arXiv subjects

Guang-Yao Zhao

Publications and source records attributed to Guang-Yao Zhao.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Multi-epoch VLBI observations of the blazar 3C 66A: Spatial twisting and temporal oscillation of the parsec-scale jet

Previous VLBI kinematic studies of the blazar 3C 66A have unveiled complex jet kinematic behaviors. Using follow-up high-resolution VLBI observations and archival data, we investigate the morphology and the variations in orientation and core flux density of the 3C 66A jet to gain a deeper insights into its kinematic behavior and physical origins. We performed KVN and VERA array (KaVA) observations at 22/43 GHz over three epochs in 2014 and collected 109 sets of Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) archival data at 43 GHz between 1996 - 2025. We imaged the parsec-scale jet and parameterized it using circular Gaussian fittings to the UV visibilities. Finally, we derived the inner jet PA and the core flux densities for the VLBA data. The jet presents a twisted morphology in the KaVA maps. The PA of the fitted Gaussian components is in the range between 170 deg and 195 deg. Our kinematic analysis using the VLBA data indicates that the PA oscillates with an amplitude of 7.77 pm 0.79 deg and a period of 10.94 pm 0.22 years, presented for the first time in this work. This oscillation is topped by a continuous clockwise shift of the PA by -0.83 pm 0.07 deg/year. We also identified a strong core flux variability with possible periodicity and a 2 sigma correlation between the core flux density and the inner jet PA change. We discuss possible physical models that could explain the observed features for this object; in particular, a supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) system, Lense Thirring (LT) effect, and jet or disk instabilities. The oscillation and continuous shift of the PA and the possible radio flux periodicity, together with the optical flux periodicity of approximately 2 years that had previously been confirmed in several independent studies, favor a jet precession scenario driven by orbital motion and disk-orbit misalignment in a SMBHB system.

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arXiv2025

Revisiting 3C 279 jet morphology with space VLBI at 26 microarcsecond resolution

We present observations of the blazar 3C 279 at 22 GHz using the space VLBI mission RadioAstron on 2018 January 15. Images in both total intensity and fractional polarization are reconstructed using RML method implemented in the eht-imaging library. The electric vector position angles are found to be mostly aligned with the general jet direction, suggesting a predominantly toroidal magnetic field, in agreement with the presence of a helical magnetic field. Ground-space fringes were detected up to a projected baseline length of $\sim 8$G$λ$, achieving the angular resolution of around 26$μ$as. The fine-scale structure of the relativistic jet is found in our study extending to a projected distance of $\sim 180$ parsec from the radio core. However, the filamentary structure reported by previous RadioAstron observations of 2014 is not detected in our current study. We discuss potential causes for this phenomenon, together with a comparison using public 43 GHz data from the BEAM-ME program, showing a significant drop in the jet's total intensity. The optically thick core is observed with a brightness temperature of $ 1.6 \times 10^{12}$ K, consistent with equipartition between the energy densities of the relativistic particles and the magnetic field. This yields an estimated magnetic field strength of 0.2 G.

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arXiv2025

Multiobjective optimization for scattering mitigation and scattering screen reconstruction in VLBI observations of the Galactic Center

Imaging reconstruction of interferometric data is a hard ill-posed inverse problem. Its difficulty is increased when observing the Galactic Center, which is obscured by a scattering screen. This is because the scattering breaks the one-to-one correspondence between images and visibilities. Solving the scattering problem is one of the biggest challenges in radio imaging of the Galactic Center. In this work we present a novel strategy to mitigate its effect and constrain the screen itself using multiobjective optimization. We exploit the potential of evolutionary algorithms to describe the optimization landscape to recover the intrinsic source structure and the scattering screen affecting the data. We successfully recover both the screen and the source in a wide range of simulated cases, including the speed of a moving screen at 230 GHz. Particularly, we can recover a ring structure in scattered data at 86 GHz. Our analysis demonstrates the huge potential that recent advancements in imaging and optimization algorithms offer to recover image structures, even in weakly constrained and degenerated, possibly multi-modal settings. The successful reconstruction of the scattering screen opens the window to event horizon scale works on the Galactic Center at 86G Hz up to 116 GHz, and the study of the scattering screen itself.

