The magnetic field along the jet of NGC 4258 and its interaction with molecular gas
Abstract
We observed NGC4258 in radio continuum and linear polarization with a high resolution of 2.2'' × 2.4'' HPBW with the VLA in C-configuration at 3.6 cm. The radio jets are well visible and the northern jet is linearly polarized. The magnetic field orientation is mainly along the jet direction with indications for an additional toroidal field component or a helical magnetic field around the jet axis. The equipartition field strength is about 300 μG for a relativistic electron-proton jet and ≃ 100 μG for a relativistic electron-positron jet. With observations of molecular gas (12CO(1-0)) with the IRAM interferometer at Plateau de Bure we detected two parallel CO ridges along the jets. It looks like a tunnel with walls made of molecular gas. We propose that the concentration of CO just along these ridges is due to an interaction of the rotating gas clouds in the disk of NGC 4258 with the magnetic field of the jets.
- Publication:
-
The Magnetized Plasma in Galaxy Evolution
- Pub Date:
- June 2005
- Bibcode:
- 2005mpge.conf..217K