Abstract
We present the first 1.3mm (230GHz) very long baseline interferometry model image of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) jet using closure phase techniques with a four-element array. The model image of the quasar 1924-292 was obtained with four telescopes at three observatories: the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the Arizona Radio Observatory's Submillimeter Telescope in Arizona, and two telescopes of the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy in California in 2009 April. With the greatly improved resolution compared with previous observations and robust closure phase measurement, the inner jet structure of 1924-292 was spatially resolved. The inner jet extends to the northwest along a position angle of -53° at a distance of 0.38mas from the tentatively identified core, in agreement with the inner jet structure inferred from lower frequencies, and making a position angle difference of ∼80° with respect to the centimeter jet. The size of the compact core is 0.15pc with a brightness temperature of 1.2 × 10 11K. Compared with those measured at lower frequencies, the low brightness temperature may argue in favor of the decelerating jet model or particle-cascade models. The successful measurement of closure phase paves the way for imaging and time resolving Sgr A* and nearby AGNs with the Event Horizon Telescope.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | L14 |
Journal | Astrophysical Journal Letters |
Volume | 757 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 20 2012 |
Keywords
- galaxies: active
- galaxies: jets
- quasars: individual (1924-292)
- radio continuum: general
- techniques: high angular resolution
- techniques: interferometric
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science