- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/152/12
- Title:
- MOJAVE. XIII. New 15GHz observations on 1994-2013
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/152/12
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present 1625 new 15GHz (2cm) VLBA images of 295 jets associated with active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from the MOJAVE and 2cm VLBA surveys, spanning observations between 1994 August 31 and 2013 August 20. For 274 AGNs with at least 5 VLBA epochs, we have analyzed the kinematics of 961 individual bright features in their parsec-scale jets. A total of 122 of these jets have not been previously analyzed by the MOJAVE program. In the case of 451 jet features that had at least 10 epochs, we also examined their kinematics for possible accelerations. At least half of the well-sampled features have non-radial and/or accelerating trajectories, indicating that non-ballistic motion is common in AGN jets. Since it is impossible to extrapolate any accelerations that occurred before our monitoring period, we could only determine reliable ejection dates for ~24% of those features that had significant proper motions. The distribution of maximum apparent jet speeds in all 295 AGNs measured by our program to date is peaked below 5c , with very few jets with apparent speeds above 30c . The fastest speed in our survey is ~50c , measured in the jet of the quasar PKS0805-07, and is indicative of a maximum jet Lorentz factor of ~50 in the parent population. An envelope in the maximum jet speed versus redshift distribution of our sample provides additional evidence of this upper limit to the speeds of radio-emitting regions in parsec-scale AGN jets. The Fermi-LAT-detected gamma-ray AGNs in our sample have, on average, higher jet speeds than non-LAT-detected AGNs, indicating a strong correlation between parsec-scale jet speed and the gamma-ray Doppler boosting factor. We have identified 11 moderate-redshift (z<0.35) AGNs with fast apparent speeds (>10c) that are strong candidates for future TeV gamma-ray detection. Of the five gamma-ray loud narrow-lined Seyfert I AGNs in our sample, three show highly superluminal jet motions, while the others have sub-luminal speeds. This indicates that some narrow-lined Seyfert I AGNs possess powerful jets with Lorentz factors in excess of 10, and viewing angles less than 10{deg}, consistent with those of typical BL Lac objects and flat-spectrum radio quasars.
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- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/147/143
- Title:
- MOJAVE. XI. Spectral distributions
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/147/143
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- 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 15.4GHz, and we have determined spectral index maps between 8.1 and 15.4GHz 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.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/146/120
- Title:
- MOJAVE. X. Parsec-scale kinematics of AGNs
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/146/120
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We describe the parsec-scale kinematics of 200 active galactic nucleus (AGN) jets based on 15GHz Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) data obtained between 1994 August 31 and 2011 May 1. We present new VLBA 15 GHz images of these and 59 additional AGNs from the MOJAVE and 2cm Survey programs. Nearly all of the 60 most heavily observed jets show significant changes in their innermost position angle over a 12-16yr interval, ranging from 10{deg} to 150{deg} on the sky, corresponding to intrinsic variations of ~0.5{deg} to ~2{deg}. The BL Lac jets show smaller variations than quasars. Roughly half of the heavily observed jets show systematic position angle trends with time, and 20 show indications of oscillatory behavior. The time spans of the data sets are too short compared to the fitted periods (5-12yr), however, to reliably establish periodicity. The rapid changes and large jumps in position angle seen in many cases suggest that the superluminal AGN jet features occupy only a portion of the entire jet cross section and may be energized portions of thin instability structures within the jet. We have derived vector proper motions for 887 moving features in 200 jets having at least five VLBA epochs. For 557 well-sampled features, there are sufficient data to additionally study possible accelerations. We find that the moving features are generally non-ballistic, with 70% of the well-sampled features showing either significant accelerations or non-radial motions. Inward motions are rare (2% of all features), are slow (<0.1mas/yr), are more prevalent in BL Lac jets, and are typically found within 1mas of the unresolved core feature. There is a general trend of increasing apparent speed with distance down the jet for both radio galaxies and BL Lac objects. In most jets, the speeds of the features cluster around a characteristic value, yet there is a considerable dispersion in the distribution. Orientation variations within the jet cannot fully account for the dispersion, implying that the features have a range of Lorentz factor and/or pattern speed. Very slow pattern speed features are rare, comprising only 4% of the sample, and are more prevalent in radio galaxy and BL Lac jets. We confirm a previously reported upper envelope to the distribution of speed versus beamed luminosity for moving jet features. Below 10^26^W/Hz there is a fall-off in maximum speed with decreasing 15GHz radio luminosity. The general shape of the envelope implies that the most intrinsically powerful AGN jets have a wide range of Lorentz factors up to ~40, while intrinsically weak jets are only mildly relativistic.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/874/43
- Title:
- MOJAVE. XVII. Parsec-scale jet kinematics of AGNs
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/874/43
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present results from a parsec-scale jet kinematics study of 409 bright radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs) based on 15GHz Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) data obtained between 1994 August 31 and 2016 December 26 as part of the 2cm VLBA survey and Monitoring Of Jets in Active galactic nuclei with VLBA Experiments (MOJAVE) programs. We tracked 1744 individual bright features in 382 jets over at least 5 epochs. A majority (59%) of the best-sampled jet features showed evidence of accelerated motion at the >3{sigma} level. Although most features within a jet typically have speeds within ~40% of a characteristic median value, we identified 55 features in 42 jets that had unusually slow pattern speeds, nearly all of which lie within 4pc (100pc deprojected) of the core feature. Our results, combined with other speeds from the literature, indicate a strong correlation between apparent jet speed and synchrotron peak frequency, with the highest jet speeds being found only in low-peaked AGNs. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we find best-fit parent population parameters for a complete sample of 174 quasars above 1.5Jy at 15GHz. Acceptable fits are found with a jet population that has a simple unbeamed power-law luminosity function incorporating pure luminosity evolution and a power-law Lorentz factor distribution ranging from 1.25 to 50 with slope -1.4+/-0.2. The parent jets of the brightest radio quasars have a space density of 261+/-19Gpc^-3^ and unbeamed 15GHz luminosities above ~10^24.5^W/Hz, consistent with FRII class radio galaxies.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/574/A108
