• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.125-128
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• 2005

In this paper, we argue that the gigahertz peaked spectrum (GPS) quasars are special blazars, blazars in dense and dusty gas enviornment. The ROSAT detection rate of GPS quasars is similar to that of flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), suggesting that the relativistic jets in GPS quasars are oriented at small angle to the line of sight. Due to strong inverse Compton scattering off infrared photons from dense and dusty nuclear interstellar media in GPS quasars, most of them may have significant soft gamma-ray and X-ray emission, which is consistent with ASCA X-ray observations. Because Compton cooling in GPS quasars is stronger than that in FSRQs, synchrotron emission in GPS quasars may less dominate over thermal emission of the accretion disk and hot dust, hence most GPS quasars show low optical polarization and small variability, consistent with observations. We suggest that it is the significant radio emission of electron/positron pairs produced by the interaction of gamma-rays with the dense gas and dust grains in GPS quasars that makes GPS quasars show steep radio spectra, low radio polarization, and relatively faint VLBI/VLBA cores. Whether GPS quasars are special blazars can be tested by gamma-ray observations with GLAST in the near future, with the detection rate of GPS quasars being similar to that of FSRQs.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.39-39
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• 2014

Studies of compact radio sources since the discovery of quasars have revealed a variety of physical properties: both in morphology and kinematics from sub-parsec to Mega-parsec scales, radiation mechanisms at frequencies from the radio to ${\gamma}$-rays, theoretical models for relativistic jets, etc. The frontier discovery of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations for the compact extragalactic radio sources have triggered the extensive studies to investigate the underlying physics of the relativistic jets. In this context, the highest resolution VLBI surveys of ultra-compact radio sources provide the potentially important statistical basis for future study. As a tool of this study, a new millimeter VLBI network in Korea, the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) will paly an important role. We present results from large VLBI surveys of compact radio sources at millimeter wavelengths and discuss the prospects with the KVN on this study.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.243-251
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• 2013

We present results on the intrinsic brightness temperature of a sample of compact radio sources observed at 86 GHz using the Global Millimeter VLBI Array. We use the observed brightness temperatures at 86 GHz and the observed superluminal motions at 15 GHz for the sample in order to constrain the characteristic intrinsic brightness temperature of the sample. With a statistical method for studying the intrinsic brightness temperatures of innermost jet cores of compact radio sources, assuming that all sources have the same intrinsic brightness temperature and the viewing angles of their jets are around the critical value for the maximal apparent speed, we find that sources in the sample have a characteristic intrinsic brightness temperature, $T_0=4.8^{+2.6}_{-1.5}{\times}10^9K$, which is lower than the equipartition temperature for the condition that the particle energy equals to the magnetic field energy. Our results suggest that the VLBI cores seen at 86 GHz may be representing a jet region where the magnetic field energy dominates the total energy in the jet.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.303-309
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• 2014

We present results of our investigation of the radio intrinsic brightness temperatures of compact radio jets. The intrinsic brightness temperatures of about 100 compact radio jets at 2, 5, 8, 15, and 86 GHz are estimated based on large VLBI surveys conducted in 2001-2003 (or in 1996 for the 5 GHz sample). The multi-frequency intrinsic brightness temperatures of the sample of jets are determined by a statistical method relating the observed brightness temperatures with the maximal apparent jet speeds, assuming one representative intrinsic brightness temperature for a sample of jets at each observing frequency. By investigating the observed brightness temperatures at 15 GHz in multiple epochs, we find that the determination of the intrinsic brightness temperature for our sample is affected by the flux density variability of individual jets at time scales of a few years. This implies that it is important to use contemporaneous VLBI observations for the multi-frequency analysis of intrinsic brightness temperatures. Since our analysis is based on the VLBI observations conducted in 2001-2003, the results are not strongly affected by the flux density variability. We find that the intrinsic brightness temperature $T_0$ increases as $T_0{\propto}{\nu}^{\xi}_{obs}$ with ${\xi}=0.7$ below a critical frequency ${\nu}_c{\approx}9GHz$ where the energy loss begins to dominate the emission. Above ${\nu}_c$, $T_0$ decreases with ${\xi}=-1.2$, supporting the decelerating jet model or particle cascade model. We also find that the peak value of $T_0{\approx}3.4{\times}10^{10}$ K is close to the equipartition temperature, implying that the VLBI cores observable at 2-86 GHz may be representing jet regions where the magnetic field energy dominates the total energy in jets.