Analysing the transverse structure of the relativistic jets of active galactic nuclei

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dc.contributor.authorMurphy, Eoin Gerard
dc.contributor.authorCawthorne, T. V.
dc.contributor.authorGabuzda, Denise
dc.contributor.funderIrish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology
dc.date.accessioned2017-11-07T09:38:54Z
dc.date.available2017-11-07T09:38:54Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractThis paper describes a method of fitting total intensity and polarization profiles in very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) images of astrophysical jets to profiles predicted by a theoretical model. As an example, the method is used to fit profiles of the jet in the active galactic nucleus (AGN) Mrk 501 with profiles predicted by a model in which a cylindrical jet of synchrotron plasma is threaded by a magnetic field with helical and disordered components. This fitting yields model Stokes Q profiles that agree with the observed profiles to within the 1-2 sigma uncertainties; the I model and observed profiles are overall not in such good agreement, with the model I profiles being generally more symmetrical than the observed profiles. Consistent fitting results are obtained for profiles derived from 6-cm VLBI images at two distances from the core, and also for profiles obtained for different wavelengths at a single location in the VLBI jet. The most striking success of the model is its ability to reproduce the spine-sheath polarization structure observed across the jet. Using the derived viewing angle in the jet rest frame, delta' similar or equal to 83 degrees, together with a superluminal speed reported in the literature, beta(app) = 3.3, yields a solution for the viewing angle and velocity of the jet in the observer's frame, delta similar or equal to 15 degrees and beta similar or equal to 0.96. Although these results for Mrk 501 must be considered tentative, the combined analysis of polarization profiles and apparent component speeds holds promise as a means of further elucidating the magnetic field structures and other parameters of parsec-scale AGN jets.en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionPublished Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationMurphy, E., Cawthorne, T. V. and Gabuzda, D. C. (2013) 'Analysing the transverse structure of the relativistic jets of active galactic nuclei', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 430(3), pp. 1504-1515. doi: 10.1093/mnras/sts561en
dc.identifier.doi10.1093/mnras/sts561
dc.identifier.endpage1515
dc.identifier.issn0035-8711
dc.identifier.issn1365-2966
dc.identifier.issued3
dc.identifier.journaltitleMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societyen
dc.identifier.startpage1504
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/4958
dc.identifier.volume430
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherOxford University Pressen
dc.relation.urihttps://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/430/3/1504/976796/Analysing-the-transverse-structure-of-the
dc.rights© 2013, the Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Societyen
dc.subjectGalaxiesen
dc.subjectActiveen
dc.subjectJetsen
dc.titleAnalysing the transverse structure of the relativistic jets of active galactic nucleien
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
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