Hostname: page-component-89b8bd64d-j4x9h Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-09T13:47:20.579Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Factors Determining Variability Time in Active Galactic Nucleus Jets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

R. J. Protheroe
R. J. Protheroe*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; rprother@physics.adelaide.edu.au
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the 'Save PDF' action button.

The relationship between observed variability time and emission region geometry is explored for the case of emission by relativistic jets.The approximate formula for the jet-frame size of the emission region, R′ = D cΔt obs, is shown to lead to large systematic errors when used together with observed luminosity and assumed or estimated Doppler factor D to estimate the jet-frame photon energy density. These results have implications for AGN models in which low-energy photons are targets for interaction of high energy particles and photons, e.g. synchrotron-self Compton models and hadronic blazar models, as well as models of intraday variable sources in which the photon energy density imposes a brightness temperature limit through Compton scattering.

The actual relationship between emission region geometry and observed variability is discussed for a variety of geometries including cylinders, spheroids, bent, helical and conical jet structures, and intrinsic variability models including shock excitation. The effects of time delays due to finite particle acceleration and radiation timescales are also discussed.

Keywords

acceleration of particlesBL Lacertae objects: generalgalaxies: activegalaxies: jetsquasars: generalradio continuum: galaxiesX-rays: galaxies

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia , Volume 19 , Issue 4 , 2002 , pp. 486 - 498
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 2002

References

Agudo, I, Gomez, J.-L., Marti, J.-M., Ibanez, J.-M., Marscher, A. P., Alberdi, A., Aloy, M.-A., & Hardee, P. E. 2001, ApJ, 549, L183 Google Scholar
Aloy, M.-A., Ibanez, J.-M., Marti, J. M., Gomez, J.-L., & Muller, E. 1999, ApJ, 523, L125 Google Scholar
Bednarek, W., & Protheroe, R. J. 1997, MNRAS, 292, 646 Google Scholar
Bednarek, W., & Protheroe, R. J. 1999, MNRAS, 310, 577 Google Scholar
Bowman, M. 1994, MNRAS, 269, 137 Google Scholar
Camenzind, M. 1986, A&A, 156, 136 Google Scholar
Catanese, M., et al. 1998, ApJ, 501, 616 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chadwick, P. M., et al. 1999, ApJ, 513, 161 Google Scholar
Despringre, V., & Fraix-Burnet, D. 1997, A&A, 320, 26 Google Scholar
Gaidos, J. A., et al. 1996, Nature, 383, 319 Google Scholar
Giebels, B., et al. 2002, ApJ, 571, 763 Google Scholar
Gomez, L. L., Marti, J. M., Marscher, A. P., Ibanez, J. M., & Alberdi, A. 1997, ApJ, 482, L33 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hardee, P. E. 2000, ApJ, 533, 176 Google Scholar
Hartman, R. C., et al. 1999, ApJS, 123, 79 Google Scholar
Hayashida, N., et al. 1998, ApJ, 504, L71 Google Scholar
Kardashev, N. S. 2000, ARep, 44, 719 Google Scholar
Kedziora-Chudczer, L., et al. 1997, ApJ, 490, L9 Google Scholar
Kellerman, K. I., & Pauliny-Toth, I. I. K. 1969, ApJ, 155, L71 Google Scholar
Kifune, T. 2002, PASA, 19, 1 Google Scholar
Kniffen, D. A., et al. 1993, ApJ, 411, 133 Google Scholar
Konopelko, A., et al. 1999, APh, 11, 135 Google Scholar
Lind, K. R., & Blandford, R. D. 1985, ApJ, 295, 358 Google Scholar
Mannheim, K., & Biermann, P. L. 1989, A&A, 221, 211 Google Scholar
Mannheim, K., Protheroe, R. J., & Rachen, J. 2001, PhRvD, 63, 023003Google Scholar
Marcowith, A., Henri, G., & Pelletier, G. 1995, MNRAS, 277, 681 Google Scholar
Mendoza, S., & Longair, M. S. 2001, MNRAS, 324, 149 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mücke, A., & Protheroe, R. J. 2001, APh, 15, 121 Google Scholar
Mücke, A., Protheroe, R. J., Engel, R., Rachen, J., & Stanev, T. 2002, APh, in pressGoogle Scholar
Mukherjee, R., et al. 1997, ApJ, 490, 116 Google Scholar
Protheroe, R. J. 1997, in Accretion Phenomena and Related Outflows, IAU Colloquium 163, ASP Conf. Series 121, ed. D.T. Wickramasinghe et al. (San Francisco: ASP), 585 Google Scholar
Protheroe, R. J., et al. 1998, Invited, Rapporteur, and Highlight Papers of the 25th International Cosmic Ray Conference (Durban), ed. M. S. Potgieter et al. (Singapore: World Scientific), 317 Google Scholar
Protheroe, R. J. 2002, MNRAS, submittedGoogle Scholar
Punch, M., et al. 1992, Nature, 358, 477 Google Scholar
Qian, S.-J., et al. 1992, ChA&A, 16, 137 Google Scholar
Quinn, J., et al. 1996, ApJ, 456, L83 Google Scholar
Rantakyro, F. T., et al. 1998, A&AS, 131, 451 Google Scholar
Rieger, E. M., & Mannheim, K. 2000, A&A, 359, 948 Google Scholar
Rosen, A. 1990, ApJ, 359, 296 Google Scholar
Salonen, E., et al. 1987, A&AS, 70, 409 Google Scholar
Salvati, M., Spada, M., & Pacini, F. 1998, ApJ, 495, L19 Google Scholar
Schramm, K.-J., et al. 1993, A&A, 278, 391 Google Scholar
Spada, M., Salvati, M., & Pacini, F. 1999, ApJ, 511, 136 Google Scholar
Steffen, W., Zensus, J. A., Krichbaum, T. P., Witzel, A., & Qian, S. J. 1995, A&A, 302, 335 Google Scholar
Tateyama, C. E., et al. 1998, ApJ, 500, 810 Google Scholar
Terasranta, H., et al. 1992, A&AS, 94, 121 Google Scholar
Urry, C. M., & Padovani, P. 1995, PASP, 107, 803 Google Scholar
Villata, M., & Raiteri, C. M. 1999, A&A, 347, 30 Google Scholar
von Montigny, C., et al. 1995, ApJ, 440, 525 Google Scholar
Wagner, S. J., & Witzel, A. 1995, ARA&A, 33, 163 Google Scholar
Walker, M. A. 1998, MNRAS, 294, 307 Google Scholar