GMVA14B-428
3 mm Imaging of the Most Compact Regions of Gamma-Ray Blazars
Abstract
We propose to image 16 gamma-ray bright blazars at 3 mm during the GMVA sessions in autumn 2014 & spring 2015. A major goal is to refine the data processing and imaging procedures for short mm-wave VLBI to help the development of 1 mm VLBI. The same objects are monitored monthly with the VLBA at 7 mm to follow the time evolution of the jet and continuously at gamma-ray energies with Fermi as well as at intermediate wavebands with a wide variety of instruments. Another aim of the GMVA observations is to identify how the high-energy emission relates to moving & stationary shock waves, bends, and other physical structures in the core region. We will accomplish this by total and polarized intensity imaging with angular resolution of about 50 microarcsec. The 3 mm images will (1) probe the core region where opacity and limited resolution make this difficult at 7 mm, (2) provide angular sizes and spectra of the most compact features for determining physical parameters, and (3) measure the polarization of core and inner jet at 86 GHz, which can be compared with those at 43 GHz (VLBA) and at 22 GHz (RadioAstron + ground arrays).
Investigators
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Michael Bremer | Institut de Radio Astronomique Millimétrique |
| Yuri Kovalev | Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie |
| Andrei Lobanov | Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie |
| Nicholas MacDonald | Boston University; Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie; Mississippi, University of |
| Mason Keck | Boston University |
| Ivan Agudo | Boston University; Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry European Research Infrastructure Consortium; Andalucía, Instituto de Astrofísica de; Andalucía, Instituto de Astrofísica de |
| Bindu Rani | Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie |
| Jose L. Gomez | Andalucía, Instituto de Astrofísica de |
| Svetlana Jorstad | Boston University |
| Jeffrey Hodgson | Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie; Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute |
| Thomas Krichbaum | Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie |
| Alan Marscher * | Boston University |
| GBT Operator | Green Bank Observatory |
* indicates the PI