Astrophysics

Dome C appears to be the ideal place for ground-based asteroseismic observations. The unequalled weather conditions yield a duty cycle as high as 88% over 3 months. We intend to install there the Fourier Tachometer SIAMOIS. Spectrometric observations with SIAMOIS and a dedicated small collector will be able to detect the = 3 oscillation modes that cannot be observed in photometry, in bright low-mass stars.

We explore the common-carrier hypothesis for the 6196 and 6614 Å diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). The observed DIB spectra are sharpened using a spectral deconvolution algorithm. This reveals finer spectral features that provide tighter constraints on candidate carriers. We analyze a deconvolved λ6614 DIB spectrum and derive spectroscopic constants that are then used to model the λ6196 spectra. The common-carrier spectroscopic constants enable quantitative fits to the contrasting λ6196 and λ6614 spectra from two sightlines. Highlights of our analysis include (1) sharp cutoffs for the maximum values of the rotational quantum numbers, J max =K max , (2) the λ6614 DIB consisting of a doublet and a red-tail component arising from different carriers, (3) the λ6614 doublet and λ6196 DIBs sharing a common carrier, (4) the contrasting shapes of the λ6614 doublet and λ6196 DIBs arising from different vibration-rotation Coriolis coupling constants that originate from transitions from a common ground state to different upper electronic state degenerate vibrational levels, and (5) the different widths of the two DIBs arising from different effective rotational temperatures associated with principal rotational axes that are parallel and perpendicular to the highest-order symmetry axis. The analysis results suggest a puckered oblate symmetric top carrier with a dipole moment aligned with the highest-order symmetry axis. An example candidate carrier consistent with these specifications is corannulene (C 20 H 10 ), or one of its symmetric ionic or dehydrogenated forms, whose rotational constants are comparable to those obtained from spectral modeling of the DIB profiles.

We explore the common-carrier hypothesis for the 6196 and 6614 Å diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). The observed DIB spectra are sharpened using a spectral deconvolution algorithm. This reveals finer spectral features that provide tighter constraints on candidate carriers. We analyze a deconvolved λ6614 DIB spectrum and derive spectroscopic constants that are then used to model the λ6196 spectra. The common-carrier spectroscopic constants enable quantitative fits to the contrasting λ6196 and λ6614 spectra from two sightlines. Highlights of our analysis include (1) sharp cutoffs for the maximum values of the rotational quantum numbers, J max =K max , (2) the λ6614 DIB consisting of a doublet and a red-tail component arising from different carriers, (3) the λ6614 doublet and λ6196 DIBs sharing a common carrier, (4) the contrasting shapes of the λ6614 doublet and λ6196 DIBs arising from different vibration-rotation Coriolis coupling constants that originate from transitions from a common ground state to different upper electronic state degenerate vibrational levels, and (5) the different widths of the two DIBs arising from different effective rotational temperatures associated with principal rotational axes that are parallel and perpendicular to the highest-order symmetry axis. The analysis results suggest a puckered oblate symmetric top carrier with a dipole moment aligned with the highest-order symmetry axis. An example candidate carrier consistent with these specifications is corannulene (C 20 H 10 ), or one of its symmetric ionic or dehydrogenated forms, whose rotational constants are comparable to those obtained from spectral modeling of the DIB profiles.

Context. On 2022 October 9 the brightest gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever observed lit up the high-energy sky. It was detected by a multitude of instruments, attracting the close attention of the GRB community, and saturated many detectors. Aims. GRBAlpha, a nano-satellite with a form factor of a 1U CubeSat, has detected this extraordinarily bright long-duration GRB 221009A without saturation, but affected by pile-up. We present light curves of the prompt emission in 13 energy bands, from 80 keV to 950 keV, and perform a spectral analysis to calculate the peak flux and peak isotropic-equivalent luminosity. Methods. Since the satellite's attitude information is not available for the time of this GRB, more than 200 incident directions were probed in order to find the median luminosity and its systematic uncertainty. Results. We found that the peak flux in the 80-800 keV range (observer frame) was F p ph = 1300 +1200 -200 ph cm -2 s -1 or F p erg = 5.7 +3.7 -0.7 ×10 -4 erg cm -2 s -1 and the fluence in the same energy range of the first GRB episode lasting 300 s, which was observable by GRBAlpha, was S = 2.2 +1.4 -0.3 ×10 -2 erg cm -2 or S bol = 4.9 +0.8 -0.5 × 10 -2 erg cm -2 for the extrapolated range of 0.9 -8, 690 keV. We infer the isotropic-equivalent released energy of the first GRB episode to be E bol iso = 2.8 +0.8 -0.5 × 10 54 erg in the 1 -10, 000 keV band (rest frame at z = 0.15). The peak isotropic-equivalent luminosity in the 92 -920 keV range (rest frame) was L p iso = 3.7 +2.5 -0.5 × 10 52 erg s -1 and the bolometric peak isotropic-equivalent luminosity was L p,bol iso = 8.4 +2.5 -1.5 × 10 52 erg s -1 (4 s scale) in the 1 -10, 000 keV range (rest frame). The peak emitted energy is E * p = E p (1 + z) = 1120 ± 470 keV. Our measurement of L p,bol iso is consistent with the Yonetoku relation. It is possible that, due to the spectral evolution of this GRB and orientation of GRBAlpha at the peak time, the true values of peak flux, fluence, L iso , and E iso are even higher.

