We present five epochs of simultaneous radio (VLA) and X-ray (Chandra) observations of SS 433, to study the relation between the radio and X-ray emission in the arcsecond-scale jets of the source. We detected X-ray emission from the extended jets in only one of the five epochs of observation, indicating that the X-ray reheating mechanism is transient. The reheating does not correlate with the total flux in the core or in the extended radio jets. However, the radio emission in the X-ray reheating regions is enhanced when X-ray emission is present. Deep images of the jets in linear polarization show that outside of the core, the magnetic field in the jets is aligned parallel to the local velocity vector, strengthening the case for the jets to be composed of discrete bullets rather than being continuous flux tubes. We also observed anomalous regions of polarized emission well away from the kinematic trace, confirming the large-scale anisotropy of the magnetic field in the ambient medium surrounding the jets.
Radio imaging of the microquasar GRS 1915+105 with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) during various flaring, quiescent, or oscillatory states of the black hole binary, always resolves the nucleus as a compact jet of length about 10.lambda_cm AU. On scales of 2.5-7AU, the nucleus has brightness temperature T_B > 10^9 K, and its properties are better fit by a synchrotron jet, rather than a thermal jet. The nuclear jet varies in 10-60min during minor X-ray/radio outbursts, and re-establishes within 18hrs of a major outburst, indicating the robustness of the disk/jet system to disruption. At low…
Resolution of both approaching and receding ejecta in the galactic microquasars makes possible to measure the flux ratio S_a/S_r of the twin ejecta, which contains an important information about the nature of the jets. We show that the flux ratio observed from GRS 1915+105 during the prominent March/April 1994 radio flare can be explained in terms of relativistic motion of discrete radio clouds, if one assumes that the twin ejecta are similar, but not completely identical, i.e. allowing for some asymmetry between the plasmoids in their speeds of propagation and/or luminosities. The recoil mome…
Large-scale, decelerating, relativistic X-ray jets due to material ejected from the black-hole candidate X-ray transient and microquasar XTE J1550-564 has been recently discovered with Chandra by Corbel et al. (2002). We find that the dynamical evolution of the eastern jet at the late time is consistent with the well-known Sedov evolutionary phase. A trans-relativistic external shock dynamic model by analogy with the evolution of gamma-ray burst remnants, is shown to be able to fit the observation data reasonably well. The inferred interstellar medium density around the source is well below th…
New two- and three-dimensional calculations are presented of relativistic jet propagation and break out in massive Wolf-Rayet stars. Such jets are thought responsible for gamma-ray bursts. As it erupts, the jet is surrounded by a cocoon of less energetic, but still highly relativistic ejecta that expands and becomes visible at much larger polar angles. These less energetic ejecta may be the origin of X-ray flashes and other high-energy transients which will be visible to a larger fraction of the sky, albeit to a shorter distance than common gamma-ray bursts. Jet stability is also examined in t…
A catalogue of extra-galactic jets is very useful both in observational and theoretical studies of active galaxies. With the use of new powerful radio instruments, the detailed structures of very compact or weak radio sources are investigated observationally and many new radio jets are detected. In this paper, we give a list of 661 radio sources with detected radio jets known to us prior to the end of December 2000. All references are collected for the observations of jets in radio, IR, optical, UV and X-ray wave-bands.
We present extensive radio observations of SN 2003L, the most luminous and energetic Type Ibc radio supernova with the exception of SN 1998bw (associated with GRB 980425). Observations from the Very Large Array are well described by a fitting a synchrotron self-absorption model to the emission spectrum. This model implies a sub-relativistic ejecta velocity, v ~ 0.2c, and a size of r ~ 4.3 x 10^{15} cm at t ~ 10 days. The circumstellar density is suitably fit with a stellar wind profile, n_e ~ r^{-2} and a constant mass loss rate of M_dot ~ 7.5 x 10^{-6} M_{solar}/year. Moreover, the magnetic f…
The observational evidence for jets and phenomena arising from rotation powered radio pulsars is reviewed, including many recent and exciting discoveries at X-ray wavelengths. The well studied jets of the Crab pulsar are summarised, including recent results from the HST. The evolutionary links between the known binary radio pulsars and jets sources in X-ray binaries are discussed.