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arXiv2025

First frequency phase transfer from the 3 mm to the 1 mm band on an Earth-sized baseline

Frequency Phase Transfer (FPT) is a technique designed to increase coherence and sensitivity in radio interferometry by making use of the non-dispersive nature of the troposphere to calibrate high-frequency data using solutions derived at a lower frequency. While the Korean VLBI Network has pioneered the use of simultaneous multi-band systems for routine FPT up to an observing frequency of 130 GHz, this technique remains largely untested in the (sub)millimeter regime. A recent effort has been made to outfit dual-band systems at (sub)millimeter observatories participating in the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) and to test the feasibility and performance of FPT up to the observing frequencies of the EHT. We present the results of simultaneous dual-frequency observations conducted in January 2024 on an Earth-sized baseline between the IRAM 30-m in Spain and the JCMT and SMA in Hawai`i. We performed simultaneous observations at 86 and 215 GHz on the bright sources J0958+6533 and OJ287, with strong detections obtained at both frequencies. We observe a strong correlation between the interferometric phases at the two frequencies, matching the trend expected for atmospheric fluctuations and demonstrating for the first time the viability of FPT for VLBI at a wavelength of $\sim$1 millimeter. We show that the application of FPT systematically increases the 215 GHz coherence on all averaging timescales. In addition, the use of the co-located JCMT and SMA as a single dual-frequency station demonstrates the feasibility of paired-antenna FPT for VLBI for the first time, with implications for future array capabilities (e.g., ALMA sub-arraying and ngVLA calibration strategies).

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arXiv2024

PKS 1424-418: A persistent candidate source of the mm$-γ$-ray connection?

We present a long-term strong correlation between millimeter (mm) radio and $γ$-ray emission in the flat-spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 1424-418. The mm$-γ$-ray connection in blazars is generally thought to originate from the relativistic jet close to the central engine. We confirm a unique long-lasting mm$-γ$-ray correlation of PKS 1424-418 by using detailed correlation analyses and statistical tests, and we find its physical meaning in the source. We employed ~8.5 yr of (sub)mm and $γ$-ray light curves observed by ALMA and Fermi-LAT, respectively. From linear and cross-correlation analyses between the light curves, we found a significant, strong mm$-γ$-ray correlation over the whole period. We did not find any notable time delay within the uncertainties for the mm$-γ$-ray correlation, which means zero lag. The mm wave spectral index values (S$_ν$ $\propto$ $ν_α$) between the band 3 and 7 flux densities indicate a time-variable opacity of the source at (sub)mm wavelengths. Interestingly, the mm wave spectral index becomes temporarily flatter (i.e., $α$ > $-$0.5) when the source flares in the $γ$-rays. We relate our results with the jet of PKS 1424-418, and we discuss the origin of the $γ$-rays and opacity of the inner (sub)parsec-scale jet regions.

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arXiv2024

Discovery of Limb Brightening in the Parsec-scale Jet of NGC 315 through Global Very Long Baseline Interferometry Observations and Its Implications for Jet Models

We report the first observation of the nearby giant radio galaxy NGC 315 using a global VLBI array consisting of 22 radio antennas located across five continents, including high-sensitivity stations, at 22 GHz. Utilizing the extensive $(u,v)$-coverage provided by the array, coupled with the application of a recently developed super-resolution imaging technique based on the regularized maximum likelihood method, we were able to transversely resolve the NGC 315 jet at parsec scales for the first time. Previously known for its central ridge-brightened morphology at similar scales in former VLBI studies, the jet now clearly exhibits a limb-brightened structure. This finding suggests an inherent limb-brightening that was not observable before due to limited angular resolution. Considering that the jet is viewed at an angle of $\sim50^\circ$, the observed limb-brightening is challenging to reconcile with the magnetohydrodynamic models and simulations, which predict that the Doppler-boosted jet edges should dominate over the non-boosted central layer. The conventional jet model that proposes a fast spine and a slow sheath with uniform transverse emissivity may pertain to our observations. However, in this model, the relativistic spine would need to travel at speeds of $Γ\gtrsim6.0-12.9$ along the de-projected jet distance of (2.3-10.8) $\times 10^3$ gravitational radii from the black hole. We propose an alternative scenario that suggests higher emissivity at the jet boundary layer, resulting from more efficient particle acceleration or mass loading onto the jet edges, and consider prospects for future observations with even higher angular resolution.

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arXiv2024

Selective Dynamical Imaging of Interferometric Data

Recent developments in very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) have made it possible for the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) to resolve the innermost accretion flows of the largest supermassive black holes on the sky. The sparse nature of the EHT's $(u, v)$-coverage presents a challenge when attempting to resolve highly time-variable sources. We demonstrate that the changing (u, v)-coverage of the EHT can contain regions of time over the course of a single observation that facilitate dynamical imaging. These optimal time regions typically have projected baseline distributions that are approximately angularly isotropic and radially homogeneous. We derive a metric of coverage quality based on baseline isotropy and density that is capable of ranking array configurations by their ability to produce accurate dynamical reconstructions. We compare this metric to existing metrics in the literature and investigate their utility by performing dynamical reconstructions on synthetic data from simulated EHT observations of sources with simple orbital variability. We then use these results to make recommendations for imaging the 2017 EHT Sgr A* data set.

