RUI: Probing the Physics of Active Galaxy Jets: High-resolution Radio Studies of a Complete Sample of Lobe-dominated Quasars and Related Radio Galaxies

RUI：探索活跃星系喷流的物理特性：对波瓣主导类星体和相关射电星系完整样本的高分辨率射电研究

• 批准号: 0098253
• 负责人: David Hough
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Trinity University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-06-01 至 2005-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0098253&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Probing; Physics; Active; Galaxy

AST 0098253HoughThe principal objective of this project is to extend and expand a high-resolution radio study of active galactic nuclei (AGN) that will make major contributions to our understanding of the physics of relativistic jets in these objects and, in the process, shed light on unified models of activegalaxies. Active galaxies, including quasars and radio galaxies, most likely harbor supermassive black holes in their central regions that are ultimately responsible for the intense, episodic emission the nuclei of these galaxies exhibit. By electromagnetic processes which are still not well understood, material is accelerated in the vicinity of the black hole and channeled intojets that travel outward near the speed of light. Physical models of jets generally predict that their observed properties will strongly depend on the orientation of the jet axis to our line of sightfrom Earth. Thus to perform statistical tests of these models, extended radio sources covering a very wide range in orientation will be studied. Radio telescopes will be used to image the jets in these objects on scales from light-years up to millions of light-years; the images will be used to look for systematic trends in the jet structures as a function of orientation angle, to determine the statistical distribution of apparent faster-than-light, or "superluminal", jet speeds and to follow the trajectories of the relativistic outflows. Observations will also be used to determine physical conditions in the jets and to map their magnetic fields, Several undergraduates - from both Trinity University and the Alamo Community College District - will be direct participants in this research. This will enhance their preparation for graduate study and offer students from underrepresented groups the opportunity to do science as they consider career options in the physical sciences.Funding for this project was provided by the NSF program for Extragalactic Astronomy & Cosmology (AST/EXC).***

AST 0098253该项目的主要目的是扩展和扩展一项主动银河核（AGN）的高分辨率无线电研究，该研究将对我们对这些对象中相对论喷射的物理的理解做出重大贡献，并在此过程中揭示了统一的活性模型。活跃的星系，包括类星体和射电星系，很可能在其中央区域内拥有超级质量的黑洞，这些黑洞最终导致这些星系的核表现出强烈的，发作的发射。通过仍未得到充分了解的电磁过程，在黑洞附近加速了材料，并将其引导到喷气机中，这些材料在光速附近向外传播。喷气机的物理模型通常可以预测，它们观察到的特性将在很大程度上取决于射流轴的方向与我们的视线与地球的视线。因此，为了对这些模型进行统计测试，将研究涵盖非常广泛范围的扩展无线电源。射电望远镜将用于在这些物体中的喷气机以从光年到数百万光年的尺度上进行映像；这些图像将用于寻找射流结构中的系统趋势作为取向角度的函数，以确定明显快的速度比光更快的统计分布，或“静光”，喷射速度并遵循相对论溢出的轨迹。观察结果还将用于确定喷气机的身体状况并绘制其磁场，三位一体大学和阿拉莫社区学院区的几个大学生将成为这项研究的直接参与者。这将增强他们为研究生学习的准备工作，并为来自代表性不足的小组的学生提供科学的机会，因为他们考虑物理科学中的职业选择。