The blazar CTA 102 underwent a major radio flare in April 2006. We used several 15 GHz VLBI observations from the MOJAVE program to investigate the influence of this extreme event on jet kinematics. The result of modeling and analysis lead to the suggestion of an interaction between traveling and standing shocks 0.2 mas away from the VLBI core.

Extragalactic jets are generated as bipolar outflows at the nuclei of active galaxies. Depending on their morphology, they are classified as Fanaroff–Riley type I (FRI) (centre-brightened) and Fanaroff–Riley type II (FRII) (edge-brightened) radio jets. However, this division is not sharp, and observations of these sources at large scales often show intermediate jet morphologies or even hybrid jet morphologies with a FRI type jet on one side and a FRII type jet on the other. A good example of a radio galaxy that is difficult to classify as FRI or FRII is Hercules A. This source shows jets with bright radio lobes (a common feature of FRII type jets) albeit without the hotspots indicative of the violent interaction between the jet and the ambient medium at the impact region, because the jets seem to be disrupted inside the lobes at a distance from the bow shocks surrounding the lobes. In this paper, we explore the jet physics that could trigger this peculiar morphology by means of thre...

We present unprecedented high-fidelity radio images of the M87 jet. We analyzed Jansky Very Large Array broadband full-polarization radio data from 4 to 18 GHz. The observations were taken with the most extended configuration (A configuration), which allows the study of the emission of the jet up to kiloparsec scales with a linear resolution of ∼10 pc. The high sensitivity and resolution of our data allow us to resolve the jet width. We confirm a double-helix morphology of the jet material between ∼300 pc and ∼1 kpc. We found a gradient of the polarization degree with a minimum at the projected axis and maxima at the jet edges and a gradient in the Faraday depth with opposite signs at the jet edges. We also found that the behavior of the polarization properties along the wide range of frequencies is consistent with internal Faraday depolarization. All of these characteristics strongly support the presence of a helical magnetic field in the M87 jet up to 1 kpc from the central black ...

Extragalactic jets are a common feature of radio-loud active galaxies. The nature of the observed jets in relation to the bulk flow is still unclear. In particular it is not clear whether the observations of parsec-scale jets using the very long baseline interferometric technique (VLBI) reveal wave-like structures that develop and propagate along the jet, or trace the jet flow itself. In this contribution I review the evidence collected during the last years showing that the ridge-lines of helical radio-jets do not correspond to observational artifacts. This conclusion was reached by studying a number of VLBI observations of the radio jet in the quasar S5 0836+710 at different frequencies and epochs. The ridge-line of the emission in the jet coincides at all frequencies within the errors. Moreover, small differences between the ridge-lines as observed at different epochs reveal wave-like motion transversal to the jet propagation axis. I also discuss similar results, albeit with different interpretations, obtained by other authors. The current challenge is to measure the propagation velocities of these waves and to try to characterise them in terms of simple perturbations or Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, which would help understanding the physical conditions of the flow where the waves develop. This problem can only be tackled by high-resolution observations such as those that can be achieved by the space radio-antenna Radioastron.

Compact Symmetric Objects (CSOs) are considered the young counterparts of large doubles according to advance speeds measured or inferred from spectral ageing. Here we present a simple power law model for the CSO/FRII evolution based on the study of sources with well defined hot-spots. The luminosity of the hot spots is estimated under minimum energy conditions. The advance of the source is considered to proceed in ram pressure equilibrium with the ambient medium. Finally, we also assume that the jets feeding the hot spots are relativistic and have a time dependent power. Comparison with observational data allows to interpret the CSO-FRII evolution in terms of decreasing jet power with time.

We present long-term numerical three-dimensional (3D) simulations of a relativistic outflow propagating through a galactic ambient medium and environment, up to distances ∼100 kpc. Our aim is to study the role of dense media in the global dynamics of the radio source. We use a relativistic gas equation of state, and a basic description of thermal cooling terms. In previous work, we showed that a linear perturbation could enhance the jet propagation during the early phases of evolution, by introducing obliquity to the jet reverse shock. Here, we show that this effect is reduced in denser media. We find that the dentist-drill effect acts earlier, due to slower jet propagation and an increased growth of the helical instability. The global morphology of the jet is less elongated, with more prominent lobes. The fundamental physical parameters of the jet generated structure derived from our simulations fall within the estimated values derived for FRII jets in the 3C sample. In agreement w...

