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Extragalactic Jets from Radio to Gamma-rays

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2023

E. Meyer Open the ORCID record for E. Meyer [Opens in a new window] ,
A. Shaik ,
K. Reddy  and
M. Georganopoulos
E. Meyer
Affiliation:
University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Cir, Baltimore MD 21250, USA
A. Shaik
Affiliation:
University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Cir, Baltimore MD 21250, USA
K. Reddy
Affiliation:
School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
M. Georganopoulos
Affiliation:
University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Cir, Baltimore MD 21250, USA NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA
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Abstract

Despite the fact that jets from black holes were first understood to exist over 40 years ago, we are still in ignorance about many primary aspects of these systems – including the radiation mechanism at high energies, the particle makeup of the jets, and how particles are accelerated, possibly to energies as high as 100 TeV and hundreds of kpc from the central engine. We focus in particular on the discovery (and mystery) of strong X-ray emission from radio jets on kpc-scales, enabled by the unequaled high resolution of the Chandra X-ray observatory. We review the main evidence for and against the viable models to explain this X-ray emission over the last 20 years. Finally, we present results of a recent study on the X-ray variability of kpc-scale jets, where we find evidence that between 30-100% of the X-ray jet population is variable at the tens-of-percent level. The short (∼years) variability timescale is incompatible with the IC/CMB model for the X-rays and implies extremely small structures embedded within the kpc-scale jet, and thus requires a reconsideration of many assumptions about jet structure and dynamics.

Keywords

AGNBlazarJetsVariability
Type
Contributed Paper
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 17 , Symposium S375: The Multimessenger Chakra of Blazar Jets , December 2021 , pp. 1 - 8
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Astronomical Union

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