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arXiv2024

Unveiling the Bent Jet Structure and Polarization of OJ 287 at 1.7 GHz with Space VLBI

We present total intensity and linear polarization images of OJ287 at 1.68GHz, obtained through space-based VLBI observations with RadioAstron on April 16, 2016. The observations were conducted using a ground array consisting of the VLBA and the EVN. Ground-space fringes were detected with a maximum projected baseline length of 5.6 Earth's diameter, resulting in an angular resolution of 530 uas. With this unprecedented resolution at such a low frequency, the progressively bending jet structure of OJ287 has been resolved up to 10 pc of the projected distance from the radio core. In comparison with close-in-time VLBI observations at 15, 43, 86 GHz from MOJAVE and VLBA-BU-BLAZAR monitoring projects, we obtain the spectral index map showing the opaque core and optically thin jet components. The optically thick core has a brightness temperature of 10$^{13}$ K, and is further resolved into two sub-components at higher frequencies labeled C1 and C2. These sub-components exhibit a transition from optically thick to thin, with a SSA turnover frequency estimated to be 33 and 11.5 GHz, and a turnover flux density 4 and 0.7 Jy, respectively. Assuming a Doppler boosting factor of 10, the SSA values provide the estimate of the magnetic field strengths from SSA of 3.4 G for C1 and 1.0 G for C2. The magnetic field strengths assuming equipartition arguments are also estimated as 2.6 G and 1.6 G, respectively. The integrated degree of linear polarization is found to be approximately 2.5 %, with the electric vector position angle being well aligned with the local jet direction at the core region. This alignment suggests a predominant toroidal magnetic field, which is in agreement with the jet formation model that requires a helical magnetic field anchored to either the black hole ergosphere or the accretion disk. Further downstream, the jet seems to be predominantly threaded by a poloidal magnetic field.

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arXiv2023

Lost in the curve: Investigating the disappearing knots in the blazar 3C 454.3

One of the most well-known extragalactic sources in the sky, quasar 3C 454.3, shows a curved parsec-scale jet that has been exhaustively monitored with very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) over the recent years. In this work, we present a comprehensive analysis of four years of high-frequency VLBI observations at 43 GHz and 86 GHz, between 2013-2017, in total intensity and linear polarization. The images obtained from these observations enabled us to study the jet structure and the magnetic field topology of the source on spatial scales down to 4.6 parsec in projected distance. The kinematic analysis reveals the abrupt vanishing of at least four new superluminal jet features in a characteristic jet region (i.e., region C), which is located at an approximate distance of 0.6 milliarcseconds from the VLBI core. Our results support a model in which the jet bends, directing the relativistic plasma flow almost perfectly toward our line of sight, co-spatially with the region where components appear to stop.

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arXiv2023

Filamentary structures as the origin of blazar jet radio variability

Supermassive black holes at the centre of active galactic nuclei power some of the most luminous objects in the Universe. Typically, very long baseline interferometric (VLBI) observations of blazars have revealed only funnel-like morphologies with little information of the ejected plasma internal structure, or lacked the sufficient dynamic range to reconstruct the extended jet emission. Here we show microarcsecond-scale angular resolution images of the blazar 3C 279 obtained at 22 GHz with the space VLBI mission RadioAstron, which allowed us to resolve the jet transversely and reveal several filaments produced by plasma instabilities in a kinetically dominated flow. Our high angular resolution and dynamic range image suggests that emission features traveling down the jet may manifest as a result of differential Doppler-boosting within the filaments, as opposed to the standard shock-in-jet model invoked to explain blazar jet radio variability. Moreover, we infer that the filaments in 3C 279 are possibly threaded by a helical magnetic field rotating clockwise, as seen in the direction of the flow motion, with an intrinsic helix pitch angle of ~45 degrees in a jet with a Lorentz factor of ~13 at the time of observation.

