arXiv subjects

Y. Y. Kovalev

Publications and source records attributed to Y. Y. Kovalev.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Statistical and polarization properties of giant pulses of the millisecond pulsar B1937+21

We have studied the statistical and polarization properties of giant pulses (GPs) emitted by the millisecond pulsar B1937+21, with high sensitivity and time resolution. The observations were made in June 2005 with the 100-m Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope at S-band (2052-2116 MHz) using the Mk5A VLBI recording system, with formal time resolution of 16 ns. The total observing time was about 4.5 hours; the rate of detection of GPs was about 130 per hour at the average longitudes of the main pulse (MPGPs) and 60 per hour at the interpulse (IPGPs). While the average profile shows well-defined polarization behavior, with regular evolution of the linear polarization position angle (PA), GPs exhibit random properties, occasionally having high linear or circular polarization. Neither MPGPs nor IPGPs show a preferred PA. The cumulative probability distribution (CPD) of GP pulse energy was constructed down to the level where GPs merge with regular pulses and noise. For both MPGPs and IPGPs, the CPD follows a power law with a break, the power index changing from -2.4 at high energy to -1.6 for low energy. Pulse smearing due to scattering masks the intrinsic shape and duration of the detected GPs. The smearing time varied during the observing session within a range of a few hundred nanoseconds. The measured polarization and statistical properties of GPs impose strong constraints on physical models of GPs. Some of these properties support a model in which GPs are generated by the electric discharge caused by magnetic reconnection of field lines connecting the opposite magnetic poles of a neutron star.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Rapid TeV Gamma-Ray Flaring of BL Lacertae

We report on the detection of a very rapid TeV gamma-ray flare from BL Lacertae on 2011 June 28 with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS). The flaring activity was observed during a 34.6-minute exposure, when the integral flux above 200 GeV reached $(3.4\pm0.6) \times 10^{-6} \;\text{photons}\;\text{m}^{-2}\text{s}^{-1}$, roughly 125% of the Crab Nebula flux measured by VERITAS. The light curve indicates that the observations missed the rising phase of the flare but covered a significant portion of the decaying phase. The exponential decay time was determined to be $13\pm4$ minutes, making it one of the most rapid gamma-ray flares seen from a TeV blazar. The gamma-ray spectrum of BL Lacertae during the flare was soft, with a photon index of $3.6\pm 0.4$, which is in agreement with the measurement made previously by MAGIC in a lower flaring state. Contemporaneous radio observations of the source with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) revealed the emergence of a new, superluminal component from the core around the time of the TeV gamma-ray flare, accompanied by changes in the optical polarization angle. Changes in flux also appear to have occurred at optical, UV, and GeV gamma-ray wavelengths at the time of the flare, although they are difficult to quantify precisely due to sparse coverage. A strong flare was seen at radio wavelengths roughly four months later, which might be related to the gamma-ray flaring activities. We discuss the implications of these multiwavelength results.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Radio-to-gamma-ray Monitoring of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy PMN J0948+0022 from 2008 to 2011

We present more than three years of observations at different frequencies, from radio to high-energy gamma-rays, of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) Galaxy PMN J0948+0022 (z=0.585). This source is the first NLS1 detected at energies above 100 MeV and therefore can be considered the prototype of this emerging new class of gamma-ray emitting active galactic nuclei (AGN). The observations performed from 2008 August 1 to 2011 December 31 confirmed that PMN J0948+0022 generates a powerful relativistic jet, able to develop an isotropic luminosity at gamma-rays of the order of 10^48 erg s^-1, at the level of powerful quasars. The evolution of the radiation emission of this source in 2009 and 2010 followed the canonical expectations of relativistic jets, with correlated multiwavelength variability (gamma-rays followed by radio emission after a few months), but it was difficult to retrieve a similar pattern in the light curves of 2011. The comparison of gamma-ray spectra before and including 2011 data suggested that there was a softening of the high-energy spectral slope. We selected five specific epochs to be studied by modelling the broad-band spectrum, characterised by an outburst at gamma-rays or very low/high flux at other wavelengths. The observed variability can largely be explained either by changes in the injected power, the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet or the electron spectrum. The characteristic time scale of doubling/halving flux ranges from a few days to a few months, depending on the frequency and the sampling rate. The shortest doubling time scale at gamma-rays is 2.3+-0.5 days. These small values underline the need of highly-sampled multiwavelength campaigns to better understand the physics of these sources.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

