Context.
IceCube has reported a very-high-energy neutrino (IceCube-170922A) in a region containing the blazar
TXS 0506+056
. Correlated gamma-ray activity has led to the first high-probability ...association of a high-energy neutrino with an extragalactic source. This blazar has been found to be in a radio outburst during the neutrino event.
Aims.
Our goal is to probe the sub-milliarcsecond properties of the radio jet right after the neutrino detection and during the further evolution of the radio outburst.
Methods.
We performed target of opportunity observations at 43 GHz frequency using very long baseline interferometry imaging, corresponding to 7 mm in wavelength, with the Very Long Baseline Array two and eight months after the neutrino event.
Results.
We produced two images of the radio jet of TXS 0506+056 at 43 GHz with angular resolutions of (0.2 × 1.1) mas and (0.2 × 0.5) mas, respectively. The source shows a compact, high brightness temperature core, albeit not approaching the equipartition limit and a bright and originally very collimated inner jet. Beyond approximately 0.5 mas from the millimeter-VLBI core, the jet loses this tight collimation and expands rapidly. During the months after the neutrino event associated with this source, the overall flux density is rising. This flux density increase happens solely within the core. Notably, the core expands in size with apparent superluminal velocity during these six months so that the brightness temperature drops by a factor of three despite the strong flux density increase.
Conclusions.
The radio jet of TXS 0506+056 shows strong signs of deceleration and/or a spine-sheath structure within the inner 1 mas, corresponding to about 70–140 pc in deprojected distance, from the millimeter-VLBI core. This structure is consistent with theoretical models that attribute the neutrino and gamma-ray production in TXS 0506+056 to interactions of electrons and protons in the highly relativistic jet spine with external photons originating from a slower moving jet region. Proton loading due to jet-star interactions in the inner host galaxy is suggested as the possible cause of deceleration.
Over the past few decades, our knowledge of jets produced by active galactic nuclei (AGN) has greatly progressed thanks to the development of very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI). Nevertheless, ...the crucial mechanisms involved in the formation of the plasma flow, as well as those driving its exceptional radiative output up to TeV energies, remain to be clarified. Most likely, these physical processes take place at short separations from the supermassive black hole, on scales which are inaccessible to VLBI observations at centimeter wavelengths. Due to their high synchrotron opacity, the dense and highly magnetized regions in the vicinity of the central engine can only be penetrated when observing at shorter wavelengths, in the millimeter and sub-millimeter regimes. While this was recognized already in the early days of VLBI, it was not until the very recent years that sensitive VLBI imaging at high frequencies has become possible. Ongoing technical development and wide band observing now provide adequate imaging fidelity to carry out more detailed analyses. In this article, we overview some open questions concerning the physics of AGN jets, and we discuss the impact of mm-VLBI studies. Among the rich set of results produced so far in this frequency regime, we particularly focus on studies performed at 43 GHz (7 mm) and at 86 GHz (3 mm). Some of the first findings at 230 GHz (1 mm) obtained with the Event Horizon Telescope are also presented.
To face the challenges posed by climate change, environmental R&D and innovation are critical factors if we hope to cut emissions; yet, investment in environmental R&D remains below the social ...optimum. The aim of this paper is to analyse the determinants of investment in environmental innovation and to detect the differences, if any, with the determinants of investment in general innovation. In addition, this paper examines the relationship between environmental innovation R&D expenditure and a range of policy instruments, including environmental regulation and other policy measures including R&D subsidies and environmental taxes. The empirical analysis is carried out for 22 manufacturing sectors in Spain for the period 2008–2013. To overcome problems of data availability, we construct a comprehensive database from different surveys. The main implications from our results are (1). Managerial strategy appears as a relevant driver of environmental R&D investments. (2) The establishment of a policy mix between environmental, energy and technological regulatory measures is recommended. (3) The promotion of self-regulation through actions that encourage companies to follow a policy that affects their energy efficiency and is environmentally friendly.
•Analysis of the environmental innovation investment.•Link between environmental innovation and policy instruments.•Use of a policy mix instruments enhances environmental innovation.
