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1.
In the unified scheme for high-luminosity radio galaxies and quasars, the core-dominated quasars are seen at small angles to the line of sight and the lobe-dominated quasars at intermediate angles, while the radio galaxies lie close to the plane of the sky. In radio galaxies, the quasar nucleus is hidden from our view by a putative torus. Such a scenario should also affect the observed polarization properties of the cores, with the core-dominated quasars, lobe-dominated quasars and radio galaxies having progressively lower core polarization at a given frequency and higher rotation measure because of Faraday effects. In this paper, we report that the core polarization of weak-cored quasars has a median value of less than about 0.4 per cent and is indeed much smaller than for core-dominated quasars, where the median value is about 2.5 per cent. We suggest that this might be a result of the depolarization caused by the edge of the obscuring torus or disc. We also examine the relative orientation of the core-polarization E -vector at λ6 cm and the radio axis for the weak-cored quasars. The sample is small but does not show the significant trend reported earlier for cores of moderate strength. This could also be the result of Faraday rotation by the material in the edge of the torus or disc. These results are consistent with the basic ideas of the unified scheme.  相似文献   

2.
Using the Very Long Baseline Array of the USA, we have made the double-band full-polarization observations towards the compact steep-spectrum source 1150+497, and obtained the distributions of the polarization flux intensity and polarization vector of this source at the 5 GHz and 8 GHz wave bands. The results show that the polarization of the source is mostly concentrated in the core region. Besides, by fitting the polarization angles at three frequencies, the milliarcsecond-scale rotation measure of the source 1150+497 is derived to be 66 rad/m2 for the first time. After removing the ratation measure, the distribution of intrinsic magnetic fields of the source on milliarcsecond scale is obtained. It demonstrates that the direction of the magnetic vector is consistent with the direction of its jet.  相似文献   

3.
We use the observed polarization properties of a sample of 26 powerful radio galaxies and radio-loud quasars to constrain the conditions in the Faraday screens local to the sources. We adopt the cosmological redshift, low-frequency radio luminosity and physical size of the large-scale radio structures as our 'fundamental' parameters. We find no correlation of the radio spectral index with any of the fundamental parameters. The observed rotation measure is also independent of these parameters, suggesting that most of the Faraday rotation occurs in the Galactic foreground. The difference between the rotation measures of the two lobes of an individual source, as well as the dispersion of the rotation measure, shows significant correlations with the source redshift, but not with the radio luminosity or source size. This is evidence that the small-scale structure observed in the rotation measure is caused by a Faraday screen local to the sources. The observed asymmetries between the lobes of our sources show no significant trends with each other or other source properties. Finally, we show that the commonly used model for the depolarization of synchrotron radio emission by foreground Faraday screens is inconsistent with our observations. We apply alternative models to our data and show that they require a strong increase of the dispersion of the rotation measure inside the Faraday screens with cosmological redshift. Correcting our observations with these models for redshift effects, we find a strong correlation of the depolarization measure with redshift and a significantly weaker correlation with radio luminosity. We do not find any (anti-)correlation of depolarization measure with source size. All our results are consistent with a decrease in the order of the magnetic field structure of the Faraday screen local to the sources for increasing cosmological redshift.  相似文献   

4.
We present Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of the nucleus of NGC 1275, the central, dominant galaxy in the Perseus cluster of galaxies. These are the first observations to resolve the linearly polarized emission from 3C 84, and from them we determine a Faraday rotation measure (RM) ranging from 6500 to 7500 rad m−2 across the tip of the bright southern jet component. At 22 GHz some polarization is also detected from the central pc of 3C 84, indicating the presence of even more extreme RMs that depolarize the core at lower frequencies. The nature of the Faraday screen is most consistent with being produced by magnetic fields associated with the optical filaments of ionized gas in the Perseus cluster.  相似文献   

5.
We present 5-, 8-, and 15-GHz total intensity and polarimetric observations of the radio source PKS 2322−123 taken with the Very Large Array (VLA). This small (11 kpc) source is located at the centre of the cooling-core cluster Abell 2597. The inner X-ray structure, the radio morphology and the steep spectral index  (α=−1.8)  in the lobes all suggest that the radio emission is confined by the ambient X-ray gas. We detect a small region of polarized flux in the southern lobe and are able to calculate a Faraday rotation measure (RM) of 3620 rad m−2 over this region. Based on these observations and Chandra X-ray data, we suggest that the southern lobe has been deflected from its original south-western orientation to the south and into our line of sight. Using the observed rotation measures (RMs) and our calculated electron density profiles, and assuming both a uniform and tangled magnetic field topology, we estimate a lower limit of the line-of-sight cluster magnetic field,   B ∥= 2.1  μG  .  相似文献   

