Abstract
The cause of one-sidedness in the jets of otherwise symmetrical extragalactic radio sources is a subject of some controversy1. There is good evidence for relativistic bulk motion in the cores of these objects (from observations of apparent superluminal motion, rapid variability and the absence of inverse-Compton X-rays)2. A natural hypothesis is then that jets are intrinsically two-sided and that they remain relativistic on all scales3, the jet closer to us appearing bright as a result of Doppler beaming. Alternatively, the jets may be intrinsically one-sided, in which case they need not be relativistic. During a study of the polarization properties of powerful radio sources, it became clear that in those sources with one-sided jets, depolarization with increasing wavelength is usually weaker for the lobe containing the jet. One obvious interpretation is that the depolarization is caused by differential Faraday rotation through irregularities in a magnetoionic medium surrounding the radio source. The side with the stronger jet is closer to us, is seen through a smaller amount of material and therefore shows less depolarization. A halo of hot gas around the associated galaxy or quasar is a likely candidate for the depolarizing medium.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bridle, A. H. & Perley, R. A. A. Rev. Astr. Astrophys. 22, 319–358 (1984).
Begelman, M. C., Blandford, R. D. & Rees, M. J. Rev. mod. Phys. 56, 255–351 (1984).
Orr, M. J. L. & Browne, I. W. A. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 200, 1067–1080 (1982).
Fanaroff, B. L. & Riley, J. M. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 167, 31P–35P (1974).
Laing, R. A., Riley, J. M. & Longair, M. S. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 204, 151–187 (1983).
Strom, R. G. & Conway, R. G. Astr. Astrophys. Suppl. 61, 547–571 (1985).
Garrington, S. T., Leahy, J. P., Conway, R. G. & Laing, R. A. Nature 331, 147–149 (1988).
Burch, S. F. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 186, 519–553 (1979).
Thompson, A. R., Clark, B. G., Wade, C. M. & Napier, P. J. Astrophys. J. Suppl. 44, 151–167 (1980).
Burn, B. J. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 133, 67–83 (1966).
Laing, R. A. in Physics of Energy Transport in Extragalactic Radio Sources: NRAO Workshop No. 9 (eds Bridle, A. H. & Eilek, J. A.) 90–96 (NRAO, Green Bank, 1984).
Dreher, J. W., Carilli, C. L. & Perley, R. A. Astrophys. J. 316, 611–625 (1987).
Perley, R. A., Dreher, J. W. & Cowan, J. J. Astrophys. J. 285, L35–L38 (1984).
Dreher, J. W., Carilli, C. L. & Perley, R. A. Bull. Amer. astr. Soc. 19, 731 (1987).
Laing, R. A. & Bridle, A. H. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 228, 557–571 (1987).
Burns, J. O., Basart, J. P., De Young, D. S. & Ghiglia, D. C. Astrophys. J. 283, 515–528 (1984).
Stocke, J. T., Burns, J. O. & Christiansen, W. A. Astrophys. J. 299, 799–813 (1985).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Laing, R. The sidedness of jets and depolarization in powerful extragalactic radio sources . Nature 331, 149–151 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/331149a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/331149a0
This article is cited by
-
A polarization study of three blazars using uGMRT at \(\sim \)600 MHz
Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy (2022)
-
Jets in radio galaxies and quasars: an observational perspective
Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy (2022)
-
Compact steep-spectrum and peaked-spectrum radio sources
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review (2021)
-
A study of the properties of twin radio arms of FR-II extragalactic radio sources within z ≤ 1 $z\le1$
Astrophysics and Space Science (2017)
-
A study of the properties of twin radio arms of FR-II extragalactic radio sources within z ≤ 1 $z\le1$ -II (dynamical properties)
Astrophysics and Space Science (2017)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
