A. M. Kutkin, K. V. Sokolovsky, M. M. Lisakov, Y. Y. Kovalev, T. Savolainen, P. A. Voytsik, A. P. Lobanov, H. D. Aller, M. F. Aller, A. Lahteenmaki, M. Tornikos… 展开作者
A. M. Kutkin, K. V. Sokolovsky, M. M. Lisakov, Y. Y. Kovalev, T. Savolainen, P. A. Voytsik, A. P. Lobanov, H. D. Aller, M. F. Aller, A. Lahteenmaki, M. Tornikoski, A. E. Volvach, L. N. Volvach
备注：
Accepted for publication in MNRAS; 10 pages, 6 figures
Opacity-driven shifts of the apparent VLBI core position with frequency (the "core shift" effect) probe physical conditions in the innermost parts of jets in active galactic nuclei. We present the first detailed investigation of this effect in the brightest gamma-ray blazar 3C454.3 using direct measurements from simultaneous 4.6-43 GHz VLBA observations, and a time lag analysis of 4.8-37 GHz lightcurves from the UMRAO, CrAO, and Metsahovi observations in 2007-2009. The results support the standard Konigl model of jet physics in the VLBI core region. The distance of the core from the jet origin r_c(nu), the core size W(nu), and the lightcurve time lag DT(nu) all depend on the observing frequency nu as r_c(nu)~W(nu)~ DT(nu)~nu^-1/k. The obtained range of k=0.6-0.8 is consistent with the synchrotron self-absorption being the dominating opacity mechanism in the jet. The similar frequency dependence of r_c(nu) and W(nu) suggests that the external pressure gradient does not dictate the jet geometry in the cm-band core region. Assuming equipartition, the magnetic field strength scales with distance r as B = 0.4(r/1pc)^-0.8 G. The total kinetic power of electron/positron jet is about 10^44 ergs/s.
We have carried out the Gaussian model-fitting to the 15 GHz VLBA cores for a sample of blazars from the MOJAVE database, analyzed the correlations in the model-fitted parameters and studied the variability properties for different group of sources. We find that the Fermi LAT-detected blazars have on average higher position angle changes of cores than the LAT non-detected blazars, and that the LAT-detected ones largely associate with more variable cores in flux density.
We study the relationship between jet power and accretion for Fermi and non-Fermi blazars, respectively. We also compare the relevant parameter between them. Our main results are as follows. (i) Fermi and non-Fermi blazars have significant difference in redshift, black hole mass, and broad line luminosity. (ii) Fermi blazars have higher average core-dominance parameter than non-Fermi blazars, which suggests that Fermi blazars have strong beaming effect. (iii) We find significant correlation between broad line emission and jet power for Fermi and non-Fermi blazars, respectively, which suggests …
...The distribution of radio core-dominance is consistent with average projection angles of 13.5, 14.8, 16.8, 20.4, and 28.2 for ISPs, LSPs, FSRQs, HSPs, and radio galaxies, respectively. Linear regression analyses of our data yield significant anti-correlation r greater than 0.60 between core-dominance parameter and extended luminosity in each individual subsample, the correlation is significant only when individual subsamples are considered. There is a systematic sequence of the distribution of the different subclasses on the Core-dominance parameter-extended luminosity plane. Nevertheless, …
We perform monthly total and polarized intensity imaging of a sample of $γ$-ray blazars (33 sources) with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 43 GHz with the high resolution of 0.1 milliarcseconds. From Summer 2008 to October 2009 several of these blazars triggered Astronomical Telegrams due to a high $γ$-ray state detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT): AO 0235+164, 3C 273, 3C 279, PKS 1510-089, and 3C 454.3. We have found that 1) $γ$-ray flares in these blazars occur during an increase of the flux in the 43 GHz VLBI core; 2) strong $γ$-ray activity, consisting of several flares …
We investigate the position of the radio core in a blazar by multi-epoch astrometric observations at 43 GHz. Using the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA), we have conducted four adjacent observations in February 2011 and another four in October 2011, and succeeded in measuring the position of the radio core in the TeV blazar Mrk 501 relative to a distant compact quasar NRAO 512. During our observations, we find that (1) there is no positional change within ~0.2 mas or ~2.0 pc de-projected with $\pm1σ$ error for the weighted-mean phase-referenced positions of Mrk 501 core relative to N…
There are a number of theories explaining the nature of the so-called X-shaped radio sources. According to one of them, an X-shaped source is indeed a cross whose one arm is associated with a double radio source that has changed its orientation in space, while the other arm is associated with relic lobes and its position indicates the former direction of the jets. Here, I present two new arguments in favour of this conjecture. Firstly, it is obvious that shortly after the repositioning, the pair of the new lobes must be very compact. To illustrate such a possibility, I show an EVN image of the…
