Longitudinal and transverse velocity fields in parsec-scale jets

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new wavelet-based technique to measure detailed longitudinal and transverse velocity fields in parsec-scale jets of radio-loud AGN, aiding in understanding jet structure and kinematics.

Contribution

The authors developed a novel structural pattern detection method using wavelet decomposition and cross-correlation to map velocity fields in transversely resolved jets.

Findings

First detailed transverse velocity fields obtained for jets in 3C 273 and M87.

The technique reliably detects structural evolution at sub-PSF scales.

Application demonstrates improved understanding of jet kinematics.

Abstract

Radio-loud AGN typically manifest powerful relativistic jets extending up to millions of light years and often showing superluminal motions organised in a complex kinematic pattern. A number of physical models are still competing to explain the jet structure and kinematics revealed by radio images using the VLBI technique. Robust measurements of longitudinal and transverse velocity field in the jets would provide crucial information for these models. This is a difficult task, particularly for transversely resolved jets in objects like 3C 273 and M87. To address this task, we have developed a new technique for identifying significant structural patterns (SSP) of smooth, transversely resolved flows and obtaining a velocity field from cross-correlation of these regions in multi-epoch observations. Detection of individual SSP is performed using the wavelet decomposition and multiscale segmentation of the observed structure. The cross-correlation algorithm combines structural information on different scales of the wavelet decomposition, providing a robust and reliable identification of related SSP in multi -epoch images. The algorithm enables recovering structural evolution on scales down to 0.25 full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the image point spread function (PSF). We present here examples of applying this algorithm to obtain the first detailed transverse velocity fields and to study the kinematic evolution in the parsec-scale jets in 3C 273 and M87.