Magnetic Field Strengths of Flaring Region in the Jet of CTA 102

  • Published : 2021.04.13

Abstract

We present the magnetic field strengths of CTA 102 using multi-frequency data at 2.6-343.5 GHz in order to study the physical origins of radio flares. The observations at 22 and 43 GHz were conducted using the single-dish radio telescopes of the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) from December 2012 until May 2018 (MJD 56200-58400). We used multi-frequency data obtained from the Effelsberg 100-m, OVRO 40-m, Metsähovi 14-m, IRAM 30-m, SMA, ALMA, and VLBA telescopes. During the period of the observations, two major flares (R1 and R2) are seen clearly at 15 and 37 GHz during MJD 57500-57800 and MJD 58000-58300, respectively. The source shows typical variability with time-scales ranging from 20-161 days at 15 GHz. The variability Doppler factor is in the range of 11.51-31.23. The quasi-simultaneous radio data are used to investigate the synchrotron spectrum of the source, finding that the synchrotron radiation is self-absorbed. The turnover frequency and the peak flux density of the synchrotron self-absorption (SSA) spectra are in ranges of 38.06-167.86 GHz and 1.49-10.38 Jy, respectively. From the SSA spectra, magnetic field strengths are estimated to be < 10 mG. The equipartition magnetic field strengths are larger than the SSA magnetic field strengths by a factor of > 100. This indicates that the radio flares may be related to a particle energy-dominated emission region.

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