Probing the parsec-scale accretion flow of 3C 84 with millimeter wavelength polarimetry
- Radio Astronomy Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)
- Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA), 645 N. Aohoku Pl., Hilo, HI 96720 (United States)
- Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)
- Institute for Astrophysical Research, Boston University, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 (United States)
- MIT Haystack Observatory, Route 40, Westford, MA 01886 (United States)
We report the discovery of Faraday rotation toward radio source 3C 84, the active galactic nucleus in NGC 1275 at the core of the Perseus Cluster. The rotation measure (RM), determined from polarization observations at wavelengths of 1.3 and 0.9 mm, is (8.7 ± 2.3)× 10{sup 5} rad m{sup –2}, among the largest ever measured. The RM remained relatively constant over a 2 yr period even as the intrinsic polarization position angle wrapped through a span of 300°. The Faraday rotation is likely to originate either in the boundary layer of the radio jet from the nucleus or in the accretion flow onto the central black hole. The accretion flow probably is disk-like rather than spherical on scales of less than a parsec, otherwise the RM would be even larger.
- OSTI ID:
- 22370069
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 797, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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