In this contribution, we present the first numerical simulations of a relativistic outflow propagating through the inner hundreds of parsecs of its host galaxy, including atomic and ionized hydrogen, and the cooling effects of ionization. Our results are preliminary, but we observe efficient shock ionization of atomic hydrogen in interstellar clouds. The mean density of the interstellar medium in these initial simulations is lower than that expected in typical galaxies, which makes cooling times longer and thus no recombination is observed inside the shocked region. The velocities achieved by the shocked gas in the simulations are in agreement with observational results, although with a wide spectrum of values.

This is the first of a series of two papers that deepen our understanding of the transversal structure and the properties of recollimation shocks of axisymmetric, relativistic, superfast magnetosonic, overpressured jets. They extend previous work that characterized these properties in connection with the dominant type of energy (internal, kinetic, or magnetic) in the jet to models with helical magnetic fields with larger magnetic pitch angles and force-free magnetic fields. In this paper, the magnetohydrodynamical models were computed following an approach that allows studying the structure of steady, axisymmetric, relativistic (magnetized) flows using one-dimensional time-dependent simulations. In these approaches, the relevance of the magnetic tension and of the Lorentz force in shaping the internal structure of jets (transversal structure, radial oscillations, and internal shocks) is discussed. The radial Lorentz force controls the jet internal transversal equilibrium. Hence, hig...

We present the results from a full polarization study carried out with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) during the first Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) campaign, which was conducted in 2017 April in the λ3 mm and λ1.3 mm bands, in concert with the Global mm-VLBI Array (GMVA) and the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), respectively. We determine the polarization and Faraday properties of all VLBI targets, including Sgr A*, M87, and a dozen radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGNs), in the two bands at several epochs in a time window of 10 days. We detect high linear polarization fractions (2%–15%) and large rotation measures (RM > 103.3–105.5 rad m−2), confirming the trends of previous AGN studies at millimeter wavelengths. We find that blazars are more strongly polarized than other AGNs in the sample, while exhibiting (on average) order-of-magnitude lower RM values, consistent with the AGN viewing angle unification scheme. For Sgr A* we report a mean RM...

The jet-counterjet system of the closest radio-loud active galaxy Centaurus A (Cen A) can be studied with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) on unprecedented small linear scales of ∼ 0.018 pc. These high-resolution observations provide essential information on jet emission and propagation within the inner parsec of an AGN jet. We present the results of a kinematic study performed within the framework of the Southern-hemisphere AGN monitoring program TANAMI. Over 3.5 years, the evolution of the central-parsec jet structure of Cen A was monitored with VLBI. These observations reveal complex jet dynamics which are well explained by a spine-sheath structure supported by the downstream acceleration occurring where the jet becomes optically thin. Both moving and stationary jet features are tracked. A persistent local minimum in surface brightness suggests the presence of an obstacle interrupting the jet flow, which can be explained by the interaction of the jet with a star at a distance of ∼ 0.4 pc from the central black hole. We briefly discuss possible implications of such an interaction regarding the expected neutrino and high-energy emission and the effect on a putative planet.

We make use of VLBI observations of the radio jet in the quasar S5 0836+710 at different frequencies and epochs to study its properties. The jet shows helical structure at all frequencies. The ridge-line of the emission in the jet coincides at all frequencies and epochs, within the errors. We conclude that the helicity is a real, physical structure. Small differences between epochs re-* Speaker.

The 2006 radio flare in the blazar CTA102 is the largest ever reported for this source. The analysis of the single-dish light curves revealed a possible shock-shock interaction as a scenario for the 2006 outburst. In order to confirm this hypothesis we analyzed eight multi-frequency (2 GHz -86 GHz) VLBI observations covering the 2006 flare. We detected a radio component ejected around 2005.9 and a stationary feature around 0.1 mas away from the core. We also performed a core-shift and spectral analysis on the fully calibrated VLBI maps. The frequency dependent position of the core slightly deviates from the typical ν -1 -dependence during the flaring state. This behaviour may reflect a mismatch between magnetic energy density and energy density of the relativistic particles. From the core-shift corrected maps we obtained the spectral parameters and computed the temporal and spatial evolution of the jet intrinsic parameters such as the magnetic field and the particle density. The overall picture of the source could be best interpreted as an over-pressured jet perturbed by traveling shock waves.

High energy emission could be produced in the interaction sites of both galactic and extragalactic jets with the surrounding medium. We have developed an interaction model that accounts for the continuous injection of relativistic electrons in the forward, reverse and recollimation shocks. We also performed hydrodynamical simulations to establish the physical properties in both type of systems. The resulting non-thermal emission is predicted assuming different values for the jet power, the external mass density and the source age for both FR-I galaxies and galactic microquasars. The obtained fluxes are compared to current instrument sensitivities at radio, X-ray and gamma-ray bands. We study in detail the connection between hard X-ray synchrotron radiation and gamma-ray emission and use the INTEGRAL, Fermi and AGILE, and Cherenkov telescopes capabilities to test it.