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arXiv2023

Toward Microarcsecond Astrometry for the Innermost Wobbling Jet of the BL Lacertae Object OJ 287

The BL Lacertae object OJ 287 is a very unusual quasar producing a wobbling radio jet and some double-peaked optical outbursts with a possible period of about 12 yr for more than one century. This variability is widely explained by models of binary supermassive black hole (SMBH) or precessing jet/disk from a single SMBH. To enable an independent and nearly bias-free investigation on these possible scenarios, we explored the feasibility of extremely high-precision differential astrometry on its innermost restless jet at mm-wavelengths. Through re-visiting some existing radio surveys and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) data at frequencies from 1.4 to 15.4 GHz and performing new Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations at 43.2 GHz, we find that the radio source J0854$+$1959, 7.1 arcmin apart from OJ 287 and no clearly-seen optical and infrared counterparts, could provide a nearly ideal reference point to track the complicated jet activity of OJ 287. The source J0854$+$1959 has a stable GHz-peaked radio spectrum and shows a jet structure consisting of two discrete, mas-scale-compact and steep-spectrum components and showing no proper motion over about 8 yr. The stable VLBI structure can be interpreted by an episodic, optically thin and one-sided jet. With respect to its 4.1-mJy peak feature at 43.2 GHz, we have achieved an astrometric precision at the state-of-art level, about 10 $μ$as. These results indicate that future VLBI astrometry on OJ 287 could allow us to accurately locate its jet apex and activity boundary, align its restless jet structure over decades without significant systematic bias, and probe various astrophysical scenarios.

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arXiv2023

Radio Astronomy with Multiband Receivers and Frequency Phase Transfer: Scientific Perspectives

The technique of frequency phase transfer (FPT), enabled by multiband receivers with shared optical path (SOP), is set to become a true backbone of VLBI operations at frequencies above 22 GHz. The FPT has been successfully implemented at the Korean VLBI Network (KVN), while gaining ever more prominent attention worldwide. Over the next few years, FPT VLBI at 22/43/86 GHz will become feasible at more than ten telescopes in Eurasia and Australia. This development would bring order of magnitude improvements of sensitivity and dynamic range of VLBI imaging at 86 GHz and deliver astrometric measurements with an accuracy of one microsecond of arc. The resulting exceptional discovery potential would strongly impact a number of scientific fields ranging from fundamental cosmology and black hole physics to stellar astrophysics and studies of transient phenomena. It is now the right moment for establishing a Science Working Group and a Technical Working Group for FPT VLBI in order to actively focus and coordinate the relevant activities at all stakeholder institutes and ultimately to realize the first global FPT VLBI instrument operating at 22/43/86 GHz.

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arXiv2023

Monitoring the Size and Flux Density of Sgr A* during the Active State in 2019 with East Asian VLBI Network

In this work, we studied the Galactic Center supermassive black hole (SMBH), Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), with the KVN and VERA Array (KaVA)/East Asian VLBI Network (EAVN) monitoring observations. Especially on 13 May 2019, Sgr A* experienced an unprecedented bright near infra-red (NIR) flare; so, we find a possible counterpart at 43 GHz (7 mm). As a result, a large temporal variation of the flux density at the level 15.4%, with the highest flux density of 2.04 Jy, is found on 11 May 2019. Interestingly, the intrinsic sizes are also variable, and the area and major-axis size show a marginal correlation with flux density with >2σ. Thus, we interpret that the emission region at 43 GHz follows the larger-when-brighter relation in 2019. The possible origins are discussed with an emergence of a weak jet/outflow component and the position angle change of the rotation axis of the accretion disk in time.

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arXiv2023

Spectral analysis of a parsec-scale jet in M87: Observational constraint on the magnetic field strengths in the jet

Because of its proximity and the large size of its black hole, M87 is one of the best targets for studying the launching mechanism of active galactic nucleus jets. Currently, magnetic fields are considered to be an essential factor in the launching and accelerating of the jet. However, current observational estimates of the magnetic field strength of the M87 jet are limited to the innermost part of the jet or to HST-1. No attempt has yet been made to measure the magnetic field strength in between. We aim to infer the magnetic field strength of the M87 jet out to a distance of several thousand $r_s$ by tracking the distance-dependent changes in the synchrotron spectrum of the jet from high-resolution very long baseline interferometry observations. In order to obtain high-quality spectral index maps, quasi-simultaneous observations at 22 and 43 GHz were conducted using the KVN and VERA Array (KaVA) and the VLBA. We compared the spectral index distributions obtained from the observations with a model and placed limits on the magnetic field strengths as a function of distance. The overall spectral morphology is broadly consistent over the course of these observations. The observed synchrotron spectrum rapidly steepens from $α_{22-43 GHz}$ ~ -0.7 at ~ 2 mas to $α_{22-43 GHz}$ ~ -2.5 at ~ 6 mas. A spectral index model in which nonthermal electron injections inside the jet decrease with distance can adequately reproduce the observed trend. This suggests the magnetic field strength of the jet at a distance of 2 - 10 mas (~ 900 $r_s$ - ~ 4500 $r_s$ in the deprojected distance) has a range of $B=(0.3 - 1.0 G)(z/2 mas)^{-0.73}$. Extrapolating to the EHT scale yields consistent results, suggesting that the majority of the magnetic flux of the jet near the black hole is preserved out to ~ 4500 $r_s$ without significant dissipation.