Abstract
We have analyzed the parsec-scale jet kinematics of 447 bright radio-loud active active galactic nuclei (AGN), based on 15 GHz Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) data obtained between 1994 ...August 31 and 2019 August 4. We present new total intensity and linear polarization maps obtained between 2017 January 1 and 2019 August 4 for 143 of these AGN. We tracked 1923 bright features for five or more epochs in 419 jets. The majority (60%) of the well-sampled jet features show either accelerated or nonradial motion. In 47 jets there is at least one nonaccelerating feature with an unusually slow apparent speed. Most of the jets show variations of 10°–50° in their inner jet position angle (PA) over time, although the overall distribution has a continuous tail out to 200°. AGN with spectral energy distributions peaked at lower frequencies tend to have more variable PAs, with BL Lac objects being less variable than quasars. The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) gamma-ray-associated AGN also tend to have more variable PAs than the non-LAT AGN in our sample. We attribute these trends to smaller viewing angles for the lower spectral peaked and LAT-associated jets. We identified 13 AGN where multiple features emerge over decade-long periods at systematically increasing or decreasing PAs. Since the ejected features do not fill the entire jet cross section, this behavior is indicative of a precessing flow instability near the jet base. Although some jets show indications of oscillatory PA evolution, we claim no bona fide cases of periodicity since the fitted periods are comparable to the total VLBA time coverage.
We report results from a deep polarization imaging of the nearby radio galaxy 3C 84 (NGC 1275). The source was observed with the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA) at 86 GHz at an ultrahigh angular ...resolution of 50 μas (corresponding to ∼200Rs). We also add complementary multiwavelength data from the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA; 15 and 43 GHz) and from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA; 97.5, 233.0 and 343.5 GHz). At 86 GHz, we measured a fractional linear polarization of ∼2% in the VLBI core region. The polarization morphology suggests that the emission is associated with an underlying limb-brightened jet. The fractional linear polarization is lower at 43 and 15 GHz (∼0.3−0.7% and <0.1%, respectively). This suggests an increasing linear polarization degree toward shorter wavelengths on VLBI scales. We also obtain a large rotation measure (RM) of ∼105–6 rad m2 in the core at ≳43 GHz. Moreover, the VLBA 43 GHz observations show a variable RM in the VLBI core region during a small flare in 2015. Faraday depolarization and Faraday conversion in an inhomogeneous and mildly relativistic plasma could explain the observed linear polarization characteristics and the previously measured frequency dependence of the circular polarization. Our Faraday depolarization modeling suggests that the RM most likely originates from an external screen with a highly uniform RM distribution. To explain the large RM value, the uniform RM distribution and the RM variability, we suggest that the Faraday rotation is caused by a boundary layer in a transversely stratified jet. Based on the RM and the synchrotron spectrum of the core, we provide an estimate for the magnetic field strength and the electron density of the jet plasma.
Abstract Background and aims Epidemiologic and biological evidence supports an inverse association between polyphenol consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, no previous ...studies have prospectively evaluated the relationship between polyphenol intake and the incidence of CVD in such a comprehensive way. The aim was to evaluate the association between intakes of total polyphenol and polyphenol subgroups, and the risk of major cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke or death from cardiovascular causes) in the PREDIMED study. Methods and results The present work is an observational study within the PREDIMED trial. Over an average of 4.3 years of follow-up, there were 273 confirmed cases of CVD among the 7172 participants (96.3%) who completed a validated 137-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at baseline. Polyphenol consumption was calculated by matching food consumption data from the FFQ with the Phenol-Explorer database on polyphenol content of each reported food. After multivariate adjustment, a 46% reduction in risk of CVD risk was observed comparing Q5 vs. Q1 of total polyphenol intake (HR = 0.54; 95% confidence interval CI = 0.33–0.91; P -trend = 0.04). The polyphenols with the strongest inverse associations were flavanols (HR = 0.40; CI 0.23–0.72; P -trend = 0.003), lignans (HR = 0.51; CI 0.30–0.86; P -trend = 0.007), and hydroxybenzoic acids (HR = 0.47; CI 0.26–0.86; P -trend 0.02). Conclusion Greater intake of polyphenols, especially from lignans, flavanols, and hydroxybenzoic acids, was associated with decreased CVD risk. Clinical trials are needed to confirm this effect and establish accurate dietary recommendations. Clinical trial registry : International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN of London, England) 35739639.
Context.
