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Register a new userKinematics of the jet in M87 on scales of 100 -- 1000 Schwarzschild radii
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Very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) imaging of radio emission from extragalactic jets provides a unique probe of physical mechanisms governing the launching, acceleration, and collimation of relativistic outflows. The two-dimensional structure and kinematics of the jet in M,87 (NGC,4486) have been studied by applying the Wavelet-based Image Segmentation and Evaluation (WISE) method to 11 images obtained from multi-epoch Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations made in January-August 2007 at 43 GHz ($lambda = 7$ mm). The WISE analysis recovers a detailed two-dimensional velocity field in the jet in M,87 at sub-parsec scales. The observed evolution of the flow velocity with distance from the jet base can be explained in the framework of MHD jet acceleration and Poynting flux conversion. A linear acceleration regime is observed up to $z_{obs} sim 2$,mas. The acceleration is reduced at larger scales, which is consistent with saturation of Poynting flux conversion. Stacked cross correlation analysis of the images reveals a pronounced stratification of the flow. The flow consists of a slow, mildly relativistic layer (moving at $beta sim 0.5,c$), associated either with instability pattern speed or an outer wind, and a fast, accelerating stream line (with $beta sim 0.92$, corresponding to a bulk Lorentz factor $gamma sim 2.5$). A systematic difference of the apparent speeds in the northern and southern limbs of the jet is detected, providing evidence for jet rotation. The angular velocity of the magnetic field line associated with this rotation suggests that the jet in M87 is launched in the inner part of the disk, at a distance $r_0 sim 5, R_mathrm{s}$ from the central engine. The combined results of the analysis imply that MHD acceleration and conversion of Poynting flux to kinetic energy play the dominant roles in collimation and acceleration of the flow in M,87.
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We explore energy densities of magnetic field and relativistic electrons in the M87 jet. Since the radio core at the jet base is identical to the optically thick surface against synchrotron self absorption (SSA), the observing frequency is identical to the SSA turnover frequency. As a first step, we assume the radio core as a simple uniform sphere geometry. Using the observed angular size of the radio core measured by the Very Long Baseline Array at 43 GHz, we estimate the energy densities of magnetic field ($U_{B}$) and relativistic electrons ($U_{e}$) based on the standard SSA formula. Imposing the condition that the Poynting power and relativistic electron one should be smaller than the total power of the jet, we find that (i) the allowed range of the magnetic field strength ($B_{tot}$) is from 1 G to 15 G, and that (ii) $1 times 10^{-5} < U_{e}/U_{B} < 6 times 10^{2}$ holds. The uncertainty of $U_{e}/U_{B}$ comes from the strong dependence on the angular size of the radio core and the minimum Lorentz factor of non-thermal electrons ($gamma_{e,min}$) in the core. It is still open that the resultant energetics is consistent with either the magnetohydrodynamic jet or with kinetic power dominated jet even on ~10 Schwarzschild radii scale.
M87 is one of the nearest radio galaxies with a prominent jet extending from sub-pc to kpc-scales. Because of its proximity and large mass of the central black hole, it is one of the best radio sources to study jet formation. We aim at studying the physical conditions near the jet base at projected separations from the BH of $sim7-100$ Schwarzschild radii ($R_{rm sch}$). Global mm-VLBI Array (GMVA) observations at 86 GHz ($lambda=3.5,$mm) provide an angular resolution of $sim50mu$as, which corresponds to a spatial resolution of only $7~R_{rm sch}$ and reach the small spatial scale. We use five GMVA data sets of M87 obtained during 2004--2015 and present new high angular resolution VLBI maps at 86GHz. In particular, we focus on the analysis of the brightness temperature, the jet ridge lines, and the jet to counter-jet ratio. The imaging reveals a parabolically expanding limb-brightened jet which emanates from a resolved VLBI core of $sim(8-13) R_{rm sch}$ size. The observed brightness temperature of the core at any epoch is $sim(1-3)times10^{10},$K, which is below the equipartition brightness temperature and suggests magnetic energy dominance at the jet base. We estimate the diameter of the jet at its base to be $sim5 R_{rm sch}$ assuming a self-similar jet structure. This suggests that the sheath of the jet may be anchored in the very inner portion of the accretion disk. The image stacking reveals faint emission at the center of the edge-brightened jet on sub-pc scales. We discuss its physical implication within the context of the spine-sheath structure of the jet.