We expand our previous studies of the parsec-scale structure of TeV blazars by presenting first-epoch images from VLBA monitoring of ten newer TeV HBLs. All ten sources were successfully detected and imaged, and all showed a one-sided core-jet structure. Many display a morphology common to TeV HBLs: a short, collimated jet followed by a transition to low surface brightness extended emission with a much broader opening angle. The newly detected TeV HBLs tend to be fainter in the radio; the median core flux density was 22 mJy, and the median brightness temperature was 8x10^9 K. The brightness te…
Previous spectral energy distribution modeling based on XMM-Newton X-ray observation of the classical double-lobed radio galaxy 3C 411 left the possibility open for the presence of a blazar-like core. We investigated this scenario by characterizing the radio brightness distribution in the inner ~10-pc region of the source. We applied the very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) technique at four different frequencies from 1.7 to 7.6 GHz. We analyzed archival data from the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) taken in 2014, and data from the European VLBI Network (EVN) obtained in 2017. The VLBI ima…
We compare the γ-ray light curves of the blazars, constructed with data provided by the Fermi Large Area Telescope, with flux and polarization variations in the VLBI core and bright superluminal knots obtained via monthly monitoring with the Very Long Baseline Array at 43 GHz. For all blazars in the sample that exhibit a high γ-ray state on time scales from several weeks to several months, an increase of the total flux in the mm-wave core is contemporaneous with the γ-ray activity (more than a third of the sample). Here we present the results for quasars with the most extreme γ-ray behavior (3…
Low-frequency radio surveys allow in-depth studies and new analyses of classes of sources previously known and characterised only in other bands. In recent years, low radio frequency observations of blazars have been available thanks to new surveys, such as the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky MWA Survey (GLEAM). We search for gamma-ray blazars in a low frequency ($ν$ < 240MHz) survey, to characterise the spectral properties of the spatial components. We cross-correlate GLEAM with the fourth catalogue of active galactic nuclei (4LAC) detected by the Fermi satellite. This improves over previo…
We use published data on the power and production efficiency of jets in blazars with double radio lobes in order to compare results obtained using different methods. In order to eliminate selection effects, we use cross-matched sub-samples containing only luminous blazars. We compare the three main existing methods, namely those based on the emission of radio lobes, on spectral fitting, and on radio core shift. We find the average jet power obtained for identical samples with the radio-lobe method is $\sim10$ times lower than that from the spectral fitting. In turn, the power from spectral fit…
We report radio imaging and monitoring observations in the frequency range 0.235 - 2.7 GHz during the flaring mode of PKS 2155-304, one of the brightest BL Lac objects. The high sensitivity GMRT observations not only reveal extended kpc-scale jet and FRI type lobe morphology in this erstwhile `extended-core' blazar but also delineate the morphological details, thanks to its arcsec scale resolution. The radio light curve during the end phase of the outburst measured in 2008 shows high variability (8.5%) in the jet emission in the GHz range, compared to the lower core variability (3.2%) seen at …
We investigate the location of the radio jet bases ("radio cores") of blazars in radio images, and their stationarity by means of dense very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations. In order to measure the position of a radio core, we conducted 12 epoch astrometric observation of the blazar Markarian 421 with the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry at 22 GHz immediately after a large X-ray flare, which occurred in the middle of 2011 September. For the first time, we find that the radio core is not stationary but rather changes its location toward 0.5 mas downstream. This angular scal…