- Title:
- Molecular absorption lines in PKS 1830-211
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/574/A108
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Based on measurements with the Effelsberg 100-m telescope, a multiline study of molecular species is presented toward the southwestern source of the gravitational lens system PKS 1830-211, which is by far the best known target for studying molecular gas in absorption at intermediate redshift. Determining line parameters and optical depths and performing large velocity gradient radiative transfer calculations, the aims of this study are (1) to evaluate physical parameters of the absorbing foreground gas at z~0.89, in particular its homogeneity, and (2) to monitor the spectroscopic time variability caused by fluctuations in the z~2.5 background continuum source.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/873/117
- Title:
- Monitoring of the double quasar SDSS J1442+4055
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/873/117
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present r-band photometric monitoring of the two images, A and B, of the gravitationally lensed quasar SDSS J1442+4055 using the Liverpool Telescope (LT). From the LT light curves between 2015 December and 2018 August, we derive at once a time delay of 25.0+/-1.5d (1{sigma} confidence interval; A is leading) and microlensing magnification gradients below 10^-4^mag/d. The delay interval is not expected to be affected by an appreciable microlensing-induced bias, so it can be used to estimate cosmological parameters. This paper also focuses on new Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) and LT spectroscopic observations of the lens system. We determine the redshift of two bright galaxies around the doubly imaged quasar using LT spectroscopy, while GTC data lead to low-noise individual spectra of A, B, and the main lensing galaxy, G1. The G1 spectral shape is accurately matched to an early-type galaxy template at z=0.284, and it has potential for further relevant studies. Additionally, the quasar spectra show absorption by metal-rich gas at z~2. This dusty absorber is responsible for an extinction bump at a rest-frame wavelength of 2209+/-2{AA}, which has strengths of ~0.47 and 0.76mag/{mu}m for A and B, respectively. In such an intervening system, the dust-to-gas ratio, gas-phase metallicity indicator [Zn/H], and dust depletion level [Fe/Zn] are relatively high.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/111/645
- Title:
- Morphology of Quasars
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/111/645
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The optical morphology of bright extragalactic objects listed by Green et al. (1986ApJS...61..305G) is determined on Palomar Observatory Sky Survey prints. Morphological types are assigned according to whether objects appear resolved or unresolved. These are plotted in the Hubble Diagram. When combined with previous results from the Medium-Bright Quasar Survey (MBQS), objects of redshift z are found to be unresolved on 1.2m Schmidt telescopes at apparent magnitudes brighter than B=21-3/4z over a large magnitude range 12.5<B<18.5. A luminosity cutoff for unresolved objects in this range is found to be M_B=-24, (H0=50), in agreement with an earlier estimate. Relevance to the search for large, bright, host galaxies, and for "naked quasar" candidates, is noted.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/775/92
- Title:
- MQS III: AGNs behind LMC and SMC
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/775/92
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The Magellanic Quasars Survey (MQS) has now increased the number of quasars known behind the Magellanic Clouds by almost an order of magnitude. All survey fields in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and 70% of those in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) have been observed. The targets were selected from the third phase of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE-III) based on their optical variability, mid-IR, and/or X-ray properties. We spectroscopically confirmed 758 quasars (565 in the LMC and 193 in the SMC) behind the clouds, of which 94% (527 in the LMC and 186 in the SMC) are newly identified. The MQS quasars have long-term (12yr and growing for OGLE), high-cadence light curves, enabling unprecedented variability studies of quasars. The MQS quasars also provide a dense reference grid for measuring both the internal and bulk proper motions of the clouds, and 50 quasars are bright enough (I<~18mag) for absorption studies of the interstellar/intergalactic medium of the clouds.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/495/691
- Title:
- Multifrequency catalogue of blazars, Roma-BZCAT
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/495/691
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a new catalogue of blazars based on multifrequency surveys and on an extensive review of the literature. Blazars are classified as BL Lacertae objects, as flat spectrum radio quasars or as blazars of uncertain/transitional type. Each object is identified by a root name, coded as BZB, BZQ and BZU for these three subclasses respectively, and by its coordinates. This catalogue is being built as a tool useful for the identification of the extragalactic sources that will be detected by present and future experiments for X and gamma-ray astronomy, like Swift, AGILE, Fermi-GLAST and Simbol-X. An electronic version is available from the ASI Science Data Center web site at http://www.asdc.asi.it/bzcat.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/PASJ/60/161
- Title:
- Multi-wave band emission from blazars
- Short Name:
- J/PASJ/60/161
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We studied the correlations of the flux of the broad-line emission (FBLR) with the X-ray emission flux, optical emission flux at 5500{AA} and radio emission flux at 5GHz, respectively, for a large sample of 50 blazars (39 flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and 11 BL Lac objects).