How Compact are the Cores of AGN? Sub-Parsec Scale Imaging with VLBI at Millimeter Wavelength
Abstract
We study the most central regions of AGN jets with an angular resolution of tens of micro-arcseconds using VLBI at millimeter wavelengths (mm-VLBI). We present and discuss a new 86 GHz VLBI survey of compact radio sources. We show new high dynamic range images of two nearby radio galaxies (3C 120 and M 87). In M 87 the size of the compact VLBI core (the jet base) is < 15 Schwarzschild radii. Future mm-VLBI observations at 1 mm and shorter wavelengths should lead to images of galactic and extragalactic radio sources with a spatial resolution down to a few Schwarzschild radii of the central super massive black holes. To achieve this, the participation of large and sensitive millimeter and sub-millimeter telescopes in VLBI is essential.
- Publication:
-
Extragalactic Jets: Theory and Observation from Radio to Gamma Ray
- Pub Date:
- June 2008
- DOI:
- 10.48550/arXiv.0708.3915
- arXiv:
- arXiv:0708.3915
- Bibcode:
- 2008ASPC..386..186K
- Keywords:
-
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 8 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. To appear in: "Extragalactic Jets - Theory and Observation from Radio to Gamma-Ray", eds. T.A. Rector &