VLBA monitoring of Mrk 421 at 15 GHz and 24 GHz during 2011

High-resolution radio observations are ideal for constraining the value of physical parameters in the inner regions of active-galactic-nucleus jets and complement results on multiwavelength (MWL) observations. This study is part of a wider multifrequency campaign targeting the nearby TeV blazar Markarian 421 (z=0.031), with observations in the sub-mm (SMA), optical/IR (GASP), UV/X-ray (Swift, RXTE, MAXI), and gamma rays (Fermi-LAT, MAGIC, VERITAS). We investigate the jet's morphology and any proper motions, and the time evolution of physical parameters such as flux densities and spectral index. The aim of our wider multifrequency campaign is to try to shed light on questions such as the nature of the radiating particles, the connection between the radio and gamma-ray emission, the location of the emitting regions and the origin of the flux variability. We consider data obtained with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) over twelve epochs (one observation per month from January to December 2011) at 15 GHz and 24 GHz. We investigate the inner jet structure on parsec scales through the study of model-fit components for each epoch. The structure of Mrk 421 is dominated by a compact (~0.13 mas) and bright component, with a one-sided jet detected out to ~10 mas. We identify 5-6 components in the jet that are consistent with being stationary during the 12-month period studied here. Measurements of the spectral index agree with those of other works: they are fairly flat in the core region and steepen along the jet length. Significant flux-density variations are detected for the core component. From our results, we draw an overall scenario in which we estimate a viewing angle 2° < theta < 5° and a different jet velocity for the radio and the high-energy emission regions, such that the respective Doppler factors are δr ~3 and δh.e. ~14.

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arXiv2012

Relativistic Jets in the Radio Reference Frame Image Database II: Blazar Jet Accelerations from the First 10 Years of Data (1994 - 2003)

(Abridged) We analyze blazar jet apparent speeds and accelerations from the RDV series of astrometric and geodetic VLBI experiments. From these experiments, we have produced and analyzed 2753 global VLBI images of 68 sources at 8 GHz with a median beam size of 0.9 milliarcseconds (mas), and a median of 43 epochs per source. From this sample, we analyze the motions of 225 jet components in 66 sources. The distribution of the fastest measured apparent speed in each source has a median of 8.3c and a maximum of 44c. Sources in the 2FGL Fermi LAT catalog display higher apparent speeds than those that have not been detected. On average, components farther from the core in a given source have significantly higher apparent speeds than components closer to the core. We measure accelerations of components in orthogonal directions parallel and perpendicular to their average velocity vector. Parallel accelerations have significantly larger magnitudes than perpendicular accelerations, implying observed accelerations are predominantly due to changes in the Lorentz factor (bulk or pattern) rather than projection effects from jet bending. Positive parallel accelerations are significantly more common than negative ones, so the Lorentz factor (bulk or pattern)tends to increase on the scales observed here. Observed parallel accelerations correspond to modest source frame increases in the bulk or pattern Lorentz factor.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

MOJAVE: Monitoring of Jets in Active Galactic Nuclei with VLBA Experiments. IX. Nuclear opacity

We have investigated a frequency-dependent shift in the absolute position of the optically thick apparent origin of parsec-scale jets ("core shift" effect) to probe physical conditions in ultra-compact relativistic outflows in AGN. We used multi-frequency Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of 191 sources carried out in 12 epochs in 2006 within the MOJAVE program. The observations were performed at 8.1, 8.4, 12.1, and 15.4 GHz. We implemented a method of determining the core shift vector based on (i) image registration by two-dimensional normalized cross-correlation and (ii) model-fitting the source brightness distribution to take into account a non-zero core component offset from the phase center. The 15.4-8.1, 15.4-8.4, and 15.4-12.1 GHz core shift vectors are derived for 163 sources, and have median values of 0.128, 0.125, and 0.088 mas, respectively, compared to the typical measured errors of 0.050, 0.051, 0.035 mas. The effect occurs predominantly along the jet direction, with departures smaller than 45 deg from the median jet position angle in over 80% of the cases. Despite the moderate ratio of the observed frequencies (<2), core shifts significantly different from zero (>2sigma) are detected for about 55% of the sources. These shifts are even better aligned with the jet direction, deviating from the latter by less than 30 deg in over 90% of the cases. There is an indication that the core shift decreases with increasing redshift. Magnetic fields in the jet at a distance of 1 parsec from the central black hole, calculated from the obtained core shifts, are found to be systematically stronger in quasars (median B1~0.9 G) than those in BL Lacs (median B1~0.4 G). We also constrained the absolute distance of the core from the apex of the jet at 15 GHz as well as the magnetic field strength in the 15 GHz core region.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Single-epoch VLBI imaging study of bright active galactic nuclei at 2 and 8 GHz

