Center for Astrophysics Research and Technologies Seminar Series
Identifying Compact Symmetric Objects using High-Resolution VLBA Imaging
Presented by Evan Sheldahl (UNM)
Compact symmetric objects (CSOs) are a specific type of radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) that are less than 1 kiloparsec in size and have their radio jets aligned close to the plane of the sky as to appear symmetrical about their center of emission. This is in contrast to the vast majority of known radio AGN, whose jets are pointed closer to our line of sight, introducing temporal variability and resulting in a “core-jet” morphology where only one jet is visible. Due to kinematic studies, we also know radio jets from CSOs are short-lived, with a majority of them being only a few thousand years old at most. Because of the small size of CSOs, the fact that their sizes can be verified more easily since they are edge-on, and their short-lived radio emission, they are ideal for studying how galaxies and jets evolve and affect their immediate surroundings. In order to contribute to the list of known CSOs, we searched through the literature for mentions of CSOs and other compact radio sources and observed 167 different CSO candidate sources using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). By creating high-resolution images and spectral index maps of these sources, we can distinguish their various morphological components with the hope of determining which of the candidates are bona fide CSOs.
2:00 pm, Thursday, April 6, 2023
PAIS-3205, PAIS
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