The launching mechanism of the jets of active galactic nuclei is observationally poorly constrained, due to the large distances to these objects and the very small scales (sub-parsec) involved. In order to better constrain theoretical models, it is especially important to get information from the region close to the physical base of the jet, where the plasma acceleration takes place. In this paper, we report multi-epoch and multi-frequency continuum observations of the z=2.5 blazar PKS1830-211 with ALMA, serendipitously coincident with a strong $γ$-ray flare reported by Fermi-LAT. The blazar i…
We aim to investigate the relation between the long-term flux density and the position angle (PA) evolution of inner-jet in blazars. We have carried out the elliptic Gaussian model-fit to the `core' of 50 blazars from 15 GHz VLBA data, and analyzed the variability properties of three blazars from the model-fit results. Diverse correlations between the long-term peak flux density and the PA evolution of the major axis of the `core' have been found in $\sim$ 20% of the 50 sources. Of them, three typical blazars have been analyzed, which also show quasi-periodic flux variations of a few years (T)…
We model simultaneous or quasi-simultaneous multi-band spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for a sample of 25 blazars that have radio core-shift measurements, where a one-zone leptonic model and Markov chain Monte Carlo technique are adopted. In the SED fitting for 23 low-synchrotron-peaked (LSP) blazars, the seed photons from broad line region (BLR) and molecular torus are considered respectively in the external Compton process. We find that the SED fitting with the seed photons from the torus are better than those utilizing BLR photons, which suggests that the $γ$-ray emitting region may be…
Estimates of magnetic field strength in relativistic jets of active galactic nuclei (AGN), obtained by measuring the frequency-dependent radio core location, imply that the total magnetic fluxes in those jets are consistent with the predictions of the magnetically-arrested disk (MAD) scenario of jet formation. On the other hand, the magnetic field strength determines the luminosity of the synchrotron radiation, which forms the low-energy bump of the observed blazar spectral energy distribution (SED). The SEDs of the most powerful blazars are strongly dominated by the high-energy bump, which is…
In a two-component jet model, the emissions are the sum of the core and extended emissions: $S^{\rm ob}=S_{\rm core}^{\rm ob}+S_{\rm ext}^{\rm ob}$, with the core emissions, $S_{\rm core}^{\rm ob}= f S_{\rm ext}^{\rm ob}δ^{q}$, being a function of the Doppler factor, $δ$, the extended emission, $S_{\rm ext}^{\rm ob}$, jet type dependent factor, $q$, and the ratio of the core to the extended emissions in the comoving frame, $f$. The $f$ is an unobservable but important parameter. Following our previous work, we collect 65 blazars with available Doppler factor, $δ$, superluminal velocity, $β_{ap…
A two-component model of radio emission has been used to explain some radio observational properties of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) and, in particular, of blazars. In this work, we extend the two-component idea to the $γ$-ray emission and assume that the total $γ$-ray output of blazars consists of relativistically beamed and unbeamed components. The basic idea leverages the correlation between the radio core-dominance parameter and the $γ$-ray beaming factor. To do so, we evaluate this correlation for a large sample of 584 blazars taken from the fourth source catalog of the Fermi Large Area …
Analysis of comprehensive monitoring of 34 gamma-ray bright quasars, BL Lac objects, and radio galaxies reveals a close connection between events in the millimeter-wave emission imaged with the VLBA at 43 GHz and flares at gamma-ray and lower frequencies. Roughly 2/3 of the flares are coincident with the appearance of a new superluminal knot and/or a flare in the millimeter-wave "core'" located parsecs from the central engine. This presents a theoretical challenge to explain how the gamma-ray flux can often be variable on intra-day time-scales. Possible answers to this include very narrow open…
We report the detection of a statistically significant flare-like event in the Mg IIλ2800Å emission line of 3C 454.3 during the outburst of autumn 2010. The highest levels of emission line flux recorded over the monitoring period (2008 - 2011) coincide with a superluminal jet component traversing through the radio core. This finding crucially links the broad-emission line fluctuations to the non-thermal continuum emission produced by relativistically moving material in the jet and hence to the presence of broad-line region clouds surrounding the radio core. If the radio core were located at se…
