A SEARCH FOR SUB-SECOND RADIO VARIABILITY PREDICTED TO ARISE TOWARD 3C 84 FROM INTERGALACTIC DISPERSION

ABSTRACT We empirically evaluate the scheme proposed by Lieu & Duan in which the light curve of a time-steady radio source is predicted to exhibit increased variability on a characteristic timescale set by the sightline's electron column density. Application to extragalactic sources is of s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2016-06, Vol.823 (2), p.93-93
Main Authors: Hales, C. A., Max-Moerbeck, W., Roshi, D. A., Rupen, M. P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Appeals
Arrays
ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
BARYONS
DENSITY
Dispersion
DISPERSIONS
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRONS
GHZ RANGE
intergalactic medium
INTERGALACTIC SPACE
IONOSPHERE
large-scale structure of universe
Light curve
LOSSES
MASS
radiation mechanisms: general
Radio
radio continuum: general
Searching
SOLAR CORONA
SOLAR WIND
SPECTRA
Standard deviation
STARS
SUN
Sun: coronal mass ejections (CMEs)
TELESCOPES
UNIVERSE
VISIBLE RADIATION
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Summary:ABSTRACT We empirically evaluate the scheme proposed by Lieu & Duan in which the light curve of a time-steady radio source is predicted to exhibit increased variability on a characteristic timescale set by the sightline's electron column density. Application to extragalactic sources is of significant appeal, as it would enable a unique and reliable probe of cosmic baryons. We examine temporal power spectra for 3C 84, observed at 1.7 GHz with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array and the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope. These data constrain the ratio between standard deviation and mean intensity for 3C 84 to less than 0.05% at temporal frequencies ranging between 0.1 and 200 Hz. This limit is 3 orders of magnitude below the variability predicted by Lieu & Duan and is in accord with theoretical arguments presented by Hirata & McQuinn rebutting electron density dependence. We identify other spectral features in the data consistent with the slow solar wind, a coronal mass ejection, and the ionosphere.
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.3847/0004-637X/823/2/93