KEY SCIENCE OBSERVATIONS OF AGNs WITH THE KaVA ARRAY

Abstract

KaVA (KVN and VERA Array) is a new combined VLBI array composed of KVN (Korean VLBI Network) and VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry). Here, we report the following two issues. (1) We review the initial results of imaging observations of M87 at 23 GHz following Niinuma et al. (2014). The KaVA images reveal extended outflows including complex substructures such as knots and limb-brightening, in agreement with previous VLBI observations. KaVA achieves a high dynamic range of ~ 1000, more than three times better than that achieved by VERA alone. (2) Based on subsequent observations and discussions led by the KaVA AGN SubWorking Group, we set monitoring observations of Sgr A * and M87 as our Key Science Project (hereafter KSP) because of the closeness and largeness of their central super-massive black holes. The main science goals of the KSP are (i) testing the magnetically-driven-jet paradigm by mapping velocity elds of the M87 jet, and (ii) obtaining tight constraints on physical properties of the radio emitting region in Sgr A * . Towards KSP, we show the first preliminary images of M87 at 23 GHz and Sgr A * at 43 GHz with the bandwidth of 256 MHz.