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Title: MOJAVE: Monitoring of jets in active galactic nuclei with VLBA experiments. XI. Spectral distributions

Abstract

We have obtained milliarcsecond-scale spectral index distributions for a sample of 190 extragalactic radio jets through the Monitoring of Jets in Active Galactic Nuclei with the VLBA Experiments (MOJAVE) project. The sources were observed in 2006 at 8.1, 8.4, 12.1, and 15.4 GHz, and we have determined spectral index maps between 8.1 and 15.4 GHz to study the four-frequency spectrum in individual jet features. We have performed detailed simulations to study the effects of image alignment and (u, v)-plane coverage on the spectral index maps to verify our results. We use the spectral index maps to study the spectral index evolution along the jet and determine the spectral distributions in different locations of the jets. The core spectral indices are on average flat with a mean value of +0.22 ± 0.03 for the sample, while the jet spectrum is in general steep with a mean index of –1.04 ± 0.03. A simple power-law fit is often inadequate for the core regions, as expected if the cores are partially self-absorbed. The overall jet spectrum steepens at a rate of about –0.001 to –0.004 per deprojected parsec when moving further out from the core with flat spectrum radio quasars having significantly steepermore » spectra (mean –1.09 ± 0.04) than the BL Lac objects (mean –0.80 ± 0.05). However, the spectrum in both types of objects flattens on average by ∼0.2 at the locations of the jet components indicating particle acceleration or density enhancements along the jet. The mean spectral index at the component locations of –0.81 ± 0.02 corresponds to a power-law index of ∼2.6 for the electron energy distribution. We find a significant trend that jet components with linear polarization parallel to the jet (magnetic field perpendicular to the jet) have flatter spectra, as expected for transverse shocks. Compared to quasars, BL Lacs have more jet components with perpendicular magnetic field alignment, which may explain their generally flatter spectra. The overall steepening of the spectra with distance can be explained with radiative losses if the jets are collimating or with the evolution of the high-energy cutoff in the electron spectrum if the jets are conical. This interpretation is supported by a significant correlation with the age of the component and the spectral index, with older components having steeper spectra.« less

Authors:
 [1]; ;  [2]; ; ; ;  [3];  [4]
  1. Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
  2. Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 830 Dennison Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042 (United States)
  3. Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany)
  4. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22340231
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 147; Journal Issue: 6; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 1538-3881
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ACCELERATION; BL LACERTAE OBJECTS; CORRELATIONS; DATA; DENSITY; DISTRIBUTION; ELECTRON SPECTRA; ELECTRONS; ENERGY SPECTRA; GALAXIES; GALAXY NUCLEI; GHZ RANGE; LOSSES; MAGNETIC FIELDS; MAPS; POLARIZATION; QUASARS; SIMULATION

Citation Formats

Hovatta, Talvikki, Aller, Margo F., Aller, Hugh D., Clausen-Brown, Eric, Kovalev, Yuri Y., Pushkarev, Alexander B., Savolainen, Tuomas, Homan, Daniel C., and Lister, Matthew L., E-mail: thovatta@caltech.edu. MOJAVE: Monitoring of jets in active galactic nuclei with VLBA experiments. XI. Spectral distributions. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/147/6/143.
Hovatta, Talvikki, Aller, Margo F., Aller, Hugh D., Clausen-Brown, Eric, Kovalev, Yuri Y., Pushkarev, Alexander B., Savolainen, Tuomas, Homan, Daniel C., & Lister, Matthew L., E-mail: thovatta@caltech.edu. MOJAVE: Monitoring of jets in active galactic nuclei with VLBA experiments. XI. Spectral distributions. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/147/6/143
Hovatta, Talvikki, Aller, Margo F., Aller, Hugh D., Clausen-Brown, Eric, Kovalev, Yuri Y., Pushkarev, Alexander B., Savolainen, Tuomas, Homan, Daniel C., and Lister, Matthew L., E-mail: thovatta@caltech.edu. 2014. "MOJAVE: Monitoring of jets in active galactic nuclei with VLBA experiments. XI. Spectral distributions". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/147/6/143.
@article{osti_22340231,
title = {MOJAVE: Monitoring of jets in active galactic nuclei with VLBA experiments. XI. Spectral distributions},
author = {Hovatta, Talvikki and Aller, Margo F. and Aller, Hugh D. and Clausen-Brown, Eric and Kovalev, Yuri Y. and Pushkarev, Alexander B. and Savolainen, Tuomas and Homan, Daniel C. and Lister, Matthew L., E-mail: thovatta@caltech.edu},
abstractNote = {We have obtained milliarcsecond-scale spectral index distributions for a sample of 190 extragalactic radio jets through the Monitoring of Jets in Active Galactic Nuclei with the VLBA Experiments (MOJAVE) project. The sources were observed in 2006 at 8.1, 8.4, 12.1, and 15.4 GHz, and we have determined spectral index maps between 8.1 and 15.4 GHz to study the four-frequency spectrum in individual jet features. We have performed detailed simulations to study the effects of image alignment and (u, v)-plane coverage on the spectral index maps to verify our results. We use the spectral index maps to study the spectral index evolution along the jet and determine the spectral distributions in different locations of the jets. The core spectral indices are on average flat with a mean value of +0.22 ± 0.03 for the sample, while the jet spectrum is in general steep with a mean index of –1.04 ± 0.03. A simple power-law fit is often inadequate for the core regions, as expected if the cores are partially self-absorbed. The overall jet spectrum steepens at a rate of about –0.001 to –0.004 per deprojected parsec when moving further out from the core with flat spectrum radio quasars having significantly steeper spectra (mean –1.09 ± 0.04) than the BL Lac objects (mean –0.80 ± 0.05). However, the spectrum in both types of objects flattens on average by ∼0.2 at the locations of the jet components indicating particle acceleration or density enhancements along the jet. The mean spectral index at the component locations of –0.81 ± 0.02 corresponds to a power-law index of ∼2.6 for the electron energy distribution. We find a significant trend that jet components with linear polarization parallel to the jet (magnetic field perpendicular to the jet) have flatter spectra, as expected for transverse shocks. Compared to quasars, BL Lacs have more jet components with perpendicular magnetic field alignment, which may explain their generally flatter spectra. The overall steepening of the spectra with distance can be explained with radiative losses if the jets are collimating or with the evolution of the high-energy cutoff in the electron spectrum if the jets are conical. This interpretation is supported by a significant correlation with the age of the component and the spectral index, with older components having steeper spectra.},
doi = {10.1088/0004-6256/147/6/143},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22340231}, journal = {Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online)},
issn = {1538-3881},
number = 6,
volume = 147,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}