We discuss the origin of superluminal radio jets in Black hole X-ray binaries with relativistic radio jets in our Galaxy popularly known as microquasars. We classify the relativistic superluminal jet according to the radio emission in black hole X-ray binaries (transient or persistent) rather than the mass of the companion. The black hole X-ray binaries with transient radio emission (mostly LMXBs) produce superluminal jets with $β_{app} >$ 1 when the accretion rate, $\dot{m}_{accr}$ is high and the bolometric luminosity L$_{bol}$ approaches the Eddington Luminosity, L$_{Edd}$. On the other han…
We investigate coronal transients associated with a GOES M6.7 class flare and a coronal mass ejection (CME) on 13 July 2004. During the rising phase of the flare, a filament eruption, loop expansion, a Moreton wave, and an ejecta were observed. An EIT wave was detected later on. The main features in the radio dynamic spectrum were a frequency-drifting continuum and two type II bursts. Our analysis shows that if the first type II burst was formed in the low corona, the burst heights and speed are close to the projected distances and speed of the Moreton wave (a chromospheric shock wave signatur…
We present MERLIN, global VLBI and VLBA observations of the high-luminosity, compact steep-spectrum quasar B1524$-$136 at cm wavelengths. These observations reveal well-defined radio jets on both sides of the active nucleus, a situation which is almost unique amongst high-luminosity radio quasars. However, the radio jets on opposite sides are very dissimilar, and the overall radio structure appears highly distorted. We discuss possible implications of these observations.
We discuss radio observations of a sample of radio-weak and radio-intermediate quasars which demonstrate that - just like their radio-loud counterparts - radio-weak quasars too have relativistic jets in their nuclei. Moreover, a VLA survey of nearby LINER galaxies reveals a relatively large number of flat-spectrum radio cores. It is suggested that those cores are also best explained by moderately relativistic jets (gamma~2) produced by a central engine.
Recently, it has been claimed that the recurrent nova T Pyx exhibits oppositely directed jets of ejecta apparent in features seen in H alpha emission. Here we demonstrate that these features are in fact emission in the [N II] lines which lie either side of H alpha and arise from the expanding shell associated with this object rather than from collimated jets. We estimate an expansion velocity along a line of sight through the centre of the shell of about 500 km/s.
We introduce a million-second observation of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The bipolar structure of the Si-rich ejecta (NE jet and SW counterpart) is clearly evident in the new images, and their chemical similarity is confirmed by their spectra. These are most likely due to jets of ejecta as opposed to cavities in the circumstellar medium, since we can reject simple models for the latter. The properties of these jets and the Fe-rich ejecta will provide clues to the explosion of Cas A.
Faster-than-light or superluminal motion was originally predicted as a relativistic illusion of ballistic moving ejecta, and confirmed in a few tens of sources observationally. However, the recent results of the long-term multi-epoch observations of quasars, active galaxies, tracing the structure further along the jets and following the motion of individual features for longer time, rise questions that are difficult to understand by the standard ballistic model. I.e., the ejecta are aligned with the local jet direction, instead of the core; and within individual jets apparently inward-moving f…
Over the last few years, high-quality X-ray imaging and spectroscopic data from Chandra and XMM-Newton have added greatly to the understanding of the physics of radio jets. Here we describe the current state of knowledge with an emphasis on the underlying physics used to interpret multiwavelength data in terms of physical parameters.
We describe our program to search for and study the kilo-parsec scale radio jets in a sample of high-redshift (greater than 3.4), flat spectrum quasars using new and archival VLA data. Two of these radio jets have been imaged with Chandra, and have X-ray counterparts and are briefly discussed. These high-redshift sources are important targets for testing current X-ray jet emission models for kpc-scale jets and follow-up multi-wavelength observations will shed light on this problem.
