Search results for "Interferometry"
showing 10 items of 343 documents
Polarization calibration techniques for the new-generation VLBI
2020
The calibration and analysis of polarization observations in Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) requires the use of specific algorithms that suffer from several limitations, closely related to assumptions in the data properties that may not hold in observations taken with new-generation VLBI equipment. Nowadays, the instantaneous bandwidth achievable with VLBI backends can be as high as several GHz, covering several radio bands simultaneously. In addition, the sensitivity of VLBI observations with state-of-the-art equipment may reach dynamic ranges of tens of thousands, both in total intensity and in polarization. In this paper, we discuss the impact of the limitations of common VLBI …
Radio and gamma-ray properties of extragalactic jets from the TANAMI sample
2016
Using high-resolution radio imaging with VLBI techniques, the TANAMI program has been observing the parsec-scale radio jets of southern (declination south of -30{\deg}) gamma-ray bright AGN simultaneously with Fermi/LAT monitoring of their gamma-ray emission. We present the radio and gamma-ray properties of the TANAMI sources based on one year of contemporaneous TANAMI and Fermi/LAT data. A large fraction (72%) of the TANAMI sample can be associated with bright gamma-ray sources for this time range. Association rates differ for different optical classes with all BL Lacs, 76% of quasars and just 17% of galaxies detected by the LAT. Upper limits were established on the gamma-ray flux from TAN…
Catching the radio flare in CTA 102
2013
We performed multifrequency multiepoch Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of the blazar CTA 102 during its 2006 radio flare, the strongest ever reported for this source. These observations provide an excellent opportunity to investigate the evolution of the physical properties of blazars, especially during these flaring events. We want to study the kinematic changes in the source during the strong radio outburst in April 2006 and test the assumption of a shock-shock interaction. This assumption is based on the analysis and modeling of the single-dish observations of CTA\,102 (Paper I). In this paper we study the kinematics of CTA 102 at several frequencies using VLBI observations.…
VLBA observations of a rare multiple quasar imaging event caused by refraction in the interstellar medium
2013
We report on the first detection of the theoretically-predicted rare phenomenon of multiple parsec-scale imaging of an active galactic nucleus induced by refractive effects due to localized foreground electron density enhancements, e.g., in an AU-scale plasma lens(es) in the ionized component of the Galactic interstellar medium. We detected multiple imaging in the low galactic latitude (b=-2 deg) quasar 2023+335 from the 15.4 GHz MOJAVE observations when the source was undergoing an ESE. While the parsec-scale jet of the source normally extends along PA -20 deg, in the 28 May 2009 and 23 July 2009 images a highly significant multi-component pattern of secondary images is stretched out nearl…
Discovery of off-axis jet structure of TeV blazar Mrk 501 with mm-VLBI
2016
Context. High-resolution millimeter wave very-long-baseline interferometry (mm-VLBI) is an ideal tool for probing the structure at the base of extragalactic jets in detail. The TeV blazar Mrk 501 is one of the best targets among BL Lac objects for studying the nature of off-axis jet structures because it shows different jet position angles at different scales. Aims. The aim of this study is to investigate the properties of the off-axis jet structure through high-resolution mm-VLBI images at the jet base and physical parameters such as kinematics, flux densities, and spectral indices. Methods. We performed Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations over six epochs from 2012 February to 201…
The role of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the internal structure of relativistic outflows. The case of the jet in 3C 273
2006
Relativistic outflows represent one of the best-suited tools to probe the physics of AGN. Numerical modelling of internal structure of the relativistic outflows on parsec scales provides important clues about the conditions and dynamics of the material in the immediate vicinity of the central black holes in AGN. We investigate possible causes of the structural patterns and regularities observed in the parsec-scale jet of the well-known quasar 3C 273. We present here the results from a 3D relativistic hydrodynamics numerical simulation based on the parameters given for the jet by Lobanov & Zensus (2001), and one in which the effects of jet precession and the injection of discrete compone…
Space-borne Bose–Einstein condensation for precision interferometry
2018
Space offers virtually unlimited free-fall in gravity. Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) enables ineffable low kinetic energies corresponding to pico- or even femtokelvins. The combination of both features makes atom interferometers with unprecedented sensitivity for inertial forces possible and opens a new era for quantum gas experiments. On January 23, 2017, we created Bose-Einstein condensates in space on the sounding rocket mission MAIUS-1 and conducted 110 experiments central to matter-wave interferometry. In particular, we have explored laser cooling and trapping in the presence of large accelerations as experienced during launch, and have studied the evolution, manipulation and interf…
Space-VLBI phase-reference mapping and astrometry
2001
We present 5 GHz space-VLBI observations of the quasar pair B1342+662/B1342+663 that demonstrate the feasibility of phase-reference techniques using an antenna in space. The space-based data were taken by the satellite HALCA, of the space-VLBI mission VSOP. From residual (referenced) phases we derive an upper bound of 10 meters to the uncertainty of the spacecraft orbit reconstruction. An analysis of the phase-reference maps of the sources additionally suggests that the above mentioned uncertaintyis likely not larger than 3 meters. With errors of this magnitude, HALCA is a useful tool for astrometric studies of close pairs of radio sources.
Evaluation of the bending behaviour of laminated glass beams via electronic speckle pattern interferometry
2017
The paper is devoted to the experimental analysis of the kinematical and mechanical behaviour of laminated glass beam structures. In particular, the utilized laminated glass specimens are composed of two glass layers bonded by a polymer layer constituted by Ethylene-vinyl acetate whose thickness has been nominally considered as constant for all the specimens. The experimental behaviour of the analyzed specimens is deduced by applying Electronic Speckle- Pattern Interferometry technique; actually, among optical methods this technique (handled by phase-stepping technique) is very effective to obtain a full-field displacement map and to numerically achieve the longitudinal strain. In particula…
First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. IV. Imaging the Central Supermassive Black Hole
2019
We present the first Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) images of M87, using observations from April 2017 at 1.3 mm wavelength. These images show a prominent ring with a diameter of ~40 μas, consistent with the size and shape of the lensed photon orbit encircling the "shadow" of a supermassive black hole. The ring is persistent across four observing nights and shows enhanced brightness in the south. To assess the reliability of these results, we implemented a two-stage imaging procedure. In the first stage, four teams, each blind to the others' work, produced images of M87 using both an established method (CLEAN) and a newer technique (regularized maximum likelihood). This stage allowed us to av…