The high kinetic energy outflowing in the jets of microquasars is delivered to the surrounding interstellar medium. This energy input can cause the formation of bow shocks and cocoons that may be detectable from radio to gamma-ray energies. Evidences or hints of emission from jet/medium interactions have been reported for some sources, but little has been done regarding the theoretical modelisation of the resulting non-thermal emission. We have developed an analytical model based on those successfully applied to extragalactic sources for the interaction of AGN jets with their surroundings. Focusing on the adiabatic phase of the growing structures, we give estimations of the expected luminosities through synchrotron, relativistic Bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton processes. We conclude that the interaction structures may be detectable at radio wavelengths, while extreme values for the jet kinetic power, the source age and the medium density are required to make the emission at high and very high energies detectable.

There is compelling evidence showing that extragalactic jets are a crucial ingredient in the evolution of host galaxies and their environments. Extragalactic jets are well collimated and relativistic, both in terms of thermodynamics and kinematics at sub-parsec and parsec scales. They generate strong shocks in the ambient medium, associated with observed hotspots in FRII radio galaxies, and carve cavities that are filled with the shocked jet flow, dragging a large fraction of the interstellar gas along, in the form of slow, massive outflows within the host galaxies. In this paper, I discuss relevant processes associated to jet evolution in the frame of FRI-FRII dichotomy. In particular, I focus on the role of 1) the interaction between galactic atmospheres and the jet head on global FRII jet kinematics, and 2) mass load by stellar winds or small-scale instabilities on jet deceleration in FRI jets. The results presented are based on 3D relativistic hydrodynamical (RHD) and/or 2D axisymmetric, time-independent relativistic magnetohydrodynamical (RMHD) simulations.

Particle acceleration in relativistic jets, to very high levels of energy, occurs at the expense of the dissipation of magnetic or kinetic energy. Therefore, understanding the processes that can trigger this dissipation is key to the characterization of the energy budgets and particle acceleration mechanisms in action in active galaxies. Instabilities and entrainment are two obvious candidates to trigger dissipation. On the one hand, supersonic, relativistic flows threaded by helical fields, as expected from the standard formation models of jets in supermassive black-holes, are unstable to a series of magnetohydrodynamical instabilities, such as the Kelvin–Helmholtz, current-driven, or possibly the pressure-driven instabilities. Furthermore, in the case of expanding jets, the Rayleigh–Taylor and centrifugal instabilities may also develop. With all these destabilizing processes in action, a natural question is to ask how can some jets keep their collimated structure along hundreds of...

The RadioAstron mission has obtained a series of detailed multi-frequency images of the brightest blazars of the radio sky concentrated in three key science programs. We present here results of the program on powerful jets in blazars. In the first two years of the mission, observations of compact relativistic jets in 0836+710, 3C 345, 3C 273, and 4C +69.21 were made at kk 18, 6, and 1.3 cm. The resulting images have revealed compact emitting regions with brightness temperature in excess of 10 13 K and a complex jet structure that can be explained by plasma instability developing in a relativistic outflow. We present here some highlights of these space-VLBI observations, designed to resolve the innermost regions in these powerful targets and address some of the still unanswered questions on their physical nature.

We present a long-term numerical three-dimensional simulation of a relativistic outflow designed to be compared with previous results from axisymmetric, two-dimensional simulations, with existing analytical models and state-of-art observations. We follow the jet evolution from 1 kpc to 200 kpc, using a relativistic gas equation of state and a galactic profile for the ambient medium. We also show results from smaller scale simulations aimed to test convergence and different three-dimensional effects. We conclude that jet propagation can be faster than expected from axisymmetric simulations, covering tens of kiloparsecs in a few million years, until the dentist drill effect produced by the growth of helical instabilities slows down the propagation speed of the jet head. A comparison of key physical parameters of the jet structure as obtained from the simulations with values derived from observations of FRII sources reveals good agreement. Our simulations show that shock heating can play a significant role in the feedback from active galaxies, confirming previous 2D results. A proper description of galactic jets as a relativistic scenario, both dynamical and thermodynamical, reveals an extremely fast and efficient feedback process reheating the ICM, and therefore, with dramatic consequences on the galactic evolution. Our results point towards FRII jets as the source of the energetic electrons observed in radio relics.

We present relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) simulations of stationary overpressured magnetized relativistic jets which are characterized by their dominant type of energy, namely internal, kinetic, or magnetic. Each model is threaded by a helical magnetic field with a pitch angle of 45 • and features a series of recollimation shocks produced by the initial pressure mismatch, whose strength and number varies as a function of the dominant type of energy. We perform a study of the polarization signatures from these models by integrating the radiative transfer equations for synchrotron radiation using as inputs the RMHD solutions. These simulations show a top-down emission asymmetry produced by the helical magnetic field and a progressive confinement of the emission into a jet spine as the magnetization increases and the internal energy of the non-thermal population is considered to be a constant fraction of the thermal one. Bright stationary components associated with the recollimation shocks appear presenting a relative intensity modulated by the Doppler boosting ratio between the pre-shock and post-shock states. Small viewing angles show a roughly bimodal distribution in the polarization angle due to the helical structure of the magnetic field, which is also responsible for the highly stratified degree of linear polarization across the jet width. In addition, small variations of the order of 26 • are observed in the polarization angle of the stationary components, which can be used to identify recollimation shocks in astrophysical jets.

Relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei (AGN) are among the most powerful astrophysical objects discovered to date. Indeed, jetted AGN studies have been considered a prominent science case for SKA, and were included in several different chapters of the previous SKA Science Book . Most of the fundamental questions about the physics of relativistic jets still remain unanswered, and await high-sensitivity radio instruments such as SKA to solve them. These questions will be addressed specially through analysis of the massive data sets arising from the deep, all-sky surveys (both total and polarimetric flux) from SKA1. Wide-field verylong-baseline-interferometric survey observations involving SKA1 will serve as a unique tool for distinguishing between extragalactic relativistic jets and star forming galaxies via brightness temperature measurements. Subsequent SKA1 studies of relativistic jets at different resolutions will allow for unprecedented cosmological studies of AGN jets up to the epoch of re-ionization, enabling detailed characterization of the jet composition, magnetic field, particle populations, and plasma properties on all scales. SKA will enable us to study the dependence of jet power and star formation on other properties of the AGN system. SKA1 will enable such studies for large samples of jets, while VLBI observations involving SKA1 will provide the sensitivity for pc-scale imaging, and SKA2 (with its extraordinary sensitivity and dynamic range) will allow us for the first time to resolve and model the weakest radio structures in the most powerful radio-loud AGN.

Radio emission from protostellar jets is usually dominated by free-free emission from thermal electrons. However, in some cases, it has been proposed that non-thermal emission could also be present. This additional contribution from non-thermal emission has been inferred through negative spectral indices at centimeter wavelengths in some regions of the radio jets. In the case of HH 80-81, one of the most powerful protostellar jets known, linearly polarized emission has also been detected, revealing that the non-thermal emission is of synchrotron nature from a population of relativistic particles in the jet. This result implies that an acceleration mechanism should be taking place in some parts of the jet. Here, we present new high sensitivity and high angular resolution radio observations at several wavelengths (in the 3-20 cm range) of the HH80-81 radio jet. These new observations represent an improvement in sensitivity and angular resolution by

Supermassive black holes (SMBH) are essential for the production of jets in radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN). Theoretical models based on (Blandford & Znajek 1977, MNRAS, 179, 433) extract the rotational energy from a Kerr black hole, which could be the case for NGC 1052, to launch these jets. This requires magnetic fields on the order of 10 3 G to 10 4 G. We imaged the vicinity of the SMBH of the AGN NGC 1052 with the Global Millimetre VLBI Array and found a bright and compact central feature that is smaller than 1.9 light days (100 Schwarzschild radii) in radius. Interpreting this as a blend of the unresolved jet bases, we derive the magnetic field at 1 Schwarzschild radius to lie between 200 G and ∼8.3 × 10 4 G consistent with Blandford & Znajek models.

We have found evidence for interaction between a standing and a traveling shock in the jet of the blazar CTA 102. Our result is based in the study of the spectral evolution of the turnover frequency-turnover flux density (νm, Sm) plane. The radio/mm light curves were taken during a major radio outburst in April 2006.

Radio mode feedback, associated with the propagation of powerful outflows in active galaxies, is a crucial ingredient in galaxy evolution. Extragalactic jets are well collimated and relativistic, both in terms of thermodynamics and kinematics. They generate strong shocks in the ambient medium, associated with observed hotspots, and carve cavities that are filled with the shocked jet flow. In this Letter, we compare the pressure evolution in the hotspot and the cavity generated by relativistic and classical jets. Our results show that the classical approach underestimates the cavity pressure by a factor ≥ 2 for a given shocked volume during the whole active phase. The tension between both approaches can only be alleviated by unrealistic jet flow densities or gigantic jet areas in the classical case. As a consequence, the efficiency of a relativistic jet heating the ambient is typically ∼ 20% larger compared with a classical jet, and the heated volume is 2 to 10 times larger during the time evolution. This conflict translates into two substantially disparate manners, both spatially and temporal, of heating the ambient medium. These differences are expected to have relevant implications on the star formation rates of the host galaxies and their evolution.