6.
We present images of the jets in the nearby radio galaxy NGC 315 made with the Very Large Array at five frequencies between 1.365 and 5 GHz with resolutions between 1.5 and 45 arcsec. Within 15 arcsec of the nucleus, the spectral index of the jets is  α= 0.61  . Further from the nucleus, the spectrum is flatter, with significant transverse structure. Between 15 and 70 arcsec from the nucleus, the spectral index varies from ≈0.55 on-axis to ≈0.44 at the edge. This spectral structure suggests a change of dominant particle acceleration mechanism with distance from the nucleus and the transverse gradient may be associated with shear in the jet velocity field. Further from the nucleus, the spectral index has a constant value of 0.47. We derive the distribution of Faraday rotation over the inner ±400 arcsec of the radio source and show that it has three components: a constant term, a linear gradient (both probably due to our Galaxy) and residual fluctuations at the level of 1–2 rad m−2. These residual fluctuations are smaller in the brighter (approaching) jet, consistent with the idea that they are produced by magnetic fields in a halo of hot plasma that surrounds the radio source. We model this halo, deriving a core radius of ≈225 arcsec and constraining its central density and magnetic field strength. We also image the apparent magnetic field structure over the first ±200 arcsec from the nucleus.  相似文献   

7.
We present polarization observations of 28 compact steep-spectrum sources made with the upgraded MERLIN at 5 GHz. With an angular resolution of 60 milliarcsec and rms noise levels of about 0.1 mJy beam−1, the total intensity images reveal new details in many of these sources. A few of the more extended lobes and jets are quite highly polarized, but more than half of the components are completely unpolarized. Comparison with published data implies that this is due to Faraday depolarization, probably occurring in the surrounding medium with nB  ∼ 1 cm−3μG. The high resolution of the present observations implies that the variations in Faraday rotation, probably due to magnetic field tangling, occur on scales of less than about 100 pc.  相似文献   

8.
We investigate the relationship between the optical and radio emission of active galactic nuclei (AGN) by analysing optical and 15+22+43 GHz Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) polarization observations simultaneous to within a day for 11 BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects and the blazar 3C279. We have determined and corrected for the Faraday rotation measures in the very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) cores, enabling us to compare the intrinsic (zero-wavelength) VLBI-core polarization angles and the optical polarization angles χopt. A clear alignment between these two angles emerges in the transition toward higher radio frequencies, and a prominent peak at 0° is visible in the distribution of |χopt−χ43 GHz|. This correlation implies that the magnetic-field orientations in the regions giving rise to the optical and radio polarization are the same, and can be easily understood if the radio and optical polarization are roughly cospatial. It is difficult to rule out the possibility that they arise in different regions in a straight jet with a uniform magnetic-field structure, but this seems less likely, since the VLBI jets of AGN are often bent on parsec-scales. This may suggest that much or all of the strong optical polarization in these sources arises in the inner radio jets, possibly associated with the formation and emergence of compact new VLBI components.  相似文献   

9.
The results of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) total intensity ( I ) and linear polarization ( P ) observations at     are presented for 10 radio bright BL Lacertae objects. These images complete first-epoch polarization observations for the 1-Jy sample of northern BL Lacertae objects defined by Kühr & Schmidt. Estimates of superluminal speeds are presented for several sources, bringing the total number of sources in the sample for which such estimates are available to 16. Second-epoch observations currently being reduced should yield speed estimates for VLBI features in essentially all the sources in the sample. The jet magnetic fields of these BL Lacertae objects are usually transverse to the local jet direction, but a sizeable minority (about 30 per cent) have VLBI jet components with longitudinal magnetic fields. This may suggest that the conditions in the VLBI jets of BL Lacertae objects are favourable for the formation of relativistic shocks; alternatively, it may be that the toroidal component of the intrinsic jet magnetic field is characteristically dominant in these sources.  相似文献   

