arXiv subjects

J. A. Zensus

Publications and source records attributed to J. A. Zensus.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Radio spectra of intermediate-luminosity broad-line radio galaxies

Within the context of investigating possible differences between the mechanisms at play in Radio Loud AGN and those in Radio Quiet ones, we study the spectral characteristics of a selected sample of Intermediate-Luminosity Broad-Line Radio Galaxies in X-rays, optical, IR and radio. Here, we present the radio spectra acquired with the 100-m radio telescope in Effelsberg between 2.6 and 32 GHz. These measurements reveal a large variety of spectral shapes urging for radio imaging that would disclose the source morphology. Such studies could potentially discriminate between different mechanisms.

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arXiv2008

Opacity in compact extragalactic radio sources and its effect on astrophysical and astrometric studies

The apparent position of the "core" in a parsec-scale radio jet (a compact, bright emitting region at the narrow end of the jet) depends on the observing frequency, owing to synchrotron self-absorption and external absorption. While providing a tool probing physical conditions in the vicinity of the core, this dependency poses problems for astrometric studies using compact radio sources. We investigated the frequency-dependent shift in the positions of the cores (core shift) observed with very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) in parsec-scale jets. We discuss related physics, as well as its effect on radio astrometry and the connection between radio and optical positions of astrometric reference objects. We searched for the core shift in a sample of 277 radio sources imaged at 2.3 GHz (13 cm) and 8.6 GHz (4 cm) frequency bands using VLBI observations made in 2002 and 2003. The core shift was measured by referencing the core position to optically thin jet features whose positions are not expected to change with frequency. We present here results for 29 selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) with bright distinct VLBI jet features that can be used in differential measurements and that allow robust measurements of the shift to be made. In these AGN, the magnitude of the measured core shift between 2.3 and 8.6 GHz reaches 1.4 mas, with a median value for the sample of 0.44 mas. Nuclear flares result in temporal variability of the shift. An average shift between the radio (4 cm) and optical (6000 Angstrom) bands is estimated to be approximately 0.1 mas, and it should be taken into account in order to provide the required accuracy of the radio-optical reference frame connection. This can be accomplished with multi-frequency VLBI measurements... (abridged)

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arXiv2008

Observations of IntraDay Variable sources with the Effelsberg and Urumqi Radio Telescopes

A sample of classical IntraDay Variable (IDV) and IDV candidate sources has been monitored with the Urumqi 25m telescope and the Effelsberg 100m telescope. Aim of the project is to investigate the origin of IntraDay Variability, a phenomenon which has been observed in about 30% of flat spectrum radio quasars. Simultaneous Effelsberg-Urumqi observations demonstrated that the Urumqi antenna, although relatively small in diameter, is well suitable for IDV experiments. A few Urumqi datasets, however, turned out to be affected by a spurious $\sim 24$ hours modulation, an effect which has been removed by means of a new procedure for data reduction. In about 14 months, 12 epochs of observation have been collected, for a total observing time of more than 45 days. The epochs are regularly distributed over the whole year, in order to check for the presence of systematic annual changes in the variability time scales - a crucial test for verifying the consistency of source-extrinsic models of the variability. Preliminary time-analysis of the monitored sources revealed some hint for a slowing down of the characteristic time scales of S5~0716+714, a result that, if confirmed, would be compatible with a source-extrinsic origin of the variability, in contrast to previous IDV studies. No significant modulation of the time scales has been detected for S4~0954+658.

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arXiv2008

Space VLBI polarimetry of IDV sources: Lessons from VSOP and prospects for VSOP2

To locate and image the compact emission regions in quasars, which are closely connected to the phenomenon of IntraDay Variability (IDV), space VLBI observations are of prime importance. Here we report on VSOP observations of two prominent IDV sources, the BL Lac objects S5 0716+714. To monitor their short term variability, these sources were observed with VSOP at 5 GHz in several polarisation sensitive experiments, separated in time by one day to six days, in autumn 2000. Contemporaneous flux density measurements with the Effelsberg 100m radio telescope were used to directly compare the single dish IDV with changes of the VLBI images. A clear IDV behaviour in total intensity and linear polarization was observed in 0716+714. Analysis of the VLBI data shows that the variations are located inside the VLBI core component of 0716+714. In good agreement with the single-dish measurements, the VLBI ground array images and the VSOP images, both show a decrease in the total flux density of ~20 mJy and a drop of ~5 mJy in the linear polarization of the VLBI core. No variability was found in the jet. From the variability timescales we estimate a source size of a few micro-arcseconds and brightness temperatures exceeding 10^15 K. Independent of whether the interpretation of the IDV seen in the VLBI core is source intrinsic or extrinsic a lower limit of T_B > 2x10^12 K is obtained by model fitting of the VLBI-core. Our results show that future VSOP2 observations should be accompanied by a single dish monitoring not only to discriminate between source-extrinsic and source-intrinsic effects but to allow also a proper calibration and interpretation of ultra-high resolution VSOP2 images.