Context. Binaries hosting a massive star and a non-accreting pulsar are powerful non-thermal emitters owing to the interaction of the pulsar and the stellar wind. The winds of massive stars are thought to be inhomogeneous, which could have an impact on the non-thermal emission. Aims. We study numerically the impact of the presence of inhomogeneities or clumps in the stellar wind on the high-energy nonthermal radiation of high-mass binaries hosting a non-accreting pulsar. Methods. We compute the trajectories and physical properties of the streamlines in the shocked pulsar wind without clumps, with a small clump, and with a large clump. This information is used to characterize the injection and the steady state distribution of non-thermal particles accelerated at shocks formed in the pulsar wind. The synchrotron and inverse Compton emission from these non-thermal particles is calculated, accounting also for the effect of gamma-ray absorption through pair creation. A specific study is done for PSR B1259-63/LS2883. Results. When stellar wind clumps perturb the two-wind interaction region, the associated non-thermal radiation in the X-ray band, of synchrotron origin, and in the GeV-TeV band, of inverse Compton origin, is affected by several equally important effects: (i) strong changes in the plasma velocity direction that result in Doppler boosting factor variations; (ii) strengthening of the magnetic field that mainly enhances the synchrotron radiation; (iii) strengthening of the pulsar wind kinetic energy dissipation at the shock, potentially available for particle acceleration; and (iv) changes in the rate of adiabatic losses that affect the lower energy part of the non-thermal particle population. The radiation above 100 GeV detected, presumably, during the post-periastron crossing of the Be star disc in PSR B1259-63/LS2883, can be roughly reproduced assuming that the crossing of the disc is modelled as the encounter with a large inhomogeneity. Conclusions. Because of the likely diverse nature of clumps in the stellar wind, and hydrodynamical instabilities, the non-thermal radiation of high-mass binaries with a non-accreting pulsar is expected to be boosted somewhat chaotically, and to present different superimposed variability patterns. Some of the observed variability in gamma rays from PSR B1259-63/LS2883 is qualitatively reproduced by our calculations.

The LINER galaxy NGC 1052 is an ideal target to study the innermost regions of active galactic nuclei (AGN), given its close distance of about 20 Mpc. The source was observed at 29 epochs from 2005 to 2009 with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 43 GHz. Here, we present a kinematic study of its twin-jet system from a subset of 9 epochs at 43 GHz carried out in 2005 and 2006, finding a bright central feature as the dynamic center. The resulting mean velocities of β = v/c = 0.46 ± 0.08 and β = 0.69 ± 0.02 for the western and eastern jet, respectively, give hints towards higher velocities in the eastern jet.

Context. Stars and their winds can contribute to the non-thermal emission in extragalactic jets. Because of the complexity of jet-star interactions, the properties of the resulting emission are closely linked to those of the emitting flows. Aims. We simulate the interaction between a stellar wind and a relativistic extragalactic jet and use the hydrodynamic results to compute the non-thermal emission under different conditions. Methods. We performed relativistic axisymmetric hydrodynamical simulations of a relativistic jet interacting with a supersonic, non-relativistic stellar wind. We computed the corresponding streamlines out of the simulation results and calculated the injection, evolution, and emission of non-thermal particles accelerated in the jet shock, focusing on electrons or e ± -pairs. Several cases were explored, considering different jet-star interaction locations, magnetic fields, and observer lines of sight. The jet luminosity and star properties were fixed, but the results are easily scalable when these parameters are changed. Results. Individual jet-star interactions produce synchrotron and inverse Compton emission that peaks from X-rays to MeV energies (depending on the magnetic field), and at ∼100-1000 GeV (depending on the stellar type), respectively. The radiation spectrum is hard in the scenarios explored here as a result of non-radiative cooling dominance, as low-energy electrons are efficiently advected even under relatively high magnetic fields. Interactions of jets with cold stars lead to an even harder inverse Compton spectrum because of the Klein-Nishina effect in the cross section. Doppler boosting has a strong effect on the observer luminosity. Conclusions. The emission levels for individual interactions found here are in the line of previous, more approximate, estimates, strengthening the hypothesis that collective jet-star interactions could significantly contribute at high energies under efficient particle acceleration.

In high-mass microquasars (HMMQ), strong interactions between jets and stellar winds at binary system scales could occur. In order to explore this possibility, we have performed numerical two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of jets crossing the dense stellar material to study how the jet will be affected by these interactions. We find that the jet head generates strong shocks in the wind. These shocks reduce the jet advance speed, and compress and heat up the jet and wind material. In addition, strong recollimation shocks can occur where pressure balance between the jet side and the surrounding medium is reached. All this, together with jet bending, could lead to the destruction of jets with power < 1036 erg/s . The conditions around the outflow shocks would be convenient for accelerating particles up to ~ TeV energies. These accelerated particles could emit via synchrotron and inverse Compton (IC) scattering if they were leptons, and via hadronic processes if they were ha...