10.
Simultaneous MERLIN observations of the OH 1665- and 1667-MHz maser lines in the circumstellar envelope of the semiregular star W Hya have been taken in all Stokes parameters. The 1665-MHz emission comes from two elongated clusters located 80 au from the star. The 1667-MHz emission arises in an incomplete shell of radius 130 au, with the blueshifted features located in the northern part of the envelope and the redshifted components clustered south of the centre. The circularly polarized maser components exhibit spatial separation along the north–south direction. The linearly polarized components were found from the near side of the envelope. Their polarization position angles indicate that the projected axis of the magnetic field at PA ≃ −20° is consistent with spatial segregation of circular polarization. The intensity of the magnetic field, estimated from a tentative measurement of Zeeman splitting, is about 0.6 mG at the location of the 1667-MHz emission, with the field pointing away from the observer. A small change of position angles of linear polarization observed in both maser lines is interpreted as a weak Faraday effect in the maser regions with an electron density of about 2 cm−3. The overall polarization structure of the envelope suggests an ellipsoidal or weak bipolar geometry. In such a configuration, the circumstellar magnetic field may exert a non-negligible influence on mass loss. The velocity field in the circumstellar envelope recovered from observations of SiO, H2O, OH and CO lines at five radial distances reveals a logarithmic velocity gradient of 0.25 and 0.21 in the 1665- and 1667-MHz maser regions respectively. The acceleration within tens of stellar radii cannot be explained by the classical model of radiation pressure on dust.  相似文献   

11.
We present total-intensity and linear-polarization observations at a single epoch for a sample of 11 quasars and one BL Lac object. The data were taken with the VLA A array at λλ 20, 18, 6 and 2 cm. We examine the variation of the degree of polarization, p , and polarization position angle, PA, with wavelength, and attempt to determine the rotation measure, RM, of the cores in these sources. The degree of polarization does not exhibit any systematic variation with wavelength, the median values ranging from 2.3 to 3.5 per cent at the different wavelengths. The variation of PA with λ2 is not linear over the entire wavelength range. However, for most sources the λλ 20-, 18- and 6-cm PAs do follow such a linear relationship, yielding a median |RM| of about 15 rad m−2. In contrast, the λλ 6- and 2-cm observations give a median |RM| of about 129 rad m−2. The long-wavelength emission is likely to originate from a spatially different part of the milliarcsec-scale jet from the λ 2-cm emission, which could turn over at a higher frequency and is likely to be more compact and located closer to the quasar nucleus. We have attempted to obtain linear fits over the entire wavelength range allowing for n  π ambiguities in the PAs, but the fits are not statistically significant. The low values of RM for these core-dominated sources suggest that either the radio emission from the jet intercepts few of the emission-line clouds and their confining medium, or the clouds have a small filling factor and are possibly magnetically confined.  相似文献   

12.
Equipartition magnetic fields can dramatically affect the polarization of radiation emerging from accretion disc atmospheres in active galactic nuclei. We extend our previous work on this subject by exploring the interaction between Faraday rotation and absorption opacity in local, plane-parallel atmospheres with parameters appropriate for accretion discs. Faraday rotation in pure scattering atmospheres acts to depolarize the radiation field by rotating the polarization planes of photons after last scattering. Absorption opacity in an unmagnetized atmosphere can increase or decrease the polarization compared to the pure scattering case, depending on the thermal source function gradient. Combining both Faraday rotation and absorption opacity, we find the following results. If absorption opacity is much larger than scattering opacity throughout the atmosphere, then Faraday rotation generally has only a small effect on the emerging polarization because of the small electron column density along a photon mean free path. However, if the absorption opacity is not too large and it acts alone to increase the polarization, then the effects of Faraday rotation can be enhanced over those in a pure scattering atmosphere. Finally, while Faraday rotation often depolarizes the radiation field, it can in some cases increase the polarization when the thermal source function does not rise too steeply with optical depth. We confirm the correctness of the analytic calculation by Silant'ev of the high magnetic field limit of the pure scattering atmosphere, which we incorrectly disputed in our previous paper.  相似文献   

13.
We present the results of simultaneous VLBA polarization observations of the BL Lacertae object 0820+225 at 5, 8 and 15 GHz, together with earlier images at 5 GHz. This source has an unusually rich total intensity and polarization structure compared with other objects with comparable redshifts. The magnetic field in the inner part of the complex and highly twisted VLBI jet is transverse, as is typical of BL Lacertae objects, but becomes roughly longitudinal further from the core, possibly as a result of shear. Although the integrated rotation measure of 0820+225 is modest, the rotation-measure distribution on parsec scales is non-uniform, and clearly shows regions where the rotation measure is substantially higher than the integrated value.  相似文献   

