PROBING THE INNER JET OF THE QUASAR PKS 1510-089 WITH MULTI-WAVEBAND MONITORING DURING STRONG GAMMA-RAY ACTIVITY
- Institute for Astrophysical Research, Boston University, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 (United States)
- Astronomical Institute, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskij Pr. 28, Petrodvorets, 198504 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation)
- Astronomy Department, University of Michigan, 830 Dennison, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042 (United States)
- Metsaehovi Radio Observatory, Helsinki University of Technology TKK, Metsaehovintie 114, FIN-02540 Kylmaelae (Finland)
- Instituto de AstrofIsica de AndalucIa, CSIC, Apartado 3004, 18080, Granada (Spain)
- Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0065 (United States)
- Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
We present results from monitoring the multi-waveband flux, linear polarization, and parsec-scale structure of the quasar PKS 1510 - 089, concentrating on eight major {gamma}-ray flares that occurred during the interval 2009.0-2009.5. The {gamma}-ray peaks were essentially simultaneous with maxima at optical wavelengths, although the flux ratio of the two wave bands varied by an order of magnitude. The optical polarization vector rotated by 720 deg. during a five-day period encompassing six of these flares. This culminated in a very bright, {approx}1 day, optical and {gamma}-ray flare as a bright knot of emission passed through the highest-intensity, stationary feature (the 'core') seen in 43 GHz Very Long Baseline Array images. The knot continued to propagate down the jet at an apparent speed of 22c and emit strongly at {gamma}-ray energies as a months-long X-ray/radio outburst intensified. We interpret these events as the result of the knot following a spiral path through a mainly toroidal magnetic field pattern in the acceleration and collimation zone of the jet, after which it passes through a standing shock in the 43 GHz core and then continues downstream. In this picture, the rapid {gamma}-ray flares result from scattering of infrared seed photons from a relatively slow sheath of the jet as well as from optical synchrotron radiation in the faster spine. The 2006-2009.7 radio and X-ray flux variations are correlated at very high significance; we conclude that the X-rays are mainly from inverse Compton scattering of infrared seed photons by 20-40 MeV electrons.
- OSTI ID:
- 21301282
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 710, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/710/2/L126; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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