We present the analysis of the radio jet evolution of the radio galaxy 3C 120 during a period of prolonged gamma-ray activity detected by the Fermi satellite between December 2012 and October 2014. We find a clear connection between the gamma-ray and
radio emission, such that every period of gamma-ray activity is accompanied by the flaring of the mm-VLBI core and subsequent ejection of a new superluminal component. However, not all ejections of components are associated with gamma-ray events detectable by Fermi. Clear gamma-ray detections are obtained only when components are moving in a direction closer to our line of sight.This suggests that the observed gamma-ray emission depends not only on the interaction of moving components with the mm-VLBI core, but also on their orientation with respect to the observer. Timing of the gamma-ray detections and ejection of superluminal components locate the gamma-ray production to within almost 0.13 pc from the mm-VLBI core, which was previously estimated to lie about 0.24 pc from the central black hole. This corresponds to about twice the estimated extension of the broad line region, limiting the external photon field and therefore suggesting synchrotron self Compton as the most probable mechanism for the production of the gamma-ray emission. Alternatively, the interaction of components with the jet sheath can provide the necessary photon field to produced the observed gamma-rays by Compton scattering.
We have performed two-dimensional special-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of non-equilibrium over-pressured relativistic jets in cylindrical geometry. Multiple stationary recollimation shock and rarefaction structures are produced along
the jet by the nonlinear interaction of shocks and rarefaction waves excited at the interface between the jet and the surrounding ambient medium. Although initially the jet is kinematically dominated, we have considered axial, toroidal and helical magnetic fields to investigate the effects of different magnetic-field topologies and strengths on the recollimation structures. We find that an axial field introduces a larger effective gas-pressure and leads to stronger recollimation shocks and rarefactions, resulting in larger flow variations. The jet boost grows quadratically with the initial magnetic field. On the other hand, a toroidal field leads to weaker recollimation shocks and rarefactions, modifying significantly the jet structure after the first recollimation rarefaction and shock. The jet boost decreases systematically. For a helical field, instead, the behaviour depends on the magnetic pitch, with a phenomenology that ranges between the one seen for axial and toroidal magnetic fields, respectively. In general, however, a helical magnetic field yields a more complex shock and rarefaction substructure close to the inlet that significantly modifies the jet structure. The differences in shock structure resulting from different field configurations and strengths may have observable consequences for disturbances propagating through a stationary recollimation shock.
Polarization of radio emission in extragalactic jets at a sub-milliarcsecond angular resolution holds important clues for understanding the structure of the magnetic field in the inner regions of the jets and in close vicinity of the supermassive bla
ck holes in the centers of active galaxies. Space VLBI observations provide a unique tool for polarimetric imaging at a sub-milliarcsecond angular resolution and studying the properties of magnetic field in active galactic nuclei on scales of less than 10^4 gravitational radii. A space VLBI observation of high-redshift quasar TXS 0642+449 (OH 471), made at a wavelength of 18 cm (frequency of 1.6 GHz) as part of the Early Science Programme (ESP) of the RadioAstron} mission, is used here to test the polarimetric performance of the orbiting Space Radio Telescope (SRT) employed by the mission, to establish a methodology for making full Stokes polarimetry with space VLBI at 1.6 GHz, and to study the polarized emission in the target object on sub-milliarcsecond scales. Polarization leakage of the SRT at 18 cm is found to be within 9 percents in amplitude, demonstrating the feasibility of high fidelity polarization imaging with RadioAstron at this wavelength. A polarimetric image of 0642+449 with a resolution of 0.8 mas (signifying an ~4 times improvement over ground VLBI observations at the same wavelength) is obtained. The image shows a compact core-jet structure with low (~2%) polarization and predominantly transverse magnetic field in the nuclear region. The VLBI data also uncover a complex structure of the nuclear region, with two prominent features possibly corresponding to the jet base and a strong recollimation shock. The maximum brightness temperature at the jet base can be as high as 4*10^13 K.
The amount of dust estimated from infrared to sub-millimetre (submm) observations strongly depends on assumptions of different grain sizes, compositions and optical properties. Here we use a simple model of thermal emission from cold silicate/carbon
dust at a range of dust grain temperatures and fit the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the Crab Nebula as a test. This can lower the derived dust mass for the Crab by ~50% and 30-40% for astronomical silicates and amorphous carbon grains compared to recently published values (0.25M_sun -> 0.12M_sun and 0.12M_sun -> 0.072M_sun, respectively), but the implied dust mass can also increase by as much as almost a factor of six (0.25M_sun -> 1.14M_sun and 0.12M_sun -> 0.71M_sun) depending on assumptions regarding the sizes/temperatures of the coldest grains. The latter values are clearly unrealistic due to the expected metal budget, though. Furthermore, we show by a simple numerical experiment that if a cold-dust component does have a grain-temperature distribution, it is almost unavoidable that a two-temperature fit will yield an incorrect dust mass estimate. But we conclude that grain temperatures is not a greater uncertainty than the often poorly constrained emissivities (i.e., material properties) of cosmic dust, although there is clearly a need for improved dust emission models. The greatest complication associated with deriving dust masses still arises in the uncertainty in the dust composition.