14.
We present multifrequency Very Large Array (VLA) observations of two giant quasars, 0437−244 and 1025−229, from the Molonglo Complete Sample. These sources have well-defined FR II radio structure, possible one-sided jets, no significant depolarization between 1365 and 4935 MHz and low rotation measure (|RM|<20 rad m−2). The giant sources are defined to be those with overall projected size 1 Mpc. We have compiled a sample of about 50 known giant radio sources from the literature, and have compared some of their properties with a complete sample of 3CR radio sources of smaller sizes to investigate the evolution of giant sources, and test their consistency with the unified scheme for radio galaxies and quasars. We find an inverse correlation between the degree of core prominence and total radio luminosity, and show that the giant radio sources have similar core strengths to smaller sources of similar total luminosity. Hence their large sizes are unlikely to be caused by stronger nuclear activity. The degree of collinearity of the giant sources is also similar to that of the sample of smaller sources. The luminosity–size diagram shows that the giant sources are less luminous than our sample of smaller sized 3CR sources, consistent with evolutionary scenarios in which the giants have evolved from the smaller sources, losing energy as they expand to these large dimensions. For the smaller sources, radiative losses resulting from synchrotron radiation are more significant while for the giant sources the equipartition magnetic fields are smaller and inverse Compton loss owing to microwave background radiation is the dominant process. The radio properties of the giant radio galaxies and quasars are consistent with the unified scheme.  相似文献   

15.
We present the results of multifrequency (15 + 8 + 5 GHz) polarization Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of the three BL Lacertae objects 0745+241, 1418+546 and 1652+398 together with 5-GHz VLBI Space Observatory Programme (VSOP) observations of 1418+546 and 1.6- and 5-GHz VSOP observations of the blazar 1055+018. The jets of all these sources have polarization structure transverse to the jet axis, with the polarization E vectors aligned with the jet along the jet spine and 'sheaths' of orthogonal E vectors at one or both edges of the jet. The presence of polarization aligned with the jet near the 'spine' may indicate that the jets are associated with helical B fields that propogate outward with the jet flow; the presence of orthogonal polarization near the edges of the jet may likewise be a consequence of a helical jet B field, or may be owing to an interaction with the ambient medium on parsec scales. We have tentatively detected interknot polarization in 1055+018 with E aligned with the local jet direction, consistent with the possibility that the jet of this source is associated with a helical B field.  相似文献   

16.
We examine the properties of the X-ray gas in the central regions of the distant ( z =0.46) , X-ray luminous cluster of galaxies surrounding the powerful radio source 3C 295, using observations made with the Chandra Observatory . Between radii of 50 and 500 kpc, the cluster gas is approximately isothermal with an emission-weighted temperature, kT ∼5 keV . Within the central 50-kpc radius this value drops to kT ∼3.7 keV . The spectral and imaging Chandra data indicate the presence of a cooling flow within the central 50-kpc radius of the cluster, with a mass deposition rate of approximately 280 M⊙ yr−1. We estimate an age for the cooling flow of 1–2 Gyr , which is approximately 1000 times older than the central radio source. We find no evidence in the X-ray spectra or images for significant heating of the X-ray gas by the radio source. We report the detection of an edge-like absorption feature in the spectrum for the central 50-kpc region, which may be caused by oxygen-enriched dust grains. The implied mass in metals seen in absorption could have been accumulated by the cooling flow over its lifetime. Combining the results on the X-ray gas density profile with radio measurements of the Faraday rotation measure in 3C 295, we estimate the magnetic field strength in the region of the cluster core to be B ∼12 μG .  相似文献   

17.
We investigate the brightest regions of the kpc-scale jet in the powerful radio galaxy 3C 346, using new optical Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) ACS/F606W polarimetry together with Chandra X-ray data and 14.9 and 22.5 GHz Very Large Array (VLA) radio polarimetry. The jet shows a close correspondence between optical and radio morphology, while the X-ray emission shows a  0.80 ± 0.17 kpc  offset from the optical and radio peak positions. Optical and radio polarimetry show the same apparent magnetic field position angle and fractional polarization at the brightest knot, where the jet undergoes a large kink of almost 70° in the optical and radio images. The apparent field direction here is well aligned with the new jet direction, as predicted by earlier work that suggested the kink was the result of an oblique shock. We have explored models of the polarization from oblique shocks to understand the geometry of the 3C 346 jet, and find that the upstream flow is likely to be highly relativistic  (βu= 0.91+0.05−0.07)  , where the plane of the shock front is inclined at an angle of  η= 51°± 11°  to the upstream flow which is at an angle  θ= 14+8−7  deg to our line of sight. The actual deflection angle of the jet in this case is only 22°.  相似文献   

