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Astronomers explore the properties of quasar 1604+159

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Astronomers explore the properties of quasar 1604+159


Quasar 1604+159: distribution of fractional polarization (shade) at 1.7 GHz. Credit score: Hu et al., 2024.

Chinese language astronomers have performed multi-frequency polarimetric observations of a quasar often called 1604+159. Outcomes of the observational marketing campaign, published August 13 on the pre-print server arXiv, shed extra gentle on the properties of this quasar, together with its morphology and magnetic discipline.

Quasars, or quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) are active galactic nuclei (AGN) of very excessive luminosity, emitting electromagnetic radiation observable in radio, infrared, seen, ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths.

They’re among the many brightest and most distant objects within the recognized universe, and function elementary instruments for quite a few research in astrophysics in addition to cosmology. For example, quasars have been used to analyze the large-scale construction of the universe and the period of reionization. In addition they improved our understanding of the dynamics of supermassive black holes and the intergalactic medium.

At a redshift of roughly 0.5, 1604+159 is a low-spectral peaked (LSP) quasar with a linear scale of 19,750 gentle years/arcsecond. Earlier observations have discovered that it has flat radio spectral and low radio variability.

Aiming to get extra insights into the properties of 1604+159, a crew of astronomers led by Xu-Zhi Hu of Shanghai Astronomical Observatory in China, has noticed this quasar with the American Very Lengthy Baseline Array (VLBA) and the Very Giant Array (VLA).

“This work incorporates one commentary with the Very Lengthy Baseline Array and three observations with the Very Giant Array, all in dual-polarization mode,” the researchers defined.

The observations present that 1604+159 has a number of lobes and bulges, which collectively kind a cocoon form. Furthermore, the photographs present a number of bulges surrounding the core, jets, and hotspots are in direction of the quasar’s edges. The biggest construction detected reaches about 50 arcseconds.

In accordance with the paper, 1604+159 has a worldwide helical magnetic discipline extending from the jet base to the outer jet area. The helical magnetic field has a big intrinsic pitch angle, of about 80 levels, within the jet relaxation body.

The research detected polarization on the core of 1604+159. This polarization seems to be regular to the sides of the construction. Nonetheless, the fractional polarization turned as much as be comparatively excessive—about 60%. That is roughly 15% greater than that of the core.

The observations discovered that the jet of the quasar typically propagates in a collimating construction with a number of slight bends. Because it bends, the jet exhibits robust polarized depth and excessive fractional polarization in direction of the bending edge.

The authors of the paper conclude that the outcomes recommend that it might be within the stage when the cocoon expands. Attributable to this, shocks, fashioned throughout the enlargement, warmth the interstellar medium, contributing to the jet-driven AGN suggestions.

Extra info:
Xu-Zhi Hu et al, Magnetic Subject of the Quasar 1604+159 from Parsec to Kilo-parsec Scale, arXiv (2024). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2408.06647

Journal info:
arXiv


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Quotation:
Astronomers discover the properties of quasar 1604+159 (2024, August 20)
retrieved 21 August 2024
from https://phys.org/information/2024-08-astronomers-explore-properties-quasar.html

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