PBC J2333.9-2343 is a giant radio galaxy at z = 0.047 with a bright central core associated to a blazar nucleus. If the nuclear blazar jet is a new phase of the jet activity, then the small orientation angle suggest a dramatic change of the jet direction. We present observations obtained between September 2018 and January 2019 (cadence larger than three days) with Effeslberg, SMARTS-1.3m, ZTF, ATLAS, Swift, and Fermi-LAT, and between April-July 2019 (daily cadence) with SMARTS-1.3m and ATLAS. Large (>2x) flux increases are observed on timescales shorter than a month, which are interpreted as f…
We study the linear polarization of the radio cores of eight blazars simultaneously at 22, 43, and 86 GHz with observations obtained by the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) in three epochs between late 2016 and early 2017 in the frame of the Plasma-physics of Active Galactic Nuclei (PAGaN) project. We investigate the Faraday rotation measure (RM) of the cores; the RM is expected to increase with observing frequency if core positions depend on frequency due to synchrotron self-absorption. We find a systematic increase of RMs at higher observing frequencies in our targets. The RM--$ν$ relations follow …
We studied the pc-scale core shift effect using radio light curves for three blazars, S5 0716+714, 3C 279 and BL Lacertae, which were monitored at five frequencies ($ν$) between 4.8 GHz and 36.8 GHz using the University of Michigan Radio Astronomical Observatory (UMRAO), the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO), and Metsahovi Radio Observatory for over 40 years. Flares were Gaussian fitted to derive time delays between observed frequencies for each flare ($Δt$), peak amplitude ($A$), and their half width. Using $A \propto ν^α$ we infer $α$ in the range $-$16.67 to 2.41 and using $Δt \propt…
We analyze the parsec-scale jet kinematics from 2007 June to 2013 January of a sample of $γ$-ray bright blazars monitored roughly monthly with the Very Long Baseline Array at 43~GHz. In a total of 1929 images, we measure apparent speeds of 252 emission knots in 21 quasars, 12 BL~Lacertae objects (BLLacs), and 3 radio galaxies, ranging from 0.02$c$ to 78$c$; 21\% of the knots are quasi-stationary. Approximately 1/3 of the moving knots execute non-ballistic motions, with the quasars exhibiting acceleration along the jet within 5~pc (projected) of the core, and knots in the BLLacs tending to dece…
By statistically analyzing a large sample which includes blazars of Fermi detection (FBs) and non-Fermi detection (NFBs), we find that there are significant differences between FBs and NFBs for redshift, black hole mass, jet kinetic power from "cavity" power, broad-line luminosity, and ratio of core luminosity to absolute V-band magnitude ($R_{\rm v}$), but not for ratio of radio core to extended flux ($R_{\rm c}$) and Eddington ratio. Compared with NFBs, FBs have larger mean jet power, $R_{\rm c}$ and $R_{\rm v}$ while smaller mean redshift, black hole mass, broad-line luminosity. These resul…
Different Jet Dissipation Mechanisms Underlying the Variability in Blazars
Nanjing University（南京大学）；Key Laboratory of Modern Astronomy and Astrophysics, Nanjing University, Ministry of Education（南京大学现代天文与天体物理教育部重点实验室）；Tianfu Cosmic Ray Research Center（天府宇宙线研究中心）
I show that by assuming a standard Blandford-Konigl jet, it is possible to determine the bulk Lorentz factor and angle to the line of sight of self-similar parsec-scale blazar jets by using five measured quantities: redshift, core radio flux, extended radio flux, the magnitude of the core shift between two frequencies, and apparent jet opening angle. From the bulk Lorentz factor and angle computed with this method, one can compute other jet properties such as the Doppler factor, magnetic field strength, and intrinsic jet opening angle. I use data taken from the literature and marginalize over …
In this work we interpret and discuss the time variable rotation measure (RM) found, for the first time over a 1-yr period, in the core region of a blazar. These results are based on a one-year, multi-frequency (15, 24, and 43 GHz) Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) monitoring of the TeV blazar Markarian 421 (Mrk 421). We investigate the Faraday screen properties and its location with respect to the jet emitting region. Given that the 43 GHz radio core flux density and the RM time evolution suggest a similar trend, we explore the possible connection between the RM and the accretion rate. Among th…
In this paper we develop the extended jet model of Potter & Cotter to model the simultaneous multi-wavelength spectra of six Compton-dominant blazars. We include an accelerating parabolic base transitioning to a slowly decelerating conical jet with a geometry set by observations of M87 and consistent with simulations and theory. We investigate several jet models and find that the optically thick to thin synchrotron break in the radio spectrum requires the jet to first come into equipartition at large distances along the jet (10^5 Schwarzschild radii), consistent with the observed transition fr…