Baldwin (1982) wrote that “the distribution of sources in the radio luminosity, P, overall physical size, D, diagram” could be considered as “the radio astronomer's H‐R diagram”. However, unlike the case of stars, not only the intrinsic properties of the jets, but also those of the host galaxy and the intergalactic medium are relevant to explain the evolutionary tracks of radio radio sources. In this contribution I review the current status of our understanding of the evolution of radio sources from a theoretical and numerical perspective, using the P ‐D diagram as a framework. An excess of compact (linear size ≤10 kpc) sources could be explained by low‐power jets being decelerated within the host galaxy, as shown by recent numerical simulations. Finally, I discuss the possible tracks that radio sources may follow within this diagram, and the physical processes that can explain the different tracks. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Context. Blazars are among the most powerful extragalactic objects as a sub-class of active galactic nuclei. They launch relativistic jets and their emitted radiation shows strong variability across the entire electro-magnetic spectrum. The mechanisms producing the variability are still controversial, and different models have been proposed to explain the observed variations in multi-frequency blazar light curves. Aims. We investigate the capabilities of the classical shock-in-jet model to explain and reconstruct the observed evolution of flares in the turnover frequency -turnover flux density (ν m -S m ) plane and their frequency dependent light curve parameters. With a detailed parameter space study, we provide the framework for future, detailed comparisons of observed flare signatures with the shock-in-jet scenario. Methods. Based on the shock model, we compute synthetic single-dish light curves at different radio frequencies (2.6 to 345 GHz) and for different physical conditions in a conical jet (e.g. magnetic field geometry and Doppler factor). From those we extract the slopes of the different energy loss stages within the (ν m -S m ) plane and deduce the frequency dependence of different light curve parameters, such as flare amplitude, time scale, and cross-band delays. Results. The evolution of the Doppler factor along the jet has the strongest influence on the evolution of the flare and on the frequency dependent light curve parameters. The synchrotron stage can be hidden in the Compton or in the adiabatic stage, depending mainly on the evolution of the Doppler factor, which makes it difficult to detect its signature in observations. In addition, we show that the time lags between different frequencies can be used as an efficient tool to better constrain the physical properties of these objects.

We present numerical relativistic magnetohydrodynamic and emission simulations aimed to study the role played by the magnetic field in the dynamics and emission of relativistic jets in Active Galactic Nuclei. We focus our analysis on the study of the emission from recollimation shocks since they may provide an interpretation for the stationary components seen at parsec-scales in multiple sources. We show that the relative brightness of the knots associated with the recollimation shocks decreases with increasing jet magnetization, suggesting that jets presenting stationary components may have a relatively weak magnetization, with magnetic fields of the order of equipartition or below.

We present results on the modelling of the ejection of a superluminal component in the jet of 3C 111. We propose that the component is generated by an injection of dense material followed by a decrease in the injection rate of bulk particles in the jet. Our model is supported by 1D relativistic hydrodynamics and emission simulations, and is capable of reproducing the brightness evolution of two features, as revealed by 15 GHz VLBA observations. We show that other scenarios, such as an increase of the Lorentz factor in the material of the perturbation, fails to reproduce the observed evolution of this flare.

We present the first three-dimensional simulations of the evolution of a microquasar jet inside the binary star system. The aim is to study the interaction of these jets with the stellar wind from a massive companion and the possible locations of high-energy emission sites. We have simulated two jets with different injection power in order to give a hint on the minimum power required for the jet to escape the system and become visible in larger scales. In the setup, we include a massive star wind filling the grid through which the jet evolves. We show that jets should have powers of the order of 1037 erg s-1 or more in order not to be destroyed by the stellar wind. The jet–wind interaction results in regions in which high-energy emission could be produced. These results imply the possible existence of a population of X–ray binaries undetected in the radio band due to jet disruption inside the region dominated by the stellar wind.

Helical structures are common in extragalactic jets. They are usually attributed in the literature to periodical phenomena in the source (e.g., precession). In this work, we use VLBI data of the radio-jet in the quasar S5 0836+710 and hypothesize that the ridge-line of helical jets like this corresponds to a pressure maximum in the jet and assume that the helically twisted pressure maximum is the result of a helical wave pattern. For our study, we use observations of the jet in S5 0836+710 at different frequencies and epochs. The results show that the structures observed are physical and not generated artificially by the observing arrays. Our hypothesis that the observed intensity ridge-line can correspond to a helically twisted pressure maximum is confirmed by our observational tests. This interpretation allows us to explain jet misalignment between parsec and kiloparsec scales when the viewing angle is small, and also brings us to the conclusion that high-frequency observations may show only a small region of the jet flow concentrated around the maximum pressure ridge-line observed at low frequencies. Our work provides a potential explanation for the apparent transversal superluminal speeds observed in several extragalactic jets by means of transversal shift of an apparent core position with time.

The termination structures of the jets of Fanaroff & Riley (FR) galaxies are observed to produce extended non-thermal emission in a wide frequency range. The study of these structures can provide valuable insights on the conditions for particle acceleration and radiation at the shock fronts. We have studied the thermal and non-thermal emission that can be expected from the jet termination regions of Fanaroff & Riley type I sources. The broadband emssion from these galaxies has been recently extended to include the high-energy gamma-ray domain, owing to the Fermi detection of Cen A lobes. Exploring the physics behind the jet/medium interactions in FRI can provide valuable insights on the conditions for particle acceleration and radiation in the jet termination shocks. Making use of the results of a fully relativistic numerical simulation code of the evolution of a FRI jet we model the expected radiative output and predict spectra and lightcurves of both thermal and non-thermal emissi...