With the increase in the sensitivity and resolution of radio interferometry within recent years, the study of the collimation and acceleration region of extragalactic jets in active galactic ...nuclei (AGN) has come into focus. Whereas a large fraction of AGN jets show a change from parabolic to conical collimation profile around the Bondi radius, there is a small number of sources that display a deviation from this standard picture, including the radio galaxy NGC 1052.
Aims.
We study the jet width profile, which provides valuable information about the interplay between the central engine and accretion disk system and the formation, acceleration, and collimation of the jets.
Methods.
We observed the double-sided, low-radio-power active galaxy NGC 1052 at six frequencies with the VLBA in 2017 and at 22 GHz with RadioAstron in 2016. These data are combined with archival 15, 22, and 43 GHz multi-epoch VLBA observations. From ridge-line fitting we obtained width measurements along the jet and counter-jet which were fitted with single and broken power laws.
Results.
We find a clear break point in the jet collimation profile at ∼10
4
R
S
(Schwarzschild radii). Downstream of the break, the collimation is conical with a power-law index of 1.0 − 1.2 (cylindrical 0; parabolic 0.5; conical 1) for both jets. On the other hand, the upstream power-law index of 0.36 for the approaching jet is neither cylindrical nor parabolic, and the value of 0.16 for the receding jet suggests this latter is close-to cylindrical. For both jets we find a large opening angle of ∼30° at a distance of ∼10
3
R
S
and well-collimated structures with an opening angle of < 10° downstream of the break.
Conclusions.
There are significant differences between the upstream collimation profiles of the approaching (eastern) and receding (western) jets. Absorption or scattering in the surrounding torus as well as an accretion wind may mimic a cylindrical profile. We need to increase the observing frequencies, which do not suffer from absorption, in order to find the true jet collimation profile upstream of 10
4
R
S
.
Abstract
We present multiepoch, parsec-scale core brightness temperature observations of 447 active galactic nucleus (AGN) jets from the MOJAVE and 2 cm Survey programs at 15 GHz from 1994 to 2019. ...The brightness temperature of each jet over time is characterized by its median value and variability. We find that the range of median brightness temperatures for AGN jets in our sample is much larger than the variations within individual jets, consistent with Doppler boosting being the primary difference between the brightness temperatures of jets in their median state. We combine the observed median brightness temperatures with apparent jet speed measurements to find the typical intrinsic Gaussian brightness temperature of 4.1( ± 0.6) × 10
10
K, suggesting that jet cores are at or below equipartition between particle and magnetic field energy in their median state. We use this value to derive estimates for the Doppler factor for every source in our sample. For the 309 jets with both apparent speed and brightness temperature data, we estimate their Lorentz factors and viewing angles to the line of sight. Within the BL Lac optical class, we find that high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacs have smaller Doppler factors, lower Lorentz factors, and larger angles to the line of sight than intermediate and low-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacs. We confirm that AGN jets with larger Doppler factors measured in their parsec-scale radio cores are more likely to be detected in
γ
rays, and we find a strong correlation between
γ
-ray luminosity and Doppler factor for the detected sources.
Aims. We investigate the dependence of γ-ray brightness of blazars on intrinsic properties of their parsec-scale radio jets and the implication for relativistic beaming. Methods. By combining ...apparent jet speeds derived from high-resolution VLBA images from the MOJAVE program with millimetre-wavelength flux density monitoring data from Metsähovi Radio Observatory, we estimate the jet Doppler factors, Lorentz factors, and viewing angles for a sample of 62 blazars. We study the trends in these quantities between the sources which were detected in γ-rays by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) during its first three months of science operations and those which were not detected. Results. The LAT-detected blazars have on average higher Doppler factors than non-LAT-detected blazars, as has been implied indirectly in several earlier studies. We find statistically significant differences in the viewing angle distributions between γ-ray bright and weak sources. Most interestingly, γ-ray bright blazars have a distribution of comoving frame viewing angles that is significantly narrower than that of γ-ray weak blazars and centred roughly perpendicular to the jet axis. The lack of γ-ray bright blazars at large comoving frame viewing angles can be explained by relativistic beaming of γ-rays, while the apparent lack of γ-ray bright blazars at small comoving frame viewing angles, if confirmed with larger samples, may suggest an intrinsic anisotropy or Lorentz factor dependence of the γ-ray emission.
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