We present the properties of the first 250 $mu$m blind sample of nearby galaxies (15 < D < 46 Mpc) containing 42 objects from the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey (H-ATLAS). Herschels sensitivity probes the faint end of the dust lum
inosity function for the first time, spanning a range of stellar mass (7.4 < log$_{10}$ M$_{star}$ < 11.3 M$_{odot}$), star formation activity (-11.8 < log$_{10}$ SSFR < -8.9 yr$^{-1}$), gas fraction (3-96 per cent), and colour (0.6 < FUV-Ks < 7.0 mag). The median cold dust temperature is 14.6 K, colder than in the Herschel Reference Survey (18.5 K) and Planck Early Release Compact Source Catalogue 17.7 K. The mean dust-to-stellar mass ratio in our sample is higher than these surveys by factors of 3.7 and 1.8, with a dust mass volume density of (3.7 $pm$ 0.7) x 10$^{5}$ M$_{odot}$ Mpc$^{-3}$. Counter-intuitively, we find that the more dust rich a galaxy, the lower its UV attenuation. Over half of our dust-selected sample are very blue in FUV-Ks colour, with irregular and/or highly flocculent morphology, these galaxies account for only 6 per cent of the samples stellar mass but contain over 35 per cent of the dust mass. They are the most actively star forming galaxies in the sample, with the highest gas fractions and lowest UV attenuation. They also appear to be in an early stage of converting their gas into stars, providing valuable insights into the chemical evolution of young galaxies.
We prove a Torelli theorem for the moduli space of semistable parabolic Higgs bundles over a smooth complex projective algebraic curve under the assumption that the parabolic weight system is generic. When the genus is at least two, using this result
we also prove a Torelli theorem for the moduli space of semistable parabolic bundles of rank at least two with generic parabolic weights. The key input in the proofs is a method of J.C. Hurtubise, Integrable systems and algebraic surfaces, Duke Math. Jour. 83 (1996), 19--49.
In this paper we consider the implications of the distributions of dust and metals in the disc of M31. We derive mean radial dust distributions using a dust map created from Herschel images of M31 sampling the entire far-infrared (FIR) peak. Modified
blackbodies are fit to approximately 4000 pixels with a varying, as well as a fixed, dust emissivity index (beta). An overall metal distribution is also derived using data collected from the literature. We use a simple analytical model of the evolution of the dust in a galaxy with dust contributed by stellar sources and interstellar grain growth, and fit this model to the radial dust-to-metals distribution across the galaxy. Our analysis shows that the dust-to-gas gradient in M31 is steeper than the metallicity gradient, suggesting interstellar dust growth is (or has been) important in M31. We argue that M31 helps build a case for cosmic dust in galaxies being the result of substantial interstellar grain growth, while the net dust production from stars may be limited. We note, however, that the efficiency of dust production in stars, e.g., in supernovae (SNe) ejecta and/or stellar atmospheres, and grain destruction in the interstellar medium (ISM) may be degenerate in our simple model. We can conclude that interstellar grain growth by accretion is likely at least as important as stellar dust production channels in building the cosmic dust component in M31.
To obtain a better understanding of the location and mechanisms for the production of the gamma-ray emission in jets of AGN we present a detailed study of the HST-1 structure, 0.8 arcsec downstream the jet of M87, previously identified as a possible
candidate for TeV emission. HST-1 shows a very peculiar structure with superluminal as well as possible stationary sub-components, and appears to be located in the transition from a parabolic to a conical jet shape, presumably leading to the formation of a recollimation shock. This scenario is supported by our new RHD simulations in which the interaction of a moving component with a recollimation shock leads to the appearance of a new superluminal component. To discern whether HST-1 is produced by a recollimation shock or some other MHD instability, we present new polarimetric 2.2 and 5 GHz VLBA, as well as 15, 22 and 43 GHz JVLA observations obtained between November 2012 and March 2013.
We present an astrometry study of the radio source VLA 1 at the core of the HH 111 outflow using new data (2007) as well as archival observations (1992-1996). All data were taken at 3.6 cm with the Very Large Array in its most extended (A) configurat
ion. The source VLA 1 has undergone a dramatic morphological change, showing a one-sided knot ejection in the 2007 epoch. We also report on the detection of a 3.6 cm compact continuum source (VLA 3) located at (-10.6,98.7) from VLA 1. No significant absolute proper motions were found for VLA 1 and VLA 3 and the upper limits are consistent with those found for (embedded) radio sources in the Orion Nebula. We favor the interpretation that in the continuum at 3.6 cm we are observing two nearly perpendicular jets. HH 111 presents a new case of one-sided jet ejection in a young stellar object. The Galactic (or extragalactic) nature of VLA 3 remains unclear.
We introduce MAPCAT, a long-term observing program for Monitoring of AGN with Polarimetry at the Calar Alto Telescopes. Multi-spectral-range studies are critical to understand some of the most relevant current problems of high energy astrophysics of
blazars such as their high energy emission mechanisms and the location of their gamma-ray emission region through event associations across the spectrum. Adding multi-spectral-range polarimetry allows for even more reliable identification of polarized flares across the spectrum in these kind of objects, as well as for more accurate modeling of their magnetic field. As part of a major international effort to study the long term multi-spectral range polarimetric behavior of blazars, MAPCAT uses -since mid 2007- CAFOS on the 2.2m Telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory (Almeria, Spain) to obtain monthly optical (R-band) photo-polarimetric measurements of a sample of 34 of the brightest gamma-ray, optical, and radio-millimeter blazars accessible from the northern hemisphere.