In examining a select sample of over 200 blazars of known jet kinetic power (L_kin) and well-characterized SEDs, we found (Meyer et al., 2011) that Intermediate synchrotron-peaking (ISP) blazars may have lower gamma-ray output than high synchrotron-peaking (HSP) blazars of similar L_kin, consistent with our hypothesis that ISP blazars are less-beamed versions of HSP blazars, rather than a distinct population. Further, by using the radio core dominance as a measure of relative beaming, we find that gamma-ray luminosity depends on beaming in a consistent way for blazars ranging over all jet kine…
Radio monitoring of the broad absorption line quasar (BALQSO) Mrk 231 from 13.9 GHz to 17.6 GHz detected a strong flat spectrum flare. Even though BALQSOs are typically weak radio sources, the 17.6 GHz flux density doubled in ~150 days, from ~135 mJy to ~270 mJy. It is demonstrated that the elapsed rise time in the quasar rest frame and the relative magnitude of the flare is typical of some of the stronger flares in blazars that are associated with the ejection of discrete components on parsec scales. The decay of a similar flare was found in a previous monitoring campaign at 22 GHz. We conclu…
We present the observational results of the Gamma-ray blazar, 3C 66A, at 2.3, 8.4, and 22 GHz at 4 epochs during 2004-05 with the VLBA. The resulting images show an overall core-jet structure extending roughly to the south with two intermediate breaks occurring in the region near the core. By model-fitting to the visibility data, the northmost component, which is also the brightest, is identified as the core according to its relatively flat spectrum and its compactness. As combined with some previous results to investigate the proper motions of the jet components, it is found the kinematics of…
IceCube has reported a very-high-energy neutrino (IceCube-170922A) in a region containing the blazar TXS 0506+056. Correlated γ-ray activity has led to the first high-probability association of a high-energy neutrino with an extragalactic source. This blazar has been found to be in a radio outburst during the neutrino event. We have performed target-of-opportunity VLBI imaging observations at 43 GHz frequency with the VLBA two and eight months, respectively, after the neutrino event. We produced two images of TXS 0506+056 with angular resolutions of (0.2x1.1) mas and (0.2x0.5) mas, respectivel…
M87 hosts one of the closest jetted active galactic nucleus (AGN) to Earth. Thanks to its vicinity and to the large mass of is central black hole, M87 is the only source in which the jet can be directly imaged down to near-event horizon scales with radio very large baseline interferometry (VLBI). This property makes M87 a unique source to isolate and study jet launching, acceleration and collimation. In this paper we employ a multi-zone model designed as a parametrisation of general relativistic magneto-hydrodynamics (GRMHD); for the first time we reproduce the jet's observed shape and multi-w…
We study the core shift effect in the parsec scale jet of the blazar 3C 454.3 using the 4.8 GHz - 36.8 GHz radio light curves obtained from three decades of continuous monitoring. From a piecewise Gaussian fit to each flare, time lags $Δt$ between the observation frequencies $ν$ and spectral indices $α$ based on peak amplitudes $A$ are determined. From the fit $Δt \propto ν^{1/k_r}$, $k_r = 1.10 \pm 0.18$ indicating equipartition between the magnetic field energy density and the particle energy density. From the fit $A \propto ν^α$, $α$ is in the range $-0.24$ to $1.52$. A mean magnetic field …
We report on the radio brightening of the blazar TXS 0506+056 (at $z=0.3365$), supporting its identification as source of the high-energy (HE) neutrino IC-170922A by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. MOJAVE/VLBA data indicate its radio brightness abruptly increasing since January 2016. When decomposing the total radio flux density curve (January 2008 - July 2018) provided by the Owens Valley Radio Observatory into eight Gaussian flares, the peak time of the largest flare overlaps with the HE neutrino detection, while the total flux density exhibits a threefold increase since January 2016. We r…
The object 4C 71.07 is a high-redshift blazar whose spectral energy distribution shows a prominent big blue bump and a strong Compton dominance. We present the results of a two-year multiwavelength campaign led by the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT) to study both the quasar core and the beamed jet of this source. The WEBT data are complemented by ultraviolet and X-ray data from Swift, and by gamma-ray data by Fermi. The big blue bump is modelled by using optical and near-infrared mean spectra obtained during the campaign, together with optical and ultraviolet quasar templates. We give pres…
