Related papers: Spectral evolution of flaring blazars from numeric…
The dynamics and stability of extragalactic jets may be strongly influenced by small (and probable) differences in pressure between the jet and the ambient and within the jet itself. The former give rise to expansion and recollimation of…
The radio light curve and spectral evolution of the blazar CTA 102 during its 2006 outburst can be rather well explained by the standard shock-in-jet model. The results of a pixel-to-pixel spectral analysis of multi-frequency VLBI images,…
Jets in blazars are an excellent forum for studying acceleration at relativistic shocks using the highly-variable emission seen across the electromagnetic spectrum. Our recent work on combining multi-wavelength leptonic emission models with…
On the kiloparsec scale, extragalactic radio jets show two distinct morphologies related to their power: collimated high-power jets ending in a bright termination shock and low-power jets opening up close to the core and showing a more…
Context.Blazars, a sub-category of Active Galactic Nuclei, are characterized by their non-thermal variable emission. This emission extends over the whole electromagnetic spectrum and is a consequence of particle acceleration inside their…
Parsec-scale VLBA images of BL Lac at 15 GHz show that the jet contains a permanent quasi-stationary emission feature 0.26 mas (0.34 pc projected) from the core, along with numerous moving features. In projection, the tracks of the moving…
The analysis of the radio light curves of the blazar CTA102 during its 2006 flare revealed a possible interaction between a standing shock wave and a traveling one. In order to better understand this highly non-linear process, we used a…
The dissipation of energy flux in blazar jets plays a key role in the acceleration of relativistic particles. Two possibilities are commonly considered for the dissipation processes, magnetic reconnection -- possibly triggered by…
We present results of simultaneous dual-frequency (2 GHz and 8 GHz) very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of 12 active galactic nuclei with prominent jets. Spectral properties of the jets and evolution of their brightness…
The non-thermal spectra of jetted active galactic nuclei show a variety of shapes in their low- and high energy components. In some of the brightest Fermi-LAT blazars, prominent spectral breaks at a few GeV have been regularly detected,…
Flares in radio-loud AGN are thought to be associated with the injection of fresh plasma into the compact jet base. Such flares are usually strongest and appear earlier at shorter radio wavelengths. Hence, VLBI at mm-wavelengths is best…
Diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) at relativistic shocks is likely to be an important acceleration mechanism in various astrophysical jet sources, including radio-loud AGN. An important recent development for blazar science is the ability…
We performed multifrequency multiepoch Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of the blazar CTA 102 during its 2006 radio flare, the strongest ever reported for this source. These observations provide an excellent opportunity to…
As part of a program to identify the physical conditions in the jets of gamma-ray-flaring blazars detected by Fermi, including the role of shocks in the production of high-energy flaring, we obtained 4 years of 3-frequency, centimeter-band…
As part of a program to investigate jet flow conditions during GeV gamma-ray flares detected by Fermi, we are using UMRAO multi-frequency, centimeter-band total flux density and linear polarization monitoring observations to constrain…
The author presents a model for variability of the flux and polarization of blazars in which turbulent plasma flowing at a relativistic speed down a jet crosses a standing conical shock. The shock compresses the plasma and accelerates…
Broadband emission from relativistic outflows (jets) of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) contains valuable information about the nature of the jet itself, and about the central engine which launches it. Using special…
The transverse stratification of active galactic nuclei (AGN) jets is suggested by observations and theoretical arguments, as a consequence of intrinsic properties of the central engine (accretion disc + black hole) and external medium. On…
Supermassive black holes at the centre of active galactic nuclei power some of the most luminous objects in the Universe. Typically, very long baseline interferometric (VLBI) observations of blazars have revealed only funnel-like…
We present a high-frequency very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) kinematical study of the BL Lac object S5 0716+714 over the time period of September 2008 to October 2010. The aim of the study is to investigate the relation of the jet…