VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey Greg Taylor (UNM) The Future of the VLBA – Charlottesville, VA Jan. 28, 2011

The VIPS team is: Greg Taylor (UNM/NRAO), Chris Fassnacht (UCD), Joe Helmboldt (UNM),Larry Weintraub (Caltech) Jim Ulvestad (NRAO), Craig Walker (NRAO), Steve Myers (NRAO), Lorant Sjouwerman (NRAO), Tim Pearson (Caltech), Tony Readhead (Caltech), Neil Gehrels (NASA GSFC), Roger Romani (Stanford), Peter Michelson (Stanford), Roger Blandford (KIPAC) PhD Students: Steve Tremblay (UNM) anticipated 2011 Justin Linford (UNM) anticipated 2012 VIPS - VLBI Imaging and Polarimetry Survey

VIPS and Fermi VLBA Imaging Polarimetry Survey (VIPS) 1127 sources: S > 85 mJy, dec > 20, |b|>10 at 8 GHz in SDSS northern cap First epoch observations during 200+ hours on VLBA in 2006 (~$30K Funding from Stanford/UNM for disks) Identifications and redshifts from SLOAN, HET, Palomar, … Goals: - Characterize Fermi sources - Understand polarization properties of AGN classes - Study AGN environments - Find close binary black hole systems

VIPS on the web 1127 in sample 11 not detected 169 previously imaged newly imaged

Publications Taylor et al. 2005, ApJS, "An Automated approach... Taylor et al. 2005, ApJS, "An Automated approach... Helmboldt et al. 2007, ApJ, "VIPS at 5 GHz" Helmboldt et al. 2007, ApJ, "VIPS at 5 GHz" Taylor et al. 2007, ApJ, "Characteristics of EGRET... Taylor et al. 2007, ApJ, "Characteristics of EGRET... Tremblay et al. 2008, ApJ, "A Shrinking CSO... Tremblay et al. 2008, ApJ, "A Shrinking CSO... Helmboldt et al. 2008, ApJ, "A statistical description... Helmboldt et al. 2008, ApJ, "A statistical description... Tremblay et al. 2009, ApJ, "Identifying CSOs... Tremblay et al. 2009, ApJ, "Identifying CSOs... Linford et al. 2011, ApJ, "Characteristics of Fermi... Linford et al. 2011, ApJ, "Characteristics of Fermi more by the VIPS collaboration >12 more by others

VIPS CSO Candidates Follow-up Observations 5, 8, 15 GHz VLBA Full polarization Spectral classification: F   Kinematic Analysis Ages/Dynamics Polarization Analysis Evolution of Radio Galaxies Tremblay et al in prep. 20 pc

Age Estimates Gugliucci et al Tremblay et al in prep.

Core Brightness Temperatures LAT core T B s tend to be higher than non- LAT. Except BL Lacs. Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) tests indicate that the FSRQs are very different, but BL Lacs are similar. Stacked histograms Top: LAT Bottom: non-LAT Linford et al.

Core Polarization The percentage of sources found to be polarized is higher for LAT blazars than for non-LAT blazars.

CJF – A Compact Binary Black Hole Radio Continuum Rodriguez et al. astro-ph/ Naturally weighted 2005 VLBA images of at 0.3, 5, 8, 15, 22, and 43 GHz. C1: ± pc C2: ± pc Projected separation between C1 and C2 equal to 7.3 pc

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Thoughts about the Future Don't sacrifice the User community They contribute ideas, effort and (sometimes) funds They contribute ideas, effort and (sometimes) funds Maintain time for Users on the VLBA Maintain time for Users on the VLBA Maintain 10 antennas if at all possible Maintain 10 antennas if at all possible Future plans Take advantage of bandwidth expansion to do polarimetry of gamma-ray blazars (RM Synthesis) Take advantage of bandwidth expansion to do polarimetry of gamma-ray blazars (RM Synthesis) Contemporaneous VLBA observations with Fermi Contemporaneous VLBA observations with Fermi Study CSO Motions, spectra, Faraday RMs, ages Study CSO Motions, spectra, Faraday RMs, ages Use new correlator to survey 10,000+ sources for SBBHs Use new correlator to survey 10,000+ sources for SBBHs Difficult to do above with < 9 antennas (reduced spatial dynamic range, fidelity) Difficult to do above with < 9 antennas (reduced spatial dynamic range, fidelity)

Backup Slides

Radio Target List Selection S 4.8 >65mJy, |b|>10 0,  65mJy, |b|>10 0,  < CLASS+ 11,131 sources - Healey et al ,131 sources - Healey et al Attempts to fill in PMN holes w/ S5, lower -selected sources Attempts to fill in PMN holes w/ S5, lower -selected sources Combined Radio All-sky Targetted Eight-GHz Survey: CRATES Combined Radio All-sky Targetted Eight-GHz Survey: CRATES

Sky Coverage

VIPS 5 GHz Summary of Source Types in VIPS Type N Npol/N PS /- 4% SJET /- 5% LJET /- 4% CSO /- 4% CPLX /- 8% ND 11 …

Helmboldt et al At their base, Jets tend to have magnetic fields aligned with the jet axis. This trend should become more pronounced once we can correct for Faraday rotation

Which one of these Jets will be detected by GLAST? Helmboldt et al. 2007

Manpower Estimates First epoch 5 GHz - Kept up 2 x 10 hours each month for 10 months 2 x 10 hours each month for 10 months 50% of Joe H., 10% of Greg, 5% Lorant 50% of Joe H., 10% of Greg, 5% Lorant SBBH 5, 8, 15 GHz - not keeping up 3 x 17 hours in the past 3 months 3 x 17 hours in the past 3 months 50% of Steve T., 10% of Greg 50% of Steve T., 10% of Greg Reduction is more complicated Reduction is more complicated Proposed Multi-epoch follow-up (20 h/month) 1.5 FTE, 10% of Greg, 5% Lorant 1.5 FTE, 10% of Greg, 5% Lorant

In both hotspots of the source, N2 and S2, a steep spectrum was found. For both central components, C1 and C2, the spectrum peaks at ~10 GHz. For both central components, C1 and C2, the spectrum peaks at ~10 GHz. Spectral index distribution between 8 and 22 GHz from the 2005 VLBA observations. CJF