We analyze the parsec-scale jet kinematics from 2007 June to 2018 December of a sample of $γ$-ray bright blazars monitored roughly monthly with the Very Long Baseline Array at 43 GHz under the VLBA-BU-BLAZAR program. We implement a novel piece-wise linear fitting method to derive the kinematics of 521 distinct emission knots from a total of 3705 total intensity images in 22 quasars, 13 BL Lacertae objects, and 3 radio galaxies. Apparent speeds of these components range from $0.01c$ to $78c$, and 18.6\% of knots (other than the "core") are quasi-stationary. One-fifth of moving knots exhibit non…
Ever since the discovery by the Fermi mission that active galactic nuclei (AGN) produce copious amounts of high-energy emission, its origin has remained elusive. Using high-frequency radio interferometry (VLBI) polarization imaging, we could probe the magnetic field topology of the compact high-energy emission regions in blazars. A case study for the blazar 3C 279 reveals the presence of multiple gamma-ray emission regions. Pass 8 Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) data are used to investigate the flux variations in the GeV regime; six gamma-ray flares were observed in the source during November…
We present a comprehensive 5-43 GHz VLBA study of the blazar 3C 273 initiated after an onset of a strong $γ$-ray flare in this source. We have analyzed the kinematics of new-born components, light curves, and position of the apparent core to pinpoint the location of the $γ$-ray emission. Estimated location of the $γ$-ray emission zone is close to the jet apex, 2 pc to 7 pc upstream from the observed 7 mm core. This is supported by ejection of a new component. The apparent core position was found to be inversely proportional to frequency. The brightness temperature in the 7 mm core reached valu…
We present results from our radio polarimetric study with the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) at Band 4 (550-850 MHz) of 3 blazars: radio-loud quasars 3C390.3, 4C71.07 and BL Lac object 1ES 2344+514. The aim of this study was (i) to carry out a feasibility study for Band 4 polarization with the uGMRT, and (ii) to compare and contrast the kpc-scale polarization properties between the blazar sub-classes. We have detected linear polarization in all the three sources. The degree of linear polarization in the cores of the two quasars is higher than in the BL Lac object, consistent …
(Abridged) We analyze blazar jet apparent speeds and accelerations from the RDV series of astrometric and geodetic VLBI experiments. From these experiments, we have produced and analyzed 2753 global VLBI images of 68 sources at 8 GHz with a median beam size of 0.9 milliarcseconds (mas), and a median of 43 epochs per source. From this sample, we analyze the motions of 225 jet components in 66 sources. The distribution of the fastest measured apparent speed in each source has a median of 8.3c and a maximum of 44c. Sources in the 2FGL Fermi LAT catalog display higher apparent speeds than those th…
Here we report on the total-intensity 610 MHz GMRT observations of the peculiar hybrid blazar SBS B1646+499, which merges the properties of BL Lacertae objects and flat-spectrum radio quasars. The complex radio structure of SBS B1646+499, emerging from the archival radio data and our new GMRT observations, consists of the Mpc-scale, elongated halo, the unilateral kpc-scale jet, and the nuclear jet extending up to 20pc from the compact core. The giant halo is characterized by a steep radio spectrum, indicative of the advanced ageing of the electron population within the lobes. For the large-sca…
Single-zone synchrotron self-Compton and external Compton models are widely used to explain broad-band Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) of blazars from infrared to gamma-rays. These models bear obvious similarities to the homogeneous synchrotron cloud model which is often applied to explain radio emission from individual components of parsec-scale radio jets. The parsec-scale core, typically the brightest and most compact feature of blazar radio jet, could be the source of high-energy emission. We report on ongoing work to test this hypothesis by deriving the physical properties of parsec-…
The production site of gamma-rays in blazar jet is an unresolved problem. We present a method to locate gamma-ray emission region in the framework of one-zone emission model. From measurements of core-shift effect, the relation between the magnetic field strengths ($B'$) in the radio cores of jet and the distances ($R$) of these radio cores from central supermassive black hole (SMBH) can be inferred. Therefore once the magnetic field strength in gamma-ray emission region ($B'_{\rm diss}$) is obtained, one can use the relation of $B'$-$R$ to derive the distance ($R_{\rm diss}$) of gamma-ray emi…