V1494 Aql was a very fast nova which reached a visual maximum of about 4.0 by the end of 1999 December 3. We report observations from 4 to 284 days after discovery, including sub-mm- and cm-band fluxes, a single MERLIN image, and optical spectroscopy in the 410 to 700 nm range. The extent of the radio continuum emission is consistent with a recent lower distance estimate of 1.6 kpc. We conclude that the optical and radio emission arises from the same expanding ejecta. We show that these observations are not consistent with simple kinematical spherical shell models used in the past to explain t…
We present results for the first three low-power radio galaxies from the B2 bright sample to have been observed with Chandra. Two have kpc-scale radio jets, and in both Chandra resolves jet X-ray emission, and detects soft X-ray core emission and an X-ray emitting galaxy-scale atmosphere of luminosity a few 10^41 ergs s^-1. These are the first detections of X-ray jets in low-power radio galaxies more distant than Cen A and M 87. The cooling time of the galaxy-scale gas implies mass infall rates of order one solar mass per year. The gas pressure near the jets is comparable to the minimum pressu…
The relativistic outflows from gamma-ray bursts are now thought to be narrowly collimated into jets. After correcting for this jet geometry there is a remarkable constancy of both the energy radiated by the burst and the kinetic energy carried by the outflow. Gamma-ray bursts are still the most luminous explosions in the Universe, but they release energies that are comparable to supernovae. The diversity of cosmic explosions appears to be governed by the fraction of energy that is coupled to ultra-relativistic ejecta.
This paper summarizes some of our recent projects which try to illuminate the nature and importance of jets associated with active nuclei and compact objects. After a short introduction on jets in radio galaxies and radio loud quasars the paper focuses on jets in other source types, such as radio-quiet quasars, Seyfert and LINER galaxies, and stellar mass black holes. Radio observations of quasars, for example, have brought new evidence for the existence of relativistic jets in radio quiet quasars, while HST and VLA observations of Seyfert galaxies have now clearly established not only the pre…
We present HST observations of previously undetected optical jets in the low-luminosity radio galaxies B2 0755+37 and B2 1553+24. We show that there is accurate spatial coincidence between optical and radio emission, implying that the former is likely to be synchrotron radiation. The physical properties of the jets are similar to those known previously: their radio-optical spectral indices are ~0.7 and in B2 0755+37, the spectrum steepens between optical and X-ray wavelengths. Our results support the hypothesis that optical emission is detectable from jets orientated within ~20 degrees of the …
Extragalactic radio sources, including quasars, are now typically understood as being produced by a pair of nearly symmetric, oppositely directed relativistic jets. While some these sources span megaparsecs, and are thus the largest physically connected structures in the universe, emitting regions identified as jets have now been found on all scales down to fractions of a parsec, and jets appear to be a common element of most (maybe all) types of active galactic nuclei (AGN). We first summarize key observations of different classes of cosmic radio jets, and describe how they may be connected. …
We calculate the reverse shock (RS) synchrotron emission in the optical and the radio wavelength bands from electron-positron pair enriched gamma-ray burst ejecta with the goal of determining the pair content of GRBs using early time observations. We take into account an extensive number of physical effects that influence radiation from the reverse-shock heated GRB ejecta. We find that optical/IR flux depends very weakly on the number of pairs in the ejecta, and there is no unique signature of ejecta pair enrichment if observations are confined to a single wavelength band. It may be possible t…
We present the general properties of the Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) and discuss the origin and structure of jets that are associated to a fraction of these objects. We then we address the problems of particle acceleration at highly relativistic energies and set limits on the luminosity of AGN jets for being origin of UHECRs.
