Pulsars, transients and relativistic astrophysics

Abstract:

The superior spatial resolution of the Chandra X-ray Observatory is sharpening our X-ray vision of extragalactic radio sources. Our recent Guest Observer observations of a small sample of B2 radio galaxies show jet X-ray emission to be common in low-power radio galaxies, whereas previously such jets were only X-ray detected in nearby Cen A and M 87. At high redshift, Chandra clearly separates AGN-related emission from the surrounding X-ray emitting cluster medium, as illustrated by our results for 3C 220.1 at a redshift of 0.6.

Abstract:

We perform a series of so-called "synthetic observations" on a set of 3D MHD jet simulations which explicitly include energy-dependent transport of relativistic electrons, as described in the companion paper by Jones, Tregillis & Ryu. Analyzing them in light of the complex source dynamics and energetic particle distributions described in that paper, we find that the standard model for radiative aging in radio galaxies does not always adequately reflect the detailed source structure.

Abstract:

Numerical modelling is performed for extreme relativistic parallel shocks with upstream Lorentz factors Gamma = 50. Assuming that the scattering is either large-angle or over pitch angles > Gamma(-1), spectral flattening and shock acceleration speed-up is found. The energy gain per cycle is similar to Gamma(2). The likely output from relativistic shocks due to the infall from the accretion disc to the AGN black hole is computed. Neutrinos from proton-gamma interactions may be detectable with planned neutrino telescopes but the gamma-ray output may contribute only 1/100th of the observed flux of 3C 273.