Context. The structure formed by the shocked winds of a massive star and a non-accreting pulsar in a binary system suffers periodic and random variations of orbital and non-linear dynamical origins. The characterization of the evolution of the wind interaction region is necessary for understanding the rich phenomenology of these sources. Aims. For the first time, we simulate in 3 dimensions the interaction of isotropic stellar and relativistic pulsar winds along one full orbit, on scales well beyond the binary size. We also investigate the impact of grid resolution and size, and of different state equations: a γ-constant ideal gas, and an ideal gas with γ dependent on temperature. Methods. We used the code PLUTO to carry out relativistic hydrodynamical simulations in 2 and 3 dimensions of the interaction between a slow dense wind and a mildly relativistic wind with Lorentz factor 2, along one full orbit in a region up to ∼100 times the binary size. The different 2-dimensional simulations were carried out with equal and larger grid resolution and size, and one was done with a more realistic equation of state than in 3 dimensions. Results. The simulations in 3 dimensions confirm previous results in 2 dimensions, showing: a strong shock induced by Coriolis forces that terminates the pulsar wind also in the opposite direction to the star; strong bending of the shocked-wind structure against the pulsar motion; and the generation of turbulence. The shocked flows are also subject to a faster development of instabilities in 3 dimensions, which enhances shocks, two-wind mixing, and large-scale disruption of the shocked structure. In 2 dimensions, higher resolution simulations confirm lower resolution results, simulations with larger grid sizes strengthen the case for the loss of the general coherence of the shocked structure, and simulations with two different equations of state yield very similar results. In addition to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, discussed in the past, we find that the Richtmyer-Meshkov and the Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities are very likely acting together in the shocked flow evolution. Conclusions. Simulations in 3 dimensions confirm that the interaction of stellar and pulsar winds yields structures that evolve nonlinearly and become strongly entangled. The evolution is accompanied by strong kinetic energy dissipation, rapid changes in flow orientation and speed, and turbulent motion. The results of this work strengthen the case for the loss of the coherence of the whole shocked structure on large scales, although simulations of more realistic pulsar wind speeds are needed.

Context. Centaurus A (Cen A) is the closest radio-loud active galactic nucleus. Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) enables us to study the spectral and kinematic behavior of the radio jet-counterjet system on milliarcsecond scales, providing essential information for jet emission and propagation models. Aims. In the framework of the TANAMI monitoring, we investigate the kinematics and complex structure of Cen A on subparsec scales. We have been studying the evolution of the central parsec jet structure of Cen A for over 3.5 years. The proper motion analysis of individual jet components allows us to constrain jet formation and propagation and to test the proposed correlation of increased high-energy flux with jet ejection events. Cen A is an exceptional laboratory for such a detailed study because its proximity translates to unrivaled linear resolution, where one milliarcsecond corresponds to 0.018 pc. Methods. As a target of the southern-hemisphere VLBI monitoring program TANAMI, observations of Cen A are done approximately every six months at 8.4 GHz with the Australian Long Baseline Array (LBA) and associated telescopes in Antarctica, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa, complemented by quasi-simultaneous 22.3 GHz observations. Results. The first seven epochs of high-resolution TANAMI VLBI observations at 8.4 GHz of Cen A are presented, resolving the jet on (sub-)milliarcsecond scales. They show a differential motion of the subparsec scale jet with significantly higher component speeds farther downstream where the jet becomes optically thin. We determined apparent component speeds within a range of 0.1 c to 0.3 c and identified long-term stable features. In combination with the jet-to-counterjet ratio, we can constrain the angle to the line of sight to θ ∼ 12 • -45 • . Conclusions. The high-resolution kinematics are best explained by a spine-sheath structure supported by the downstream acceleration occurring where the jet becomes optically thin. On top of the underlying, continuous flow, TANAMI observations clearly resolve individual jet features. The flow appears to be interrupted by an obstacle causing a local decrease in surface brightness and circumfluent jet behavior. We propose a jet-star interaction scenario to explain this appearance. The comparison of jet ejection times to high X-ray flux phases yields a partial overlap of the onset of the X-ray emission and increasing jet activity, but the limited data do not support a robust correlation.

Context. Relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei are one of the most powerful phenomena in the Universe. They form in the surroundings of the supermassive black holes as a by-product of accretion onto the central black hole in active galaxies. The flow in the jets propagates at velocities close to the speed of light. The distance between the first part of the jet that is visible in radio images (core) and the black hole is still a matter of debate. Aims. Only very-long-baseline interferometry observations resolve the innermost compact regions of the radio jet. These observations can access the jet base, and by combining data at different wavelenghts, address the physical parameters of the outflow from its emission. Methods. We have performed an accurate analysis of the frequency-dependent shift of the VLBI core location for a multi-wavelength set of images of the blazar CTA 102 including data from 6 cm down to 3 mm. Results. The measure of the position of the central black hole, with mass ∼10 8.93 M , in the blazar CTA 102 reveals a distance of ∼8 × 10 4 gravitational radii to the 86 GHz core, in agreement with similar measures obtained for other blazars and distant radio galaxies, and in contrast with recent results for the case of nearby radio galaxies, which show distances between the black hole and the radio core that can be two orders of magnitude smaller.