The Properties of Parsec-scale Blazar Jets

I show that, by assuming a standard Blandford-Königl jet, it is possible to determine the bulk Lorentz factor and angle to the line of sight of self-similar parsec-scale blazar jets by using five measured quantities: redshift, core radio flux, extended radio flux, the magnitude of the core shift bet...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2019-01, Vol.870 (1), p.28
Main Author: Finke, Justin D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrophysics
BL Lacertae objects: general
Blazars
Electron distribution
Field strength
galaxies: active
galaxies: jets
Lorentz factor
Magnetic fields
Magnetic properties
quasars: general
radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
Red shift
Self-similarity
Uncertainty
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Summary:I show that, by assuming a standard Blandford-Königl jet, it is possible to determine the bulk Lorentz factor and angle to the line of sight of self-similar parsec-scale blazar jets by using five measured quantities: redshift, core radio flux, extended radio flux, the magnitude of the core shift between two frequencies, and apparent jet opening angle. From the bulk Lorentz factor and angle computed with this method, one can compute other jet properties such as the Doppler factor, magnetic field strength, and intrinsic jet opening angle. I use data taken from the literature and marginalize over nuisance parameters associated with the electron distribution and equipartition to compute these quantities, although the errors are large. Results are generally consistent with constraints from other methods. Primary sources of uncertainty are the errors on the core shift measurements and the uncertainty in the electron spectral index.
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.3847/1538-4357/aaf00c