RUI: Kinematic and Magnetic Field Analysis of the Radio Core and Jets Associated with Active Galactic Nuclei

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AST 0206194 (RUI)Denn, GActive Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) are the most energetic regions of the universe and are associated with supermassive black holes. As tidal forces disrupt neighboring stars and clouds in these galaxies, some of this material, through currently unexplainedmagnetic collimation effects, is directed into two bipolar relativistic jets. This project will increase our understanding of the kinematic and magnetic field structure of these jets. The Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) will be used to create total intensity, polarized intensity, fractional polarization, spectral index, and rotation measure maps from data for four sources at a number of epochs. An attempt will be made to obtain qualitative circular polarization maps, a new aspect of parsec-scale imaging of AGN. These images will be used to model and determine physical quantities (e.g., shock compression in planar shocks associated with BL Lac objects.) The research will be performed at Sweet Briar College, an undergraduate women's college in central Virginia, and will involve a total of four students over two summers.