We study the kinematics of the M87 jet using the first year data of the KVN and VERA Array (KaVA) large program, which has densely monitored the jet at 22 and 43 GHz since 2016. We find that the apparent jet speeds generally increase from $approx0.3c$ at $approx0.5$ mas from the jet base to $approx2.7c$ at $approx20$ mas, indicating that the jet is accelerated from subluminal to superluminal speeds on these scales. We perform a complementary jet kinematic analysis by using archival Very Long Baseline Array monitoring data observed in $2005-2009$ at 1.7 GHz and find that the jet is moving at relativistic speeds up to $approx5.8c$ at distances of $200-410$ mas. We combine the two kinematic results and find that the jet is gradually accelerated over a broad distance range that coincides with the jet collimation zone, implying that conversion of Poynting flux to kinetic energy flux takes place. If the jet emission consists of a single streamline, the observed trend of jet acceleration ($Gammapropto z^{0.16pm0.01}$) is relatively slow compared to models of a highly magnetized jet. This indicates that Poynting flux conversion through the differential collimation of poloidal magnetic fields may be less efficient than expected. However, we find a non-negligible dispersion in the observed speeds for a given jet distance, making it difficult to describe the jet velocity field with a single power-law acceleration function. We discuss the possibility that the jet emission consists of multiple streamlines following different acceleration profiles, resulting in jet velocity stratification.
New high-resolution Very Long Baseline Interferometer observations of the prominent jet in the M87 radio galaxy show a persistent triple-ridge structure of the transverse 15-GHz profile with a previously unobserved ultra-narrow central ridge. This radio structure can reflect the intrinsic structure of the jet, so that the jet as a whole consists of two embedded coaxial jets. A relativistic magnetohydrodynamic model is considered in which an inner jet is placed inside a hollow outer jet and the electromagnetic fields, pressures and other physical quantities are found. The entire jet is connected to the central engine that plays the role of a unipolar inductor generating voltage between the jets and providing opposite electric currents, and the charge neutrality and current closure together with the electromagnetic fields between the jets can contribute to the jet stabilization. The constant voltage is responsible for the similar widening laws observed for the inner and outer jets. This jet-in-jet structure can indicate simultaneous operation of two different jet-launching mechanisms, one relating to the central supermassive black hole and the other to the surrounding accretion disc. An inferred magnetic field of 80 G at the base is sufficient to provide the observed jet luminosity.
We report the initial results of our high-cadence monitoring program on the radio jet in the active galaxy M87, obtained by the KVN and VERA Array (KaVA) at 22 GHz. This is a pilot study that preceded a larger KaVA-M87 monitoring program, which is currently ongoing. The pilot monitoring was mostly performed every two to three weeks from December 2013 to June 2014, at a recording rate of 1 Gbps, obtaining the data for a total of 10 epochs. We successfully obtained a sequence of good quality radio maps that revealed the rich structure of this jet from <~1 mas to 20 mas, corresponding to physical scales (projected) of ~0.1-2 pc (or ~140-2800 Schwarzschild radii). We detected superluminal motions at these scales, together with a trend of gradual acceleration. The first evidence for such fast motions and acceleration near the jet base were obtained from recent VLBA studies at 43 GHz, and the fact that very similar kinematics are seen at a different frequency and time with a different instrument suggests these properties are fundamental characteristics of this jet. This pilot program demonstrates that KaVA is a powerful VLBI array for studying the detailed structural evolution of the M87 jet and also other relativistic jets.
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