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arXiv2023

Super-Resolved Image of M87 Observed with East Asian VLBI Network

Obtaining high-resolution images at centimeter-or-longer wavelengths is vital for understanding the physics of jets. We reconstructed images from the M87 22 GHz data observed with the East Asian VLBI Network (EAVN) by using the regularized maximum likelihood (RML) method, which is different from the conventional imaging method CLEAN. Consequently, a bright core and jet extending about 30 mas to the northwest were detected with a higher resolution than in the CLEAN image. The width of the jet was 0.5 mas at 0.3 mas from the core, consistent with the width measured in the 86 GHz image in the previous study. In addition, three ridges were able to be detected at around 8 mas from the core, even though the peak-to-peak separation was only 1.0 mas. This indicates that the RML image's spatial resolution is at least 30% higher than that of the CLEAN image. This study is an important step for future multi-frequency and high-cadence observations of the EAVN to discuss the more detailed structure of the jet and its time variability.

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arXiv2023

The Event Horizon Telescope Image of the Quasar NRAO 530

We report on the observations of the quasar NRAO 530 with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) on 2017 April 5-7, when NRAO 530 was used as a calibrator for the EHT observations of Sagittarius A*. At z=0.902 this is the most distant object imaged by the EHT so far. We reconstruct the first images of the source at 230 GHz, at an unprecedented angular resolution of $\sim$ 20 $μ$as, both in total intensity and in linear polarization. We do not detect source variability, allowing us to represent the whole data set with static images. The images reveal a bright feature located on the southern end of the jet, which we associate with the core. The feature is linearly polarized, with a fractional polarization of $\sim$5-8% and has a sub-structure consisting of two components. Their observed brightness temperature suggests that the energy density of the jet is dominated by the magnetic field. The jet extends over 60 $μ$as along a position angle PA$\sim -$28$^\circ$. It includes two features with orthogonal directions of polarization (electric vector position angle, EVPA), parallel and perpendicular to the jet axis, consistent with a helical structure of the magnetic field in the jet. The outermost feature has a particularly high degree of linear polarization, suggestive of a nearly uniform magnetic field. Future EHT observations will probe the variability of the jet structure on $μ$as scales, while simultaneous multi-wavelength monitoring will provide insight into the high energy emission origin.

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arXiv2022

Applications of the source-frequency phase-referencing technique for ngEHT observations

The source-frequency phase-referencing (SFPR) technique has been demonstrated to have great advantages for mm-VLBI observations. By implementing simultaneous multi-frequency receiving systems on the next generation Event Horizon Telescope (ngEHT) antennas, it is feasible to carry out a frequency phase transfer (FPT) which could calibrate the non-dispersive propagation errors and significantly increase the phase coherence in the visibility data. Such increase offers an efficient approach for weak source or structure detection. SFPR also makes it possible for high precision astrometry, including the core-shift measurements up to sub-mm wavelengths for Sgr A* and M87* etc. We also briefly discuss the technical and scheduling considerations for future SFPR observations with the ngEHT.

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arXiv2022

Resolving the inner parsec of the blazar J1924-2914 with the Event Horizon Telescope

The blazar J1924-2914 is a primary Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) calibrator for the Galactic Center's black hole Sagittarius A*. Here we present the first total and linearly polarized intensity images of this source obtained with the unprecedented 20 $μ$as resolution of the EHT. J1924-2914 is a very compact flat-spectrum radio source with strong optical variability and polarization. In April 2017 the source was observed quasi-simultaneously with the EHT (April 5-11), the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (April 3), and the Very Long Baseline Array (April 28), giving a novel view of the source at four observing frequencies, 230, 86, 8.7, and 2.3 GHz. These observations probe jet properties from the subparsec to 100-parsec scales. We combine the multi-frequency images of J1924-2914 to study the source morphology. We find that the jet exhibits a characteristic bending, with a gradual clockwise rotation of the jet projected position angle of about 90 degrees between 2.3 and 230 GHz. Linearly polarized intensity images of J1924-2914 with the extremely fine resolution of the EHT provide evidence for ordered toroidal magnetic fields in the blazar compact core.

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