The Most Compact Regions of Relativistic Jets in Active Galactic Nuclei

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This research involves high-frequency, high-resolution radio imaging (VLBA, ALMA) of quasar jets in order to measure the Doppler beaming, Lorentz factor, and angle to the line of sight of jet flow using theoretical methods that have been developed by the investigators. Drs. Marscher and Jorstad will also measure polarization at millimeter wavelengths to try to determine whether jets are scale invariant. The main goal of the study is to provide observational tests of the prevailing theoretical model for quasar jets, involving a rotating black hole that twists magnetic fields into an outflowing helical pattern. The broader impacts include dissemination of data on the group's website, training of students (some from a minority program), a textbook on extragalactic astronomy, and public presentations.