3C 120: Connection between the optical variability and superluminal components of the millisecond radio structure

Belokon, E. T.

doi:10.1007/bf01012448

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…An efficient way to identify a region responsible for the production of the variable optical continuum emission in radioloud AGN is to combine long-term optical monitoring and regular very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations. A link between the optical emission and relativistic jet in 3C 120 was suggested by Belokon (1987), based on a correlation found between the optical outburst and ejections of plasma clouds (jet components) in the jet. Using the ra- dio and optical data available from 14 years monitoring of the radio galaxy 3C 390.3, Arshakian et al (2008Arshakian et al ( , 2009 found that ejections of new components can be associated with optical flares occurring on time scales from months to years and reaching their maxima during passages of the jet components through a stationary emitting region in the inner jet, at a distance of ∼ 0.5 pc from the jet origin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Relativistic Plasma as the Dominant Source of the Optical Continuum Emission in the Broad-Line Radio Galaxy 3c 120

Leon-Tavares

Lobanov

Chavushyan

et al. 2010

ApJ

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We report a relation between radio emission in the inner jet of the Seyfert galaxy 3C 120 and optical continuum emission in this galaxy. Combining the optical variability data with multi-epoch high-resolution very long baseline interferometry observations reveals that an optical flare rises when a superluminal component emerges into the jet and its maxima is related to the passage of such component through the location a stationary feature at a distance of ≈1.3 parsecs from the jet origin. This indicates that a significant fraction of the optical continuum produced in 3C 120 is non-thermal and it can ionize material in a sub-relativistic wind or outflow. We discuss implications of this finding for the ionization and structure of the broad emission line region, as well as for the use of broad emission lines for determining black hole masses in radio-loud AGN.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Relativistic Plasma as the Dominant Source of the Optical Continuum Emission in the Broad-Line Radio Galaxy 3c 120

Leon-Tavares

Lobanov

Chavushyan

et al. 2010

ApJ

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“…This model was further developed for investigation of different radio properties of radiogalaxies and quasars . The back extrapolated time of VLBI outbursts approximately coincides with strong optical, Xray and gamma-ray flares (Kinman 1977;Belokon 1988;Krichbaum et al 1995;Otterbein et al 1998) which is in favor of this model. The idea of matter outbursts from centers of galaxies was first proposed by Ambartsumian (1958), and this has been confirmed by numerous observations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Origin of Blazar Activity

Romanova

1999

Symp. - Int. Astron. Union

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Models of Blazars based on the propagation of finite discontinuities or fronts in the Poynting flux jet from the innermost regions of an accretion disk around a black hole are discussed. Such fronts may be responsible for short time-scale (from less than hours to days) flares in different wavebands from high frequency radioband to TeV, with delay in low radio frequencies as a result of synchrotron self-absorption. The cases of magnetic fields of one and opposite polarities across the front are investigated. We find that annihilation of magnetic field in the front leads to higher energy spectrum of leptons and possibility of strong TeV flares. Electron-positron pairs form in most cases as a result of interaction between numerous synchrotron photons and SSC photons, and constitute the majority species, compared with the ions at subparsec scales. Frequent weak outbursts may be responsible for flickering core radiation in all wavebands, while the stronger outbursts may be observed as short time-scale flares.

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“…3C 390.3 and 3C 120 Arshakian et al (2010) and León-Tavares et al (2010) found that for the radio galaxies 3C 390.3 † and 3C 120 ‡, the variable optical continuum starts to rise when a new superluminal component leaves the radio core seen at 15 GHz and its maximum occurs when the component passes through a stationary feature located downstream of the radio core. Since these two radio galaxies are known to reverberate (Shapovalova et al 2010;Grier et al 2012), in the sense that the Hβ broad emission line responds to changes in the optical continuum, the authors conclude that the jet can power a significant amount of broad-line emission particularly during strong non-thermal continuum flares from the jet (see also Belokon' 1987 andPerez et al 1989).…”

Section: C 4543mentioning

confidence: 99%

The link between broad emission line fluctuations and non-thermal emission from the inner AGN jet

et al. 2014

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Abstract. AGN reverberate when the broad emission lines respond to changes of the ionizing thermal continuum emission. Reverberation measurements have been commonly used to estimate the size of the broad-line region (BLR) and the mass of the central black hole. However, reverberation mapping studies have been mostly performed on radio-quiet sources where the contribution of the jet can be neglected. In radio-loud AGN, jets and outflows may affect substantially the relation observed between the ionizing continuum and the line emission. To investigate this relation, we have conducted a series of multi-wavelength studies of radio-loud AGN, combining optical spectral line monitoring with regular VLBI observations. Our results suggest that at least a fraction of the broad-line emitting material can be located in a subrelativistic outflow ionized by non-thermal continuum emission generated in the jet at large distances (> 1 pc) from the central engine of AGN. This finding may have a strong impact on black hole mass estimates based on measured widths of the broad emission lines and on the gamma-ray emission mechanisms.

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3C 120: Connection between the optical variability and superluminal components of the millisecond radio structure

Cited by 7 publications

References 26 publications

Relativistic Plasma as the Dominant Source of the Optical Continuum Emission in the Broad-Line Radio Galaxy 3c 120

Relativistic Plasma as the Dominant Source of the Optical Continuum Emission in the Broad-Line Radio Galaxy 3c 120

Origin of Blazar Activity

The link between broad emission line fluctuations and non-thermal emission from the inner AGN jet

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