Polarization studies of the parsec scale jets of AGN

Details Polarization studies of the parsec scale jets of AGN Polarization studies of the parsec scale jets of AGN

Jul 2000

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000phdt........13h&link_type=abstract

Thesis (PhD). BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY, Source DAI-B 61/01, p. 313, Jul 2000, 224 pages.

Computer Science

1

Scientific paper

This thesis presents results from three projects studying the structure and polarization of parsec scale radio jets. Direct distances to superluminal radio sources. We present a new technique for directly measuring the distances to superluminal radio sources. By comparing the observed proper motions of components in parsec scale jets to their measured Doppler factors, we can deduce the distance to the radio source. We evaluate a number of possibilities for constraining these parameters and demonstrate the technique on a well defined component in the parsec scale jet of 3C 279. Circular polarization observations of 4 AGN. We present five epochs of 15 GHz VLBA observations of 13 AGN. These observations were specially calibrated to detect parsec scale circular polarization and our calibration techniques are discussed and analyzed in detail. We obtained reliable detections of parsec scale circular polarization in the radio jets of 4 AGN: 3C 84, PKS 0528+134, 3C 273, and 3C 279. For each of these objects our detections are at the level of ~ 0.3-1% local fractional circular polarization. Our observations are consistent across multiple epochs (and different calibration techniques) in the sign and magnitude of the circular polarization observed. 3C 273 and 3C 279 both undergo core outbursts during our observations and changes in the circular polarization of both sources are correlated with these outbursts. In general, we observe the circular polarization to be nearly coincident with the strong VLBI cores of these objects; however, in 3C 84 the circular polarization is located a full milli-arcsecond south of the source peak, and in the 1996.73 epoch of 3C 273 the circular polarization is predominately associated with the newly emerging jet component. Monitoring observations of 12 AGN at 15 GHz. We present the results of six epochs of VLBA monitoring observations of 12 AGN made during 1996. The observations were designed to follow the evolution of the total intensity and linear polarization structure of the parsec scale radio jets in these sources. We observe very large proper motions ( (>=12h- 1c ) in the jets of a few sources; in most of our sources we also find stationary components, which are typically located near the VLBI core. We find evidence of multiple component trajectories in J1927+73 and 3C 273. The variability in our sources seems confined to the VLBI core, which can vary significantly in total intensity and/or linear polarization between our observations. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

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