We present the results from an X-ray and optical survey of a sample of 17 radio jets in AGN performed with Chandra and HST. The sample was selected from the radio and is unbiased toward detection at shorter wavelengths, but preferentially it includes beamed sources. We find that X-ray emission is common on kpc-scales, with over half radio jets exhibiting at least one X-ray knot on the Chandra images. The distributions of the radio-to-X-ray and radio-to-optical spectral indices for the detected jets are similar to the limits for the non-detections,suggesting all bright radio jets have X-ray cou…
This paper reviews the evidence for interaction between radio jets and their environment in small and intermediate (sub-kpc) scale radio sources. Observations of gas (both neutral hydrogen and ionised gas) have shown the presence of fast (> 1000 km/s) outflows likely originating from this interaction. The characteristics of these AGN-driven outflows (e.g. mass outflow rate) indicate that they may have a relevant impact on the evolution of the host galaxy. We also report on the detection of large HI disks found around the host galaxies of nearby compact radio sources. Similar structures have so…
We discuss the contribution of kiloparsec-scale jets in FR I radio galaxies to the diffuse gamma-ray background radiation. The analyzed gamma-ray emission comes from inverse-Compton scattering of starlight photon fields by the ultrarelativistic electrons whose synchrotron radiation is detected from such sources at radio, optical and X-ray energies. We find that these objects, under the minimum-power hypothesis (corresponding to a magnetic field of 300 muG in the brightest knots of these jets), can contribute about one percent to the extragalactic gamma-ray background measured by EGRET. We poin…
We report the discovery and monitoring of radio emission from the Type Ic SN 2002ap ranging in frequency from 1.43 to 22.5 GHz, and in time from 4 to 50 days after the SN explosion. As in most other radio SNe, the radio spectrum of SN 2002ap shows evidence for absorption at low frequencies, usually attributed to synchrotron self-absorption or free-free absorption. While it is difficult to discriminate between these two processes based on a goodness-of-fit, the unabsorbed emission in the free-free model requires an unreasonably large ejecta energy. Therefore, on physical grounds we favor the sy…
We report preliminary results from the first targets observed as part of a program to image the X-ray jets in a complete sample of radio selected jets. We have acquired Australian Telescope Compact Array and Very Large Array data with resolution 1", matching the Chandra resolution. PKS 1202-262 and PKS 0208-512 show dramatic coincidence with the initial radio jet, with the X-ray emission dropping off at the large angle radio bends, similar to the structure of PKS 0637-752.
We investigate the association between the accretion disk during radio plateau state and the following superluminal relativistic radio jets with peak intensity varies from 200 mJy to 1000 mJy observed over a period of five years and present the evidences of direct accretion disc-jet connection in microquasar GRS 1915+105. We have analysed RXTE PCA/HEXTE X-ray data and have found that the accretion rate, $\dot{m}_{accr}$, as inferred from the X-ray flux, is very high during the radio plateaux. We suggest that the accretion disk during the radio plateaux always associated with radiation-driven w…
Recent advances in estimating black hole masses for AGN show that radio luminosity is dependent on black hole mass and accretion rate. In this paper we outline a possible scheme for unifying radio-quiet and radio-loud AGN. We take the ``optimistic'' view that the mass and spin of the central black hole, the accretion rate onto it, plus orientation and a weak environmental dependence, fully determine the observed properties of AGN.