18.
VLBI total intensity and linear polarization images of the BL Lacertae object OJ 287 have been obtained at     using a global ground array and the HALCA orbiting antenna, and at     two weeks earlier using the VLBA. In the ground-based 6-cm images, the source is dominated by a core–jet double structure the components of which are essentially unresolved. The baselines to the orbiting antenna resolve both of these compact components. In the VSOP images, the ground-based 'core' breaks up into several distinct components, demonstrating that this region is dominated by the contribution of bright, optically thin knots of jet emission. A very similar structure is observed in the 1.3-cm image. The magnetic field in the core is transverse, becomes longitudinal in the inner jet, then makes a sharp transition to a region of transverse field further from the core. This suggests that the field in the outer jet has become highly ordered in the transverse direction owing to the action of a shock; the physical nature of the extended region of longitudinal field closer to the core is not clear. The availability of nearly simultaneous observations with comparable resolution at widely spaced frequencies enabled detection of a ≃90° rotation in polarization position angle for the core, owing to the transition from the optically thick (6 cm) to the optically thin (1.3 cm) regime.  相似文献   

19.
External Faraday rotation has been detected in both the core and the parsec-scale jet of BL Lac in a four-frequency very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) experiment. This unexpected result indicates the presence of significant amounts of thermal gas close to the nucleus of this object. The rotation measure (RM) in the jet components is constant, and differs from the currently accepted Galactic RM, indicating that this value (−205 rad m−2) is not applicable to the components in the parsec-scale jet. The similarity of the RM in these jet components leads us to suspect that the jet RM is caused by a foreground screen in our Galaxy, although we cannot rule out a combination of Galactic RM and RM local to the jet. If the jet RM is due solely to the Galaxy, this would mean that the currently accepted value of the foreground RM (−205 rad m−2 ) is not correct, either because the value changed between 1982 and 1997, or because the assumption of no intrinsic source rotation was incorrect, as it was at our later epoch of observation. Our observations suggest a value of     .
After correcting for the foreground RM, the core value is −427 rad m−2, which is unexpected since, owing to the weakness of their line emission, BL Lac objects are often assumed to be depleted in gas. The core RM appears to be variable, probably because of the presence of at least two polarized components close to the core the relative contributions of which vary with time.  相似文献   

20.
Future radio observations with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and its precursors will be sensitive to trace spiral galaxies and their magnetic field configurations up to redshift z ≈ 3. We suggest an evolutionary model for the magnetic configuration in star‐forming disk galaxies and simulate the magnetic field distribution, the total and polarized synchrotron emission, and the Faraday rotation measures for disk galaxies at z ≲ 3. Since details of dynamo action in young galaxies are quite uncertain, we model the dynamo action heuristically relying only on well‐established ideas of the form and evolution of magnetic fields produced by the mean‐field dynamo in a thin disk. We assume a small‐scale seed field which is then amplified by the small‐scale turbulent dynamo up to energy equipartition with kinetic energy of turbulence. The large‐scale galactic dynamo starts from seed fields of 100 pc and an averaged regular field strength of 0.02 μG, which then evolves to a “spotty” magnetic field configuration in about 0.8 Gyr with scales of about one kpc and an averaged regular field strength of 0.6 μG. The evolution of these magnetic spots is simulated under the influence of star formation, dynamo action, stretching by differential rotation of the disk, and turbulent diffusion. The evolution of the regular magnetic field in a disk of a spiral galaxy, as well as the expected total intensity, linear polarization and Faraday rotation are simulated in the rest frame of a galaxy at 5GHz and 150 MHz and in the rest frame of the observer at 150 MHz. We present the corresponding maps for several epochs after disk formation. Dynamo theory predicts the generation of large‐scale coherent field patterns (“modes”). The timescale of this process is comparable to that of the galaxy age. Many galaxies are expected not to host fully coherent fields at the present epoch, especially those which suffered from major mergers or interactions with other galaxies. A comparison of our predictions with existing observations of spiral galaxies is given and discussed (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)  相似文献   

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