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Compact and variable radio emission from an active galaxy with supersoft X-ray emission
- Source :
- The Astrophysical Journal, The Astrophysical Journal, 2022, 935, ⟨10.3847/1538-4357/ac80ba⟩
- Publication Year :
- 2022
- Publisher :
- arXiv, 2022.
-
Abstract
- RX J1301.9+2747 is a unique active galaxy with supersoft X-ray spectrum that lacks significant emission at energies above 2 keV. In addition, it is one of few galaxies displaying quasi-periodic X-ray eruptions that recur on a timescale of 13-20 ks. We present multi-epoch radio observations of RX J1301.9+2747 using GMRT, VLA and VLBA. The VLBA imaging at 1.6 GHz reveals a compact radio emission unresolved at a scale of 5x10^7 K. The radio emission is variable by more than a factor of 2.5 over a few days, based on the data taken from VLA monitoring campaigns. The short-term radio variability suggests that the radio emitting region has a size as small as 8x10^{-4} pc, resulting in an even higher brightness temperature of T_b ~10^{12} K. A similar limit on the source size can be obtained if the observed flux variability is not intrinsic and caused by the interstellar scintillation effect. The overall radio spectrum is steep with a time-averaged spectral index alpha=-0.78+/-0.03 between 0.89 GHz and 14 GHz. These observational properties rule out a thermal or star-formation origin of the radio emission, and appear to be consistent with the scenario of episodic jet ejections driven by magnetohydrodynamic process. Simultaneous radio and X-ray monitoring observations down to a cadence of hours are required to test whether the compact and variable radio emission is correlated with the quasi-periodic X-ray eruptions.<br />11 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ
- Subjects :
- High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
Active galactic nuclei
Accretion
[SDU.ASTR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]
Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
FOS: Physical sciences
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
Space and Planetary Science
[SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]
Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
Radio jets
Relativistic jets
Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 0004637X and 15384357
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- The Astrophysical Journal, The Astrophysical Journal, 2022, 935, ⟨10.3847/1538-4357/ac80ba⟩
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....7591645f5f65390be1f4633068bef385
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2207.06585