We present RadioAstron Space VLBI imaging observations of the BL Lac object S5 0716+71 made on January 3-4 2015 at a frequency of 22 GHz (wavelength $λ=1.3$ cm). The observations were made in the framework of the AGN Polarization Key Science Program. The source was detected on projected space-ground baselines up to 70 833 km (5.6 Earth diameters) for both, parallel hand and cross-hand interferometric visibilities. We have used these detections to obtain a full-polarimetric image of the blazar at an unprecedented angular resolution of 24 $μ$as, the highest for this source to date. This enabled …
Blazars are known for their variability on a wide range of timescales at all wavelengths. Most studies of TeV gamma-ray blazars focus on short timescales, especially during flares. With a decade of observations from the Fermi-LAT and VERITAS, we present an extensive study of the long-term multi-wavelength radio-to-gamma-ray flux-density variability, with the addition of a couple of short-time radio-structure and optical polarization observations of the blazar 1ES 1215+303 (z=0.130), with a focus on its gamma-ray emission from 100 MeV to 30 TeV. Multiple strong GeV gamma-ray flares, a long-term…
The Global mm-VLBI Array (GMVA) is a network of 14 3\,mm and 7\,mm capable telescopes spanning Europe and the United States, with planned extensions to Asia. The array is capable of sensitive maps with angular resolution often exceeding 50\,$μ$as. Using the GMVA, a large sample of prominent $γ$-ray blazars have been observed approximately 6 monthly from later 2008 until now. Combining 3\,mm maps from the GMVA with near-in-time 7\,mm maps from the VLBA-BU-BLAZAR program and 2\,cm maps from the MOJAVE program, we determine the sub-pc morphology and high frequency spectral structure of $γ$-ray bl…
Blazars are a subclass of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with extreme observation properties, which is caused by the beaming effect, expressed by a Doppler factor, in a relativistic jet. Doppler factor is an important parameter in the blazars paradigm to indicate all of the observation properties, and many methods were proposed to estimate its value. In this paper, we present a method following Mattox et al. to calculate the lower limit on gamma-ray Doppler factor for 809 selected Fermi/LAT-detected gamma-ray blazars by adopting the available gamma-ray and X-ray data. Our sample included 342 fl…
In this work we present a polarization analysis at radio frequencies of Markarian 421, one of the closest (z=0.03) TeV blazars. The observations were obtained, both in total and in polarized intensity, with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 15, 24, and 43 GHz throughout 2011, with one observation per month (for a total of twelve epochs). We investigate the magnetic field topology and the polarization structure on parsec scale and their evolution with time. We detect polarized emission both in the core and in the jet region, and it varies with frequency, location and time. In the core regi…
We explore the connection between the $γ$-ray and radio emission in the jet of the blazar 0716$+$714 by using 15, 37, and 230 GHz radio and 0.1$-$200 GeV $γ$-ray light curves spanning 10.5 years (2008$-$2019). We find significant positive and negative correlations between radio and $γ$-ray fluxes in different time ranges. The time delays between radio and $γ$-ray emission suggest that the observed $γ$-ray flares originated from multiple regions upstream of the radio core, within a few parsecs from the central engine. Using time-resolved 43 GHz VLBA maps we identified 14 jet components moving d…
The $γ$-ray production mechanism and its localization in blazars are still a matter of debate. The main goal of this paper is to constrain the location of the high-energy emission in the blazar TXS 2013+370 and to study the physical and geometrical properties of the inner jet region on sub-pc scales. VLBI observations at 86 GHz and space-VLBI at 22 GHz allowed us to image the jet base with an angular resolution of $\sim$0.4 pc. By employing CLEAN imaging and Gaussian model-fitting, we performed a thorough kinematic analysis, which provided estimates of the jet speed, orientation, and component…
Multi-wavelength light curves of bright gamma-ray blazars (e.g., 3C 454.3) reveal strong correlations across wavebands, yet striking dissimilarities in the details. This conundrum can be explained if the variable flux and polarization result from both (1) modulation in the magnetic field and relativistic electron content imparted at the jet input and (2) turbulence in the flow. In the Turbulent Extreme Multi-Zone (TEMZ) model being developed by the author, much of the optical and high-energy radiation in a blazar is emitted near the 43 GHz core of the jet as seen in VLBA images, parsecs from t…
