Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21334206h&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #342.06; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.477
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
We discuss results of six-frequency linear and circular polarization observations of the parsec-scale jet in 3C279 with the VLBA from 8.0 to 24.4 GHz. We model the linear and circular polarization from the base of the jet with radiative transfer models. We find that our observations are well explained by a consistent physical picture where the inhomogeneous jet core is dominated by a large fraction of poloidal magnetic field directed along the jet axis. Two downstream homogeneous jet features are dominated by shocked fields with smaller fractions of poloidal field with the same polarity as found in the jet core. In this picture the poloidal field in each feature produces the observed Faraday rotation internal to the jet, which drives the conversion of linear polarization into circular polarization, as well as generating intrinsic circular polarization directly. For this process to operate efficiently we find the jet to be dominated by an electron-proton plasma, although some admixture of positrons is possible. We note that the physical picture presented here is not unique if the observed Faraday rotation and depolarization occur in screens external to the jet; however, we find the joint explanation of the multi-frequency linear and circular polarization observations from the magnetic field and particle properties internal to the jet to be compelling evidence for this model.
This work has been supported by National Science Foundation grants AST-0707693, AST-0607523, and AST-0607453. The VLBA is an instrument of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
Aller Hugh D.
Aller Margo F.
Homan Daniel C.
Lister Matthew L.
Wardle John F. C.
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