Theoretical studies of compact radio sources. II. Inverse-Compton radiation from anisotropic photon and electron distributions: General results and spectra from relativistic flows

Journal Article · Sat May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/159882· OSTI ID:5023638

Reynolds, S P

A general expression is derived for the inverse Compton emissivity due to arbitrary distributions of photons and electrons. This expression is used to treat the anisotropies characteristics of synchrotron self-Compton radiation in relativistic flows. Detailed numerical calculations have been performed, producing self-consistent inverse Compton spectra from relativistic winds, including the effects of cutoffs in the electron distribution. The overall levels of X-ray emission are considerably depressed compared to static models for the same radio spectrum, with the depression roughly proportional to ..gamma../sub 0/, the initial bulk Lorentz factor of the flow. Analytic expressions are derived for the inverse Compton spectra of relativistic winds, and jets inclined at angles greater than 1/..gamma../sub 0/. Though spectral features are quite broad, they are potentially observable; expressions are given for the frequencies of spectral maximum and upper cutoff, and where the extension of the synchrotron spectrum meets the inverse Compton spectrum. These results are applied to compact radio and X-ray sources in the nuclei of M81, M87, and M104; jet models are fairly well constrained while wind models produce far too little X-radiation, and can probably be ruled out.

• Research Organization: Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia
• OSTI ID: 5023638
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Vol. 256:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
SYNCHROTRON RADIATION
COSMIC X-RAY SOURCES
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
COMPTON EFFECT
ELECTRONS
EMISSIVITY
GALAXY NUCLEI
JETS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PHOTONS
SPECTRA
STELLAR WINDS
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BREMSSTRAHLUNG
COSMIC RAY SOURCES
ELASTIC SCATTERING
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
INTERACTIONS
LEPTONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATIONS
SCATTERING
SURFACE PROPERTIES
640103* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Quasi-Stellar
Radio
& X-Ray Sources- (-1987)