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arXiv2008

VSOP Observations of the Blazar S5 2007+77

The blazar, S5 2007+77 shows intraday variability in cm wavelengths. Seven epochs of VSOP observations were carried out in 1998 and 1999 at 5 GHz to look for the origin of the variability with the highest achievable angular resolution at cm wavelengths. Here the results of four epochs are analysed, which revealed ~10% variations in polarized flux density.

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arXiv2008

The Trails of Superluminal Jet Components in 3C111

In 1996, a major radio flux-density outburst occured in the broad-line radio galaxy 3C111. It was followed by a particularly bright plasma ejection associated with a superluminal jet component, which has shaped the parsec-scale structure of 3C111 for almost a decade. Here, we present results from 18 epochs of Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations conducted since 1995 as part of the VLBA 2 cm Survey and MOJAVE monitoring programs. This major event allows us to study a variety of processes associated with outbursts of radio-loud AGN in much greater detail than has been possible in other cases: the primary perturbation gives rise to the formation of a leading and a following component, which are interpreted as a forward and a backward-shock. Both components evolve in characteristically different ways and allow us to draw conclusions about the work flow of jet-production events; the expansion, acceleration and recollimation of the ejected jet plasma in an environment with steep pressure and density gradients are revealed; trailing components are formed in the wake of the primary perturbation possibly as a result of coupling to Kelvin-Helmholtz instability pinching modes from the interaction of the jet with the external medium. The interaction of the jet with its ambient medium is further described by the linear-polarization signature of jet components traveling along the jet and passing a region of steep pressure/density gradients.

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arXiv2007

Superluminal non-ballistic jet swing in the quasar NRAO 150 revealed by mm-VLBI

NRAO 150 -a compact and bright radio to mm source showing core/jet structure- has been recently identified as a quasar at redshift z=1.52 through a near-IR spectral observation. To study the jet kinematics on the smallest accessible scales and to compute the first estimates of its basic physical properties, we have analysed the ultra-high-resolution images from a new monitoring program at 86 GHz and 43 GHz with the GMVA and the VLBA, respectively. An additional archival and calibration VLBA data set, covering from 1997 to 2007, has been used. Our data shows an extreme projected counter-clock-wise jet position angle swing at an angular rate of up to ~11 deg./yr within the inner ~31 pc of the jet, which is associated with a non-ballistic superluminal motion of the jet within this region. The results suggest that the magnetic field could play an important role in the dynamics of the jet in NRAO 150, which is supported by the large values of the magnetic field strength obtained from our first estimates. The extreme characteristics of the jet swing make NRAO 150 a prime source to study the jet wobbling phenomenon.

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arXiv2007

Opacity in compact extragalactic radio sources and its effect on radio-optical reference frame alignment

Accurate alignment of the radio and optical celestial reference frames requires detailed understanding of physical factors that may cause offsets between the positions of the same object measured in different spectral bands. Opacity in compact extragalactic jets (due to synchrotron self-absorption and external free-free absorption) is one of the key physical phenomena producing such an offset, and this effect is well-known in radio astronomy ("core shift"). We have measured the core shifts in a sample of 29 bright compact extragalactic radio sources observed using very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) at 2.3 and 8.6 GHz. We report the results of these measurements and estimate that the average shift between radio and optical positions of distant quasars would be of the order of 0.1-0.2 mas. This shift exceeds positional accuracy of GAIA and SIM. We suggest two possible approaches to carefully investigate and correct for this effect in order to align accurately the radio and optical positions. Both approaches involve determining a Primary Reference Sample of objects to be used for tying the radio and optical reference frames together.

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arXiv2007

A Possible Periodicity in the Radio Lightcurves of 3C454.3

During the period 1966.5 - 2006.2 the 15GHz and 8GHz lightcurves of 3C454.3 (z=0.859) show a qsasi-periodicity of ~12.8 yr (~6.9 yr in the rest frame of the source) with a double-bump structure. This periodic behaviour is interpreted in terms of a rotating double-jet model in which the two jets are created from the black holes in a binary system and rotate with the period of the orbital motion. The periodic variations in the radio fluxes of 3C454.3 are suggested to be mainly due to the lighthouse effects (or the variation in Doppler boosting) of the precessing jets which are caused by the orbital motion. In addition, variations in the mass-flow rates accreting onto the black holes may be also involved.