In previous papers we have discussed high-resolution observations of a large sample of powerful radio galaxies with z<0.3. Jets are detected in up to 80 per cent of the sample, and radio cores in nearly all the objects; in addition, we are able to resolve the hot spots in most sources. In this paper we present measurements of the radio properties of these components. The prominences of the jets detected do not appear to be a function of radio luminosity, providing the clearest evidence yet that the reported low detection rate of jets in radio galaxies has been an artefact of low-sensitivity ob…
We revisit a method to obtain upper limits on the jet matter content combining synchrotron self-absorption constraints and the large scale bubble energy. We use both X-ray observations, which give limits on the jet power from the energies and timescales of bubbles found in clusters of galaxies, and radio observations, which give limits on the magnetic field in the jets. Combining the two imposes constraints on the particle number density, and hence the jet content. Out of a sample of clusters which have clear radio bubbles, there are only two which have sufficient resolution in the radio image…
We study the temporal and spectral evolution of the radio flares detected from the relativistic ejecta in the microquasar GRS 1915+105, and develop a model which suggests that these flares are due to synchrotron radiation of relativistic electrons suffering adiabatic and radiative energy losses in fastly expanding plasmoids (radio clouds). Analytical solutions to the kinetic equation for the electrons in expanding magnetized clouds are found. Detailed comparison of the calculated radio fluxes with the ones detected from the prominent flare of GRS 1915+105 during March/April 1994 provides concl…
The relationships between supermassive black holes and the properties of their associated dark-matter halos imply that outflows from accreting black holes provide a feedback mechanism regulating galaxy formation. Accreting black holes with weak or undetectable radio jets (radio-quiet quasars) outnumber those with powerful jets (radio-loud quasars) by a factor ~10-100, so powerful-jet outflows are often neglected. However, whenever powerful jets are triggered, there is a dramatic (factor >100) step-function increase in the efficiency of feedback. We use a feedback model, together with the measu…
We have used the VLBA at 5 GHz to observe all galaxies with nuclear radio flux densities above 3.5 mJy found in a VLA survey at 15 GHz of a sample of nearby LINER galaxies. All galaxies were detected revealing high brightness temperature ($T_{b} \ga 10^8$ K) radio sources. Free-free emission is unlikely since it greatly overpredicts the soft X-ray luminosities. We infer the presence of AGN-like, non-thermal radio emission most likely powered by under-fed black holes. Together with our VLA sample we estimate from our observations that at least half of LINER galaxies host genuine AGN. We find no…
Recent x-ray and radio data from radio sources in galaxy clusters are used to show that the pdV work required to inflate the radio lobes exceeds all other energy estimates deduced from the radio emission. If the required jet energy density has an isotropic pressure, then in almost all cases the jet cannot be confined by an external medium. This problem can be resolved with jets dominated by cold protons, but even here the accompanying energy density in relativistic electons can cause decollimation. Electron-positron jets cannot solve this problem unless they are highly beamed with unusual ener…
Recent Spitzer observations have revealed a substantial population of z~2 ULIRGs with deep silicate absorption (τ_{9.7}>1). This paper reports a 20cm radio study of such a sample to elucidate their physical nature. We discover that a substantial fraction (40%) of deep silicate absorption ULIRGs at z~2 are moderately radio-loud with L_{1.4GHz}=10^{25}--10^{26}WHz^{-1}. This is in strong contrast with z<1 radio galaxies and radio-loud quasars where none of the sources with available IRS spectra have τ_{9.7}>1. In addition, we observe radio jets in two of our sources where one has a double lobe s…
We report Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio-continuum and ROSAT PSPC X-ray observations of the region surrounding the peculiar galaxy pair ESO 295-IG022, lying at the centre of the poor cluster Abell S0102. We identify a radio galaxy coincident with the galaxy pair, with bipolar, bent radio jets appearing centred on the southern galaxy, and extending both to the south, for about 95 arcseconds (approximately 100 kpc at the distance of ESO 295-IG022), and to the north, for approximately 80 arcseconds, encompassing the northern galaxy. We discuss also the idea of an additional single…
Almost every strong cooling core contains an active radio galaxy. Combined radio and X-ray images reveal the dramatic interaction which is taking place between the radio jet and the central cluster plasma. At least two important questions can in principle be answered by comparing the new data to theoretical models. The first is how the radio jet propagates, and disrupts, in the cooling core environment: why are these cluster-center radio sources unusual? The second is the effect the radio jet has on the cooling core: is it energetically important to the core? Thanks to the new data we are begi…
We model jets in low-luminosity (FR I) radio galaxies as intrinsically symmetrical, axisymmetric, decelerating relativistic flows with transverse velocity gradients. This allows us to derive velocity fields and the three-dimensional distributions of magnetic-field ordering and rest-frame emissivity. A conservation-law analysis, combining the kinematic model with X-ray observations of the surrounding IGM, gives the profiles of internal density, pressure, Mach number and entrainment rate along the jets. We summarize our recently-published results on 3C 31 and outline new work on other sources an…
VLBI observations of relativistic outflows (jets) in galactic nuclei, complemented with detailed studies made in other spectral domains, have become an effective tool for investigating the physics of nuclear regions in galaxies. High-resolution radio observations access directly the regions where the jets are formed, and trace their evolution and interaction with the nuclear environment. The emission properties, dynamics, and evolution of jets in AGN are intimately connected to the characteristics of the central supermassive black hole, accretion disk, and broad-line region (BLR) in active gal…
Our modelling of FR I radio jets as decelerating, relativistic flows allows us to derive their orientations accurately. We present images of Faraday rotation for two of these these objects (3C 31 and NGC 315) and show that the fluctuations of rotation measure (RM) are larger in the fainter (receding) jets, as expected if the rotation occurs in the hot galaxy/group halos. The gas density is much lower in NGC 315 and the RM fluctuations are only just detectable.
