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Register a new userReversals in the Direction of Polarization Rotation in OJ 287
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Authors
M.H. Cohen
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We have obtained a smooth time series for the Electric Vector Position Angle (EVPA) of the blazar OJ 287 at centimeter wavelengths, by making $pm npi$ adjustments to archival values from 1974 to 2016. The data display rotation reversals in which the EVPA rotates counter-clockwise (CCW) for 180 deg and then rotates clockwise (CW) by a similar amount. The time scale of the rotations is a few weeks to a year, and the scale for a double rotation, including the reversal, is one to three years. We have seen four of these events in 40 years. A model consisting of two successive outbursts in polarized flux density, with EVPAs counter-rotating, superposed on a steady polarized jet, can explain many of the details of the observations. Polarization images support this interpretation. The model can also help to explain similar events seen at optical wavelengths. The outbursts needed for the model can be generated by the super-magnetosonic jet model of Nakamura et al. (2010) and Nakamura and Meier (2014), which requires a strong helical magnetic field. This model produces forward and reverse pairs of fast and slow MHD waves, and the plasma inside the two fast/slow pairs rotates around the jet axis, but in opposite directions.
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The gamma-ray blazar OJ 287 was in a high activity state during December 2015 - February 2016. Coinciding with this high brightness state, we observed this source for photometry on 40 nights in R-band and for polarimetry on 9 epochs in UBVRI bands. During the period of our observations, the source brightness varied between $13.20 pm 0.04$ to $14.98 pm 0.04$ mag and the degree of polarization (P ) fluctuated between $6.0 pm 0.3$% and $28.3 pm 0.8$% in R-band. Focusing on intra-night optical variability (INOV), we find a duty cycle of about 71% using $chi^2$-statistics, similar to that known for blazars. From INOV data, the shortest variability time scale is estimated to be $142 pm 38$ min yielding a lower limit of the observed Doppler factor $delta_0 = 1.17$, the magnetic field strength $B le 3.8$ G and the size of the emitting region Rs < $2.28 times 10^{14}$ cm. On inter-night timescales, a significant anti-correlation between R-band flux and P is found. The observed P at U-band is generally larger than that observed at longer wavelength bands suggesting a wavelength dependent polarization. Using V -band photometric and polarimetric data from Steward Observatory obtained during our monitoring period we find a varied correlation between P and V-band brightness. While an anticorrelation is seen between P and V -band mag at sometimes, no correlation is seen at other times, thereby, suggesting the presence of more than one short-lived shock components in the jet of OJ 287.
We present the results of simultaneous multi-frequency imaging observations at 22, 43, 86, and 129,GHz of OJ,287. We used the Korean VLBI Network as part of the Interferometric MOnitoring of GAmma-ray Bright active galactic nuclei (iMOGABA). The iMOGABA observations were performed during 31 epochs from 2013 January 16 to 2016 December 28. We also used 15,GHz OVRO and 225,GHz SMA flux density data. We analyzed four flux enhancements in the light curves. The estimated time scales of three flux enhancements were similar with time scales of $sim$50 days at two frequencies. A fourth flux enhancement had a variability timescale approximately twice as long. We found that 225,GHz enhancements led the 15,GHz enhancements by a range of 7 to 30 days in the time delay analysis. We found the fractional variability did not change with frequency between 43 and 86,GHz. We could reliably measure the turnover frequency, $ u_{rm c}$, of the core of the source in three epochs. This was measured to be in a range from 27 to 50,GHz and a flux density at the turnover frequency, $S_{rm m}$, ranging from 3-6,Jy. The derived SSA magnetic fields, $B_{rm SSA}$, are in a range from $0.157pm0.104$ to $0.255pm0.146$ mG. We estimated the equipartition magnetic field strengths to be in a range from $0.95pm0.15$ to $1.93pm0.30$ mG. The equipartition magnetic field strengths are up to a factor of 10 higher than the values of $B_{rm SSA}$. We conclude that the downstream jet may be more particle energy dominated.
We have studied three most recent precursor flares in the light curve of the blazar OJ 287 while invoking the presence of a precessing binary black hole in the system to explain the nature of these flares. Precursor flare timings from the historical light curves are compared with theoretical predictions from our model that incorporate effects of an accretion disk and post-Newtonian description for the binary black hole orbit. We find that the precursor flares coincide with the secondary black hole descending towards the accretion disk of the primary black hole from the observed side, with a mean z-component of approximately z_c = 4000 AU. We use this model of precursor flares to predict that precursor flare of similar nature should happen around 2020.96 before the next major outburst in 2022.
The bright blazar OJ 287 is the best-known candidate for hosting a nanohertz gravitational wave (GW) emitting supermassive binary black hole (SMBBH) in the present observable universe. The binary black hole (BBH) central engine model, proposed by Lehto and Valtonen in 1996, was influenced by the two distinct periodicities inferred from the optical light curve of OJ 287. The current improved model employs an accurate general relativistic description to track the trajectory of the secondary black hole (BH) which is crucial to predict the inherent impact flares of OJ 287. The successful observations of three predicted impact flares open up the possibility of using this BBH system to test general relativity in a hitherto unexplored strong field regime. Additionally, we briefly describe an on-going effort to interpret observations of OJ 287 in a Bayesian framework.
Suzaku observations of the blazar OJ 287 were performed in 2007 April 10--13 and November 7--9. They correspond to a quiescent and a flaring state, respectively. The X-ray spectra can be well described with single power-law models in both exposures. The derived X-ray photon index and the flux density at 1 keV were found to be Gamma = 1.65 +- 0.02 and S_{1 keV} = 215 +- 5 nJy, in the quiescent state. In the flaring state, the source exhibited a harder X-ray spectrum (Gamma = 1.50 +- 0.01) with a nearly doubled X-ray flux density S_{1 keV} = 404^{+6}_{-5} nJy. Moreover, significant hard X-ray signals were detected up to ~ 27 keV. In cooperation with the Suzaku, simultaneous radio, optical, and very-high-energy gamma-ray observations were performed with the Nobeyama Millimeter Array, the KANATA telescope, and the MAGIC telescope, respectively. The radio and optical fluxes in the flaring state (3.04 +- 0.46 Jy and 8.93 +- 0.05 mJy at 86.75 Hz and in the V-band, respectively) were found to be higher by a factor of 2--3 than those in the quiescent state (1.73 +- 0.26 Jy and 3.03 +- 0.01 mJy at 86.75 Hz and in the V-band, respectively). No notable gamma-ray events were detected in either observation. The spectral energy distribution indicated that the X-ray spectrum was dominated by inverse Compton radiation in both observations, while synchrotron radiation exhibited a spectral cutoff around the optical frequency. Furthermore, no significant difference in the synchrotron cutoff frequency was found between the quiescent and flaring states. According to a simple synchrotron self-Compton model, the change of the spectral energy distribution is due to an increase in the energy density of electrons with small changes of both the magnetic field strength and the maximum Lorentz factor of electrons.
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