We investigate statistical and individual astrophysical properties of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), such as parsec-scale flux density, core dominance, angular and linear sizes, maximum observed brightness temperatures of VLBI core components, spectral index distributions for core and jet components, and evolution of brightness temperature along the jets. Furthermore, we statistically compare core flux densities and brightness temperature as well as jet spectral indices of gamma-ray bright and weak sources. We used 19 very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observing sessions carried out simultaneously at 2.3 and 8.6 GHz with the participation of 10 Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) stations and up to 10 additional geodetic telescopes. The observations span the period 1998-2003. We present here single-epoch results from high-resolution radio observations of 370 AGNs. Our VLBI images at 2.3 and 8.6 GHz as well as Gaussian models are presented and analyzed. At least one-fourth of the cores are completely unresolved on the longest baselines of the global VLBI observations. The VLBI core components are partially opaque with the median value of spectral index of alpha_core=0.3, while the jet features are usually optically thin alpha_jet=-0.7. The spectral index typically decreases along the jet ridge line owing to the spectral aging, with a median value of -0.05 mas^-1. Brightness temperatures are found to be affected by Doppler boosting and reaching up to \sim10^13 K with a median of \sim2.5x10^11 K at both frequencies. The brightness temperature gradients along the jets typically follow a power law T_b\simr^-2.2 at both frequencies. 147 sources (40%) positionally associated with gamma-ray detections from the Fermi LAT Second Source Catalog have higher core flux densities and brightness temperatures, and are characterized by the less steep radio spectrum of the optically thin jet emission.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Apparent parsec-scale jet opening angles and γ-ray brightness of active galactic nuclei

We have investigated the differences in apparent opening angles between the parsec-scale jets of the active galactic nuclei (AGN) detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) during its first 24 months of operations and those of non-LAT-detected AGN. We used 15.4 GHz VLBA observations of 215 sources from the 2 cm VLBA MOJAVE program. The apparent opening angles were determined by analyzing transverse jet profiles from the data in the image plane by using stacked images constructed from all available MOJAVE epochs for a given source. We confirm our earlier result based on the first three months of scientific operations of the LAT. The apparent opening angles of γ-ray bright AGN are preferentially larger than those of γ-ray weak sources, suggesting smaller viewing angles to the γ-ray bright AGN. Intrinsic opening angles for BL Lacs are wider than those in quasars.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2012

Faraday rotation in the MOJAVE blazars: Connection with gamma-ray studies

We have conducted a survey of Faraday rotation in a sample of 191 compact radio-loud AGNs as part of the MOJAVE (Monitoring of Jets in Active galactic nuclei with VLBA Experiments) project. The observations were carried out with the VLBA at 8.1, 8.4, 12.1 and 15.3 GHz over 12 epochs in 2006. We detect sufficiently strong linear polarization in 159 out of 211 observations to calculate the rotation measure values, resulting in a large enough sample for statistical analysis of the Faraday rotation in blazars. These Faraday rotation measures can be used to study the intrinsic magnetic field order and orientation in parsec-scale blazar jets. Our sample includes 119 sources listed in the 1FGL or 2FGL catalogs and we detect rotation measure values in 111 out of 131 maps. Of the 72 sources that are not in the gamma-ray catalogs we detect RM in 48 out of 80 maps. The median RM values of the LAT-detected sources do not differ significantly from the non-LAT-detected sources. Nine of the sources in our sample have resolved enough jets to study the transverse Faraday rotation structure, and we detect significant transverse rotation measure gradients in four sources. In two of these (3C~273 and 3C~454.3) there is additional evidence to support helical magnetic field in the parsec-scale jets. The two others (0923+392 and 2230+114) require further observations to identify the nature of the gradient. It is interesting that three of the four sources with significant rotation measure gradients are sources that have shown large gamma-ray flares.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