A mechanism of ultra-high energy (UHE) cosmic ray acceleration in extragalactic radio sources at the interface between the relativistic jet and the ambient medium is discussed as a supplement to the shock acceleration in `hot spots'. Particles accelerated at the jet side boundary are expected to dominate at highest energies. The spectrum formation near the cut-off energy is modeled using the Monte Carlo particle simulations.
We present a new prediction of GeV $γ$-ray emission from radio lobes of young AGN jets. In the previous work of Kino et al. (2007), MeV $γ$-ray bremsstrahlung emission was predicted from young cocoons/radio-lobes in the regime of no coolings. In this study, we include cooling effects of bremsstrahlung emission and adiabatic loss. With the initial conditions determined by observed young radio lobes, we solve a set of equations describing the expanding lobe evolution. Then we find that the lobes initially have electron temperature of $\sim$GeV, and they cool down to $\sim$MeV by the adiabatic lo…
We present HST/WFPC2 images, in narrow-band filters containing the [OIII] lambda5007 and Halpha+[NII] emission-lines and their adjacent continua, of a sample of seven Seyfert 2 galaxies selected on the basis of possessing either extended emission-line regions in ground-based observations or a hidden broad-line region in polarized light. Six of the galaxies have also been observed with the VLA to obtain radio maps with better quality and angular resolution than those in the literature. We find detailed correspondences between features in the radio and emission-line images that clearly indicate …
We present results from Chandra X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of a flux-limited sample of flat spectrum radio-emitting quasars with jet-like extended structure. Twelve of twenty quasar jets are detected in 5 ks ACIS-S exposures. The quasars without X-ray jets are not significantly different from those in the sample with detected jets except that the extended radio emission is generally fainter. New radio maps are combined with the X-ray images in order to elucidate the relation between radio and X-ray emission in spatially resolved structures. We find a variety of morphologies, including long…
A puzzling feature of the {\it Chandra}--detected quasar jets is that their X-ray emission decreases faster along the jet than their radio emission, resulting to an outward increasing radio to X-ray ratio. In some sources this behavior is so extreme that the radio emission peak is located clearly downstream of that of the X-rays. This is a rather unanticipated behavior given that the inverse Compton nature of the X-rays and the synchrotron radio emission are attributed to roughly the same electrons of the jet's non-thermal electron distribution. In this note we show that this morphological beh…
The strong optical flash observed by ROTSE, as well as the radio flare associated with GRB 990123 can be attributed to the emission of the fireball ejecta, initially heated by the reverse shock. We numerically study the evolution of an adiabatic relativistic fireball interacting with an ambient uniform medium, both in the initial energy transfer stage and in its late evolution. It is shown that the Blandford-McKee solution adequately describes the evolution of the shocked shell quite early on and for as long as the fireball material has relativistic temperatures. In the case where the reverse …
