ones. Notably, PKS 1741-038 was selected earlier and had a second neutrino detected from its direction in 2022; PKS 0735+168 has experienced a major flare across the whole electromagnetic spectrum coincidently with a neutrino arrival from that direction in 2021.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

Galactic contribution to the high-energy neutrino flux found in track-like IceCube events

Astrophysical sources of neutrinos detected by large-scale neutrino telescopes remain uncertain. While there exist statistically significant observational indications that a part of the neutrino flux is produced by blazars, numerous theoretical studies suggest also the presence of potential Galactic point sources. Some of them have been observed in gamma rays above 100 TeV. Moreover, cosmic-ray interactions in the Galactic disk guarantee a diffuse neutrino flux. However, these Galactic neutrinos have not been unambiguously detected so far. Here we examine whether such a Galactic component is present among the observed neutrinos of the highest energies. We analyze public track-like IceCube events with estimated neutrino energies above 200 TeV. We examine the distribution of arrival directions of these neutrinos in the Galactic latitude b with the help of a simple unbinned, non-parametric test statistics, the median |b| over the sample. This distribution deviates from that implied by the null hypothesis of the neutrino flux isotropy, and is shifted towards lower b with the p-value of 4*10^{-5}, corresponding to the statistical significance of 4.1 sigma. There exists a significant component of the high-energy neutrino flux of Galactic origin, matching well the multi-messenger expectations from Tibet-ASgamma observations of diffuse Galactic gamma rays at hundreds of TeV. Together with the previously established extragalactic associations, the Galactic component we report here implies that the neutrino sky is rich and is composed of contributions from various classes of sources.

astro-ph.HE↗