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arXiv2007

A global 86 GHz VLBI survey

We present results from a large global VLBI(Very Long Baseline Interferometry) survey of compact radio sources at 86 GHz which started in October 2001. The main goal of the survey is to increase the total number of objects accessible for future 3mm-VLBI imaging by factors of 3-5. The survey data reach the baseline sensitivity of 0.1 Jy, and image sensitivity of better than 10 mJy/beam. To date, a total of 127 compact radio sources have been observed. The observations have yielded images for 109 sources, and only 6 sources have not been detected. Flux densities and sizes of core and jet components of all detected sources have been measured using Gaussian model fitting. From these measurements, brightness temperatures have been estimated, taking into account resolution limits of the data. Here, we compare the brightness temperatures of the cores and secondary jet components with similar estimates obtained from surveys at longer wavelengths (e.g. 15 GHz). This approach can be used to study questions related to mechanisms of initial jet acceleration (accelerating or decelerating sub-pc jets?) and jet composition (electron-positron or electron-proton plasma?).

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arXiv2007

Doppler Boosting, Superluminal Motion, and the Kinematics of AGN Jets

We discuss results from a decade long program to study the fine-scale structure and the kinematics of relativistic AGN jets with the aim of better understanding the acceleration and collimation of the relativistic plasma forming AGN jets. From the observed distribution of brightness temperature, apparent velocity, flux density, time variability, and apparent luminosity, the intrinsic properties of the jets including Lorentz factor, luminosity, orientation, and brightness temperature are discussed. Special attention is given to the jet in M87, which has been studied over a wide range of wavelengths and which, due to its proximity, is observed with excellent spatial resolution. Most radio jets appear quite linear, but we also observe curved non-linear jets and non-radial motions. Sometimes, different features in a given jet appear to follow the same curved path but there is evidence for ballistic trajectories as well. The data are best fit with a distribution of Lorentz factors extending up to gamma ~30 and intrinsic luminosity up to ~10^26 W/Hz. In general, gamma-ray quasars may have somewhat larger Lorentz factors than non gamma-ray quasars. Initially the observed brightness temperature near the base of the jet extend up to ~5x10^13 K which is well in excess of the inverse Compton limit and corresponds to a large excess of particle energy over magnetic energy. However, more typically, the observed brightness temperatures are ~2x10^11 K, i.e., closer to equipartition.

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arXiv2007

J1128+592: a highly variable IDV source

Short time-scale radio variations of compact extragalactic radio quasars and blazars known as IntraDay Variability (IDV) can be explained in at least some sources as a propagation effect; the variations are interpreted as scintillation of radio waves in the turbulent interstellar medium of the Milky Way. One of the most convincing observational arguments in favor of a propagation-induced variability scenario is the observed annual modulation in the characteristic time scale of the variation due to the Earth's orbital motion. So far there are only two sources known with a well-constrained seasonal cycle. Annual modulation has been proposed for a few other less well-documented objects. However, for some other IDV sources source-intrinsic structural variations which cause drastic changes in the variability time scale were also suggested. J1128+592 is a recently discovered, highly variable IDV source. Previous, densely time-sampled flux-density measurements with the Effelsberg 100-m radio telescope (Germany) and the Urumqi 25-m radio telescope (China), strongly indicate an annual modulation of the time scale. The most recent 4 observations in 2006/7, however, do not fit well to the annual modulation model proposed before. In this paper, we investigate a possible explanation of this discrepancy.

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arXiv2007

Simultaneous Radio to (Sub-) mm-Monitoring of Variability and Spectral Shape Evolution of potential GLAST Blazars

The Large Area Telescope (LAT) instrument onboard GLAST offers a tremendous opportunity for future blazar studies. In order to fully benefit from its capabilities and to maximize the scientific return from the LAT, it is of great importance to conduct dedicated multi-frequency monitoring campaigns that will result comprehensive observations. Consequently, we initiated an effort to conduct a GLAST-dedicated, quasi-simultaneous, broad-band flux-density (and polarization) monitoring of potential GLAST blazars with the Effelsberg and OVRO radio telescopes (11cm to 7mm wavelength). Here, we present a short overview of these activities which will complement the multi-wavelengths activities of the GLAST/LAT collaboration towards the 'low-energy' radio bands. Further we will give a brief outlook including the extension of this coordinated campaign towards higher frequencies and future scientific aims.

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arXiv2007

The IDV source J1128+5925, a new candidate for annual modulation?