MAGIC and Multi-Wavelength Observations of three HBLs in 2008

The high-frequency peaked blazars and known TeV emitters 1ES 1011+496, Mrk 180 and 1ES 2344+514 have been observed in the course of multi-wavelength campaigns in 2008, covering the frequency bands from radio up to TeV energies. For all three sources, these coordinated observations represent the first of their kind. We will present and discuss the campaigns, resulting light curves and spectral energy distributions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

The July 2010 outburst of the NLS1 PMN J0948+0022

We report about the multiwavelength campaign on the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) Galaxy PMN J0948+0022 (z = 0.5846) performed in 2010 July-September and triggered by high activity as measured by Fermi/LAT. The peak luminosity in the 0.1-100 GeV energy band exceeded, for the first time in this type of source, the value of 10^48 erg/s, a level comparable to the most powerful blazars. The comparison of the spectral energy distribution of the NLS1 PMN J0948+0022 with that of a typical blazar - like 3C 273 - shows that the power emitted at gamma rays is extreme.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

VLBI-selected sample of Compact Symmetric Object candidates and frequency-dependent position of hotspots

The Compact Symmetric Objects (CSOs) are small (<1 kiloparsec) and powerful extragalactic radio sources showing emission on both sides of an active galactic nucleus and no signs of strong relativistic beaming. They may be young radio sources, progenitors of large FRII radio galaxies. We aim to study the statistical properties of CSOs by constructing and investigating a new large sample of CSO candidates on the basis of dual-frequency, parsec-scale morphology. For the candidate selection we utilized VLBI data for 4170 extragalactic objects obtained simultaneously at 2.3 and 8.6 GHz (S and X band) within the VLBA Calibrator Survey 1-6 and the Research and Development - VLBA projects. Properties of their broad-band radio spectra were characterized by using RATAN-600 observations. Numerical modeling was applied in an attempt to explain the observed effects. A sample of 64 candidate CSOs is identified. The median two-point S-X band spectral index of parsec-scale hotspots is found to be -0.52; with the median brightness temperature ~10^9 K at X band. Statistical analysis reveals a systematic difference between positions of brightest CSO components (associated with hotspots) measured in the S and X bands. The distance between these components is found to be on average 0.32+/-0.06 mas greater at 8.6 GHz than at 2.3 GHz. This difference in distances cannot be explained by different resolutions at the S and X bands. It is a manifestation of spectral index gradients across CSO components, which may potentially provide important physical information about them. Despite our detailed numerical modeling of a CSO hotspot, the model was not able to reproduce the magnitude of the observed positional difference. A more detailed modeling may shed light on the origin of the effect.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

PSRPI: A large VLBA pulsar astrometry program

Obtaining pulsar parallaxes via relative astrometry (also known as differential astrometry) yields distances and transverse velocities that can be used to probe properties of the pulsar population and the interstellar medium. Large programs are essential to obtain the sample sizes necessary for these population studies, but they must be efficiently conducted to avoid requiring an infeasible amount of observing time. This paper describes the PSRPI astrometric program, including the use of new features in the DiFX software correlator to efficiently locate calibrator sources, selection and observing strategies for a sample of 60 pulsars, initial results, and likely science outcomes. Potential applications of high-precision relative astrometry to measure source structure evolution in defining sources of the International Celestial Referent Frame are also discussed.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2011

MAGIC and Multi-Wavelength Observations of Mrk 180 and 1ES 2344+514 in 2008

Simultaneous multi-wavelength (MW) campaigns are the most promising approaches to investigate the still unrevealed nature of blazars, active galactic nuclei which are variable on all time scales from radio to TeV energies. In 2008, two MW campaigns on the high-frequency peaked blazars Mrk 180 and 1ES 2344+514 have been organised by the MAGIC collaboration. From radio to TeV gamma rays, RATAN-600, Metsähovi, Effelsberg, VLBA (only 1ES 2344+514), IRAM, KVA, Swift, AGILE, Fermi-LAT and MAGIC-I were taking part in these campaigns. Mrk 180 had just been discovered at TeV energies by MAGIC in 2006, whereas 1ES 2344+514 is a known TeV emitter since many years. Due to their rather faint emission particularly at TeV energies, the campaigns represented quite challenging observations. In fact, Mrk 180 has not been investigated until now in MW campaigns, and for 1ES 2344+514 only one campaign including TeV measurements has been reported in literature up to now. In this contribution, we will present detailed MW light curves for both sources and describe the composite wide range spectral energy distributions by theoretical models.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

