A global 86 GHz VLBI survey of compact radio sources
Abstract
We present results from a large global VLBI survey of compact radio sources at 86 GHz begun in October 2001. The main goal of the survey was to increase the total number of objects accessible for future 3-mm VLBI imaging by factors of 3 ~ 5. The survey data attained the baseline sensitivity of 0.1 Jy, and image sensitivity of better than 10 mJy/beam. To date, a total of 127 compact radio sources have been observed. The observations have yielded images for 109 sources, and only 6 sources have not been detected. Flux densities and sizes of core and jet components of all detected sources have been measured using Gaussian model fitting. From these measurements, brightness temperatures have been estimated, taking into account resolution limits of the data. Here, we compare the brightness temperatures of the cores and secondary jet components with similar estimates obtained from surveys at longer wavelengths (e.g. 15 GHz). This approach can be used to study the phenomena related to mechanisms of initial jet acceleration (accelerating or decelerating sub-pc jets?) and jet composition (electron-positron or electron-proton plasma?).
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the 8th European VLBI Network Symposium
- Pub Date:
- 2006
- DOI:
- 10.22323/1.036.0004
- Bibcode:
- 2006evn..confE...4L