Short time-scale radio variations of compact extragalactic radio sources, known as IntraDay Variability, can be explained in at least some sources by a source-extrinsic effect, in which the variations are interpreted as scintillation of radio waves caused by the turbulent ISM of the Milky Way. One of the most convincing observational arguments in favour of propagation-induced variability is the so called annual modulation of the characteristic variability time-scale, which is due to the orbital motion of the Earth. Data for the recently discovered and highly variable IDV source J1128+5925 are presented. We study the frequency and time dependence of the IDV in this compact quasar. We measure the characteristic variability time-scale of the IDV throughout the year, and analyze whether the observed changes in the variability time-scale are consistent with annual modulation. We monitored the flux density variability of J1128+5925 with dense time sampling between 2.7 and 10.45GHz with the 100m Effelsberg radio telescope of the MPIfR and with the 25m Urumqi radio telescope. From ten observing sessions, we determine the variability characteristics and time-scales. The observed pronounced changes of the variability time-scale of J1128+5925 are modelled with an anisotropic annual modulation model. The observed frequency dependence of the variation is in good agreement with the prediction from interstellar scintillation. Adopting a simple model for the annual modulation model and using also the frequency dependence of the IDV, we derive a lower limit to the distance of the scattering screen and an upper limit to the scintillating source size. The latter is found to be consistent with the measured core size from VLBI.

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arXiv2006

Effects of the turbulent ISM on radio observations of quasars

In radio bands, the study of compact radio sources can be affected by propagation effects through the Interstellar Medium. These are usually attributed to the presence of turbulent intervening plasma along the line of sight. Here, two of such effects are presented. The line of sight of B 2005+403 passes through the heavily scattered region of Cygnus, which causes substantial angular broadening of the source images obtained at frequencies between 0.6 GHz and 8 GHz. At higher frequencies, however the intrinsic source structure shines through. Therefore, multi-frequency VLBI observations allow to study the characteristics of the intervening material, the source morphology and the "coupling" of them in forming the observed image.

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arXiv2006

Rapid and correlated variability of blazar S5 0716+71 from radio- to sub-mm bands

The BL Lac object S5 0716+71 was target of a coordinated and global multi-frequency campaign to search for rapid and correlated variability and signatures of the inverse-Compton catastrophe. Here we present first results obtained from a combined analysis of the cm- to sub-mm observations over a period of seven days aiming at a detailed study of the intra- to inter-day variability characteristics and to obtain constraints on the variability brightness temperatures and Doppler factors comparing the radio data with the high energy emission recorded by INTEGRAL. A more detailed description of the whole cm- to sub-mm observations and our analysis/results will be presented in a forthcoming paper. Our analysis reveals the source to be in a particular short-term variability phase when compared to the past with a correlated >~4 day time scale amplitude increase of up to 35%, which is systematically more pronounced towards higher frequencies. The obtained frequency dependent variability amplitudes and time lags contradict expectations from interstellar scintillation and strongly suggest a source intrinsic origin of this inter-day variability. A 7-day spectral evolution study indicate time-variable synchrotron self-absorption and expansion of the emission region, consistent with standard models. Assuming relativistic boosting, our different estimates of the Doppler factor yield robust lower limits of D_var,IC > 5-22 using the inverse-Compton limit and D_var,eq > 8-33 using the equipartition argument. Although high, these values are in good agreement with Doppler factors obtained from recent VLBI studies and from the inverse-Compton Doppler factors D_IC > 14-16 derived with the X-ray emission seen by INTEGRAL at 3-200 keV.

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arXiv2006

VLBI at the highest frequencies - AGN studied with micro-arcsecond resolution

Compact galactic and extragalactic radio sources can be imaged with an unsurpassed angular resolution of a few ten micro-arcseconds, adopting the observing technique of global millimeter VLBI. Here we present the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA) and discuss its present performance. For individual and partially archetypical radio sources with prominent VLBI jets (e.g. 3C120, Cygnus A, M87, 3C454.3, NRAO150),we show and discuss new results obtained with the GMVA. The variety of observed effects range from jet propagation and bending, partial fore-ground absorption in the nucleus, and jet component ejection after major flares to new and very small (15-20 Schwarzschild radii) upper limits to the jet base of M87. We also discuss the future development of mm-VLBI at 3mm and towards shorter wavelengths, and make suggestions for possible improvements.

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arXiv2006

The Kinematics of S5 1803+784

We present the results of a multi-frequency analysis of the structural variability in the parsec-scale jet of the blazar S5 1803+784. More than 90 epochs of observations at 6 frequencies from 1.6 GHz up to 22 GHz have been combined and analyzed. We discuss an alternative jet model for the source. In contrast to previously discussed motion scenarios for S5 1803+784, we find that the jet structure within 12 mas of the core can most easily be described by seven "oscillating" jet features. We find that the parameters of jet features, such as core separation, position angle and flux density, change in a periodic way with a timescale of about 4 years. We also find evidence for a correlation between these parameters and the total flux density variability. We suggest a scenario incorporating a periodic form of motion (e.g. rotation, precession), with a non-negligible geometrical contribution to explain the observational results.

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