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arXiv 1105.1689astro-ph.CO
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极性宽吸收线类星体:一个悬而未决的问题

Polar Broad Absorption Line Quasars: An Open Question

Patrick B. Hall, Laura S. Chajet

摘要:

有人认为,某些宽吸收线类星体是在相对论性射电喷流轴的35度范围内观察到的,这是基于两个历元的射电通量密度变化。如果观测到射电源的表面亮度发生了足够大的变化,那么推断出的亮度温度将超过10^12 K,为了避免康普顿冷却灾难,必须向我们的方向发出多普勒波束。然而,在不知道源的大小的情况下,通量密度的变化不能与表面亮度的变化联系起来。如果光学厚源的投影面积发生变化,但表面亮度不变,则其亮度温度不变,其通量变化对其方向没有约束。此外,正如里斯所指出的那样,相对论速度下的发射源的球形膨胀在其投影面积上产生了明显的超光速增加,这可以解释短时间尺度的通量密度变化,而不需要相对论性喷流靠近我们的视线。因此,两个历元的无线电通量密度变化本身不能明确地识别喷流指向我们的来源。只有VLBI成像才能可靠地确定宽吸收线类星体中极性类星体的比例。

英文摘要:

It has been argued that certain broad absorption line quasars are viewed within 35 degrees of the axis of a relativistic radio jet, based on two-epoch radio flux density variability. It is true if the surface brightness of a radio source is observed to change by a sufficiently large amount, the inferred brightness temperature will exceed 10^12 K and Doppler beaming in our direction must be invoked to avoid a Compton cooling catastrophe. However, flux density changes cannot be linked to surface brightness changes without knowledge of the size of the source. If an optically thick source changes in projected area but not surface brightness, its brightness temperature is constant and its flux variability yields no constraint on its orientation. Moreover, as pointed out by Rees, spherical expansion of an emission source at relativistic speeds yields an apparently superluminal increase in its projected area, which can explain short-timescale flux density variability without requiring a relativistic jet oriented near to our line of sight. Therefore, two-epoch radio flux density variability by itself cannot unambiguously identify sources with jets directed towards us. Only VLBI imaging can robustly determine the fraction of broad absorption line quasars which are polar.

机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来,可能存在错误,请以论文正文为准。

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