The matter content of the jet in M87: Evidence for an electron-positron jet

被引:217
作者
Reynolds, CS [1 ]
Fabian, AC [1 ]
Celotti, A [1 ]
Rees, MJ [1 ]
机构
[1] SCUOLA INT SUPER STUDI AVANZATI,TRIESTE,ITALY
关键词
elementary particles; plasmas; galaxies; active; individual; M87; jets;
D O I
10.1093/mnras/283.3.873
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
Recent observations have allowed the geometry and kinematics of the M87 jet to be tightly constrained. We combine these constraints with historical Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) results and the theory of synchrotron self-absorbed radio cores in order to investigate the physical properties of the jet. Our results strongly suggest the jet to be dominated by an electron-positron (pair) plasma. Although our conservative constraints cannot conclusively dismiss an electron-proton plasma, the viability of this solution is extremely vulnerable to further tightening of VLBI surface brightness limits. The arguments presented, coupled with future high-resolution multifrequency VLBI studies of the jet core, will be able to firmly distinguish these two possibilities.
引用
收藏
页码:873 / 880
页数:8
相关论文
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