Gamma-Ray and Parsec-Scale Jet Properties of a Complete Sample of Blazars From the MOJAVE Program

We investigate the Fermi LAT gamma-ray and 15 GHz VLBA radio properties of a joint gamma-ray- and radio-selected sample of AGNs obtained during the first 11 months of the Fermi mission (2008 Aug 4 - 2009 Jul 5). Our sample contains the brightest 173 AGNs in these bands above declination -30 deg. during this period, and thus probes the full range of gamma-ray loudness (gamma-ray to radio band luminosity ratio) in the bright blazar population. The latter quantity spans at least four orders of magnitude, reflecting a wide range of spectral energy distribution (SED) parameters in the bright blazar population. The BL Lac objects, however, display a linear correlation of increasing gamma-ray loudness with synchrotron SED peak frequency, suggesting a universal SED shape for objects of this class. The synchrotron self-Compton model is favored for the gamma-ray emission in these BL Lacs over external seed photon models, since the latter predict a dependence of Compton dominance on Doppler factor that would destroy any observed synchrotron SED peak - gamma-ray loudness correlation. The high-synchrotron peaked (HSP) BL Lac objects are distinguished by lower than average radio core brightness temperatures, and none display large radio modulation indices or high linear core polarization levels. No equivalent trends are seen for the flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQ) in our sample. Given the association of such properties with relativistic beaming, we suggest that the HSP BL Lacs have generally lower Doppler factors than the lower-synchrotron peaked BL Lacs or FSRQs in our sample.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Faraday rotation in the MOJAVE blazars: 3C 273 a case study

Radio polarimetric observations of Active Galactic Nuclei can reveal the magnetic field structure in the parsec-scale jets of these sources. We have observed the gamma-ray blazar 3C 273 as part of our multi-frequency survey with the Very Long Baseline Array to study Faraday rotation in a large sample of jets. Our observations re-confirm the transverse rotation measure gradient in 3C 273. For the first time the gradient is seen to cross zero which is further indication for a helical magnetic field and spine-sheath structure in the jet. We believe the difference to previous epochs is due to a different part of the jet being illuminated in our observations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2011

A VLBA survey of the core shift effect in AGN jets I. Evidence for dominating synchrotron opacity

The effect of a frequency dependent shift of the VLBI core position (known as the "core shift") was predicted more than three decades ago and has since been observed in a few sources, but often within a narrow frequency range. This effect has important astrophysical and astrometric applications. To achieve a broader understanding of the core shift effect and the physics behind it, we conducted a dedicated survey with NRAO's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). We used the VLBA to image 20 pre-selected sources simultaneously at nine frequencies in the 1.4-15.4 GHz range. The core position at each frequency was measured by referencing it to a bright, optically thin feature in the jet. A significant core shift has been successfully measured in each of the twenty sources observed. The median value of the core shift is found to be 1.21 mas if measured between 1.4 and 15.4 GHz, and 0.24 mas between 5.0 and 15.4 GHz. The core position, r, as a function of frequency, n, is found to be consistent with an r n^-1 law. This behavior is predicted by the Blandford & Koenigl model of a purely synchrotron self-absorbed conical jet in equipartition. No systematic deviation from unity of the power law index in the r(n) relation has been convincingly detected. We conclude that neither free-free absorption nor gradients in pressure and/or density in the jet itself and in the ambient medium surrounding the jet play a significant role in the sources observed within the 1.4-15.4 GHz frequency range. These results support the interpretation of the parsec-scale core as a continuous Blandford-Koenigl type jet with smooth gradients of physical properties along it.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Determination of a magnetization parameter of the parsec-scale AGN jets

The observed shift of the core of the relativistic AGN jets as a function of frequency allows us to evaluate the number density of outflowing plasma and, hence, the magnetization parameter. New analysis of more than 20 sources shows that for most of jets the magnetization parameter ~ 10 - 100. Since the magnetization parameter is the maximum possible bulk Lorentz-factor of the relativistic flow, this estimate is consistent with the observed superluminal motion.

astro-ph.HE↗