Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-rkxrd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-20T00:27:36.020Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Inverse Compton Effect in Extra-Galactic Radio Sources

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2016

I. D. Johnston
Affiliation:
School of Physics, University of Sydney
G. P. Rothman
Affiliation:
School of Physics, University of Sydney

Extract

It was first pointed out by Hoyle et al. that quasars if they are indeed located at cosmological distances, must be characterized by an extraordinarily large radiation density : and therefore, though their optical and near infra-red spectra appear to be dominated by synchrotron radiation, any ultrarelativistic electron present must necessarily lose essentially all its energy by inverse Compton scattering. This would mean that, though quasars are emitting fantastic amounts of energy at optical frequencies, they must also be emitting many orders of magnitude more at X-ray and γ-ray frequencies. This paradox has been evaded by several specially constructed models (e.g. Rees and Sciama, Woltjer and Jukes); but the problem has not been removed in general.

Type
Contributions
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 1968

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Hoyle, F., Burbridge, G.R. and Sargent, W.L.W., Nature, 209, 751 (1966).Google Scholar
2 Rees, M.J., and Sciama, D.W., Nature, 211, 805 (1966).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3 Woltjer, L., Ap. J., 146, 597 (1966).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4 Jukes, J.D., Nature, 216, 461 (1967).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5 Stein, W.A., Ap. J., 148, 689 (1967).Google Scholar
6 Ginzburg, V.L., Ozernoi, L.M., and Syrovatskii, S.I., Soviet Phys.—Doklady, 9, 3 (1964).Google Scholar
7 Baylis, W.E., Schmid, W.M., and Lüscher, E., Zs. f. Ap., 66, 271 (1967).Google Scholar
8 Weymann, R., Phys. Fluids, 8, 2112 (1965).CrossRefGoogle Scholar