Multifrequency VLA, VLBI, and single-dish observations of the quasar 4C 39.25

Abstract

The quasar 4C 39.25 has been observed at four wavelengths using the VLA and at three wavelengths using VLBI, and variability data in integrated flux density and polarization at three wavelengths, obtained using a single antenna, have been analyzed. The resulting maps and light curves reveal that 4C 39.25 is in some ways similar to and in other ways substantially different from other superluminal sources. It is proposed that 4C 39.25 has the same intrinsic morphology as other superluminal radio sources, but differs in at least one parameter that governs the observed morphology of such sources. That parameter is identified as the angle of inclination of the compact jet to the line of sight. A model is considered in which the viewing angle of a curved, compact relativistic jet in the quasar is such that the jet bends almost directly into the line of sight at two positions and is somewhat misdirected where a strong core would ordinarily appear. 34 refs.