Multifrequency VLA observations of 3C 388 - Evidence for an intermittent jet

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (29) References (39) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Multifrequency VLA observations of 3C 388: evidence for an intermittent jet ? Burns, J. O. ; Christiansen, W. A. ; Hough, D. H. Abstract VLA observations of the double-lobed radio galaxy 3C 388 were made at 20, 6, and 2 cm, and these data were used to make maps of total and polarized intensity with a resolution of 1 arcsec at 6 cm and 3 arcsec at 20 and 2 cm; in addition, 3-arcsec resolution distributions of rotation measure, fractional polarization, depolarization, and spectral index were constructed. These distributions were used to compare the relativistic particle energies and magnetic field structure in the lobes with recently proposed models. It is found that 3C 388 contains a curious jetlike feature embedded within the western lobe; no comparable jet is found in the eastern lobe. The orientation of the lobes/jet with respect to the nucleus and the steeper spectral index in the eastern lobe support a picture in which the jet mechanism is inherently intermittent. The location of the jet within the western lobe and the prominent gap between the nucleus and the start of the jet (4-9 kpc) led to the consideration of a splashback model in which the jet cavity is illuminated by relativistic plasma reflected back toward the galaxy during a hard encounter between fresh ejecta and a dense plasma relic in the lobe. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: June 1982 DOI: 10.1086/160010 Bibcode: 1982ApJ...257..538B Keywords: Astronomical Spectroscopy; Galactic Structure; Polarization Characteristics; Radio Astronomy; Radio Galaxies; Astronomical Models; Galactic Nuclei; Interferometry; Magnetic Field Configurations; Particle Energy; Radio Sources (Astronomy); Relativistic Particles; Spectral Resolution; Astrophysics full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (11) NED (1)