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Register a new userAbsolute kinematics of radio-source components in the complete S5 polar cap sample. IV. Proper motions of the radio cores over a decade and spectral properties
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Iv\\'an Mart\\'i-Vidal Dr.
Publication date
2016
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
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We have carried out a high-precision astrometric analysis of two very-long-baseline-interferometry (VLBI) epochs of observation of the 13 extragalactic radio sources in the complete S5 polar cap sample. The VLBI epochs span a time baseline of 10 years and enable us to achieve precisions in the proper motions of the source cores up to a few micro-arcseconds per year. The observations were performed at 14.4 GHz and 43.1 GHz, and enable us to estimate the frequency core-shifts in a subset of sources, for which the spectral-index distributions can be computed. We study the source-position stability by analysing the changes in the relative positions of fiducial source points (the jet cores) over a decade. We find motions of 0.1-0.9 mas among close-by sources between the two epochs, which imply drifts in the jet cores of approximately a few tens of micro-as per year. These results have implications for the standard Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) jet model (where the core locations are supposed to be stable in time). For one of our sources, 0615+820, the morphological and spectral properties in year 2010, as well as the relative astrometry between years 2000 and 2010, suggest the possibility of either a strong parsec-scale interaction of the AGN jet with the ISM, a gravitational lens with ~1 mas diameter, or a resolved massive binary black hole.
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We observed with the VLBA at 2.3 and 8.6 GHz a complete flux-density limited sample of 482 radio sources with declination >+75 degrees brighter than 200 mJy at 1.4 GHz drawn from the NVSS catalog. 34% of the sources show parsec-scale emission above the flux density detection limit of 30 mJy; their accurate positions and parsec-scale structure parameters are determined. Among all the sources detected at least at the shortest VLBA baselines, the majority, or 72%, has a steep single-dish spectrum. The fraction of the sources with a detectable parsec-scale structure is above 95% among the flat-spectrum and close to 25% among the steep-spectrum objects. We identified 82 compact steep-spectrum source candidates, which make up 17% of the sample; most of them are reported for the first time. The compactness and the brightness temperature of the sources in our sample show a positive correlation with single-dish and VLBA spectral indices. All the sources with a significant 8 GHz variability were detected by the VLBA snapshot observations, which independently confirmed their compactness. We demonstrated that 54% of the sources detected by the VLBA at 2.3 GHz in our sample have a steep VLBA spectrum. The compact radio emission of these sources is likely dominated by optically thin jets or mini-lobes, not by an opaque jet core. These results show that future VLBI surveys aimed to search for new sources with parsec-scale structure should include not only flat-spectrum sources, but also steep-spectrum ones in order to reach an acceptable level of completeness.
Arches and Quintuplet are two young, massive clusters projected near the Galactic Center. To date, studies focused on understanding their origin have been based on proper motions (PMs) derived in the clusters reference frames and required some assumptions about their 3D motion. In this paper, we combine public PM catalogs of these clusters with the Gaia DR2 catalog and, for the first time, transform the relative PMs of the Arches and Quintuplet clusters onto an absolute reference system. We find that the absolute PM of the Arches is $(mu_alpha cosdelta,mu_delta)$ $=$ $(-1.45 pm 0.23,-2.68 pm 0.14)$ mas yr$^{-1}$, and that of the Quintuplet is $(mu_alpha cosdelta,mu_delta)$ $=$ $(-1.19 pm 0.09,-2.66 pm 0.18)$ mas yr$^{-1}$. These values suggest that these systems are moving almost parallel to the Galactic plane. A measurement of the clusters distances is still required to meaningfully constrain the clusters orbits and shed light on the origin of the Arches and Quintuplet.
We present high sensitivity ($sigma_P simeq 0.6,$mJy) polarimetric observations in seven bands, from $2.1$ to $38,$GHz, of a complete sample of $104$ compact extragalactic radio sources brighter than $200,$mJy at $20,$GHz. Polarization measurements in six bands, in the range $5.5-38,$GHz, for $53$ of these objects were reported by citet{Galluzzi2017}. We have added new measurements in the same six bands for another 51 sources and measurements at $2.1,$GHz for the full sample of $104$ sources. Also, the previous measurements at $18$, $24$, $33$ and $38,$GHz were re-calibrated using the updated model for the flux density absolute calibrator, PKS1934-638, not available for the earlier analysis. The observations, carried out with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), achieved a $90%$ detection rate (at $5sigma$) in polarization. $89$ of our sources have a counterpart in the $72$ to $231,$MHz GLEAM survey citep{HurleyWalker2017}, providing an unparalleled spectral coverage of $2.7$ decades of frequency for these sources. While the total intensity data from $5.5$ to $38,$GHz could be interpreted in terms of single component emission, a joint analysis of more extended total intensity spectra presented here, and of the polarization spectra, reveals that over $90%$ of our sources show clear indications of at least two emission components. We interpret this as an evidence of recurrent activity. Our high sensitivity polarimetry has allowed a $5,sigma$ detection of the weak circular polarization for $sim 38%$ of the dataset, and a deeper estimate of $20,$GHz polarization source counts than has been possible so far.
The infrared source known as Orion n was detected in 1980 with observations made with the 3.8-m United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. About two decades later, sensitive observations made with the Very Large Array revealed the presence of a mJy double radio source apparently coincident in position with the infrared source n. The radio source was assumed to be the counterpart of the infrared source. However, over the years it has been concluded that the radio source shows large proper motions to the south while the infrared source n is stationary. Here we reanalyze the proper motions of the radio source adding both older and newer VLA observations than previously used. We confirm the proper motions of the radio source that at present no longer coincides positionally with the infrared source. The solution to this problem is, most probably, that the infrared source n and the radio source are not the same object: the infrared source is a stationary object in the region while the radio counterpart is moving as a result of the explosion that took place in this region some 500 years ago and that expelled large amounts of molecular gas as well as several compact sources. Considering the paper where it was first reported, we refer to this double radio source as Orion MR. In addition, we use these new observations to fully confirm the large proper motions of the sources IRc23 and Zapata 11. Together with sources BN, I, Orion MR, and x, there are at least six compact sources that recede from a point in common in Orion BN/KL. However, IRc23 is peculiar in that its ejection age appears to be only $sim$300 years. The relatively large number of sources rules out as a possible mechanism the classic three-body scenario since then only two escaping bodies are expected: a tight binary plus the third star involved in the encounter.
We have observed a new, complete, cooling-core sample with the VLA, in order to understand how the massive black hole in the central galaxy interacts with the local cluster plasma. We find that every cooling core is currently being energized by an active radio jet, which has probably been destabilized by its interaction with the cooling core. We argue that current models of cooling-core radio galaxies need to be improved before they can be used to determine the rate at which the jet is heating the cooling core. We also argue that the extended radio haloes we see in many cooling-core clusters need extended, in situ re-energization, which cannot be supplied solely by the central galaxy.
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