Radio-loud AGN-jet morphology and polarization: the role of ultra-high resolution radio surveys

TL;DR

This paper reviews how ultra-high resolution radio surveys, especially with the upcoming Square Kilometer Array, enhance understanding of radio-loud AGN jets and magnetic fields, opening new research avenues.

Contribution

It highlights the impact of past polarimetric surveys and discusses future prospects with the Square Kilometer Array for studying AGN jets and magnetic fields.

Findings

Ultra-high resolution surveys have advanced AGN jet understanding.

SKA will enable access to new source classes and deeper universe exploration.

Future VLBI observations will complement deep continuum surveys.

Abstract

A review of the current challenges for the understanding of the physics of extragalactic radio jets from supermassive black holes is presented. Also, a prospect is given about how both very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) and polarimetric observations help us to understand their physics and the ones of their magnetic fields. This paper focuses on the impact that previous ultra-high resolution polarimetric surveys have had on our current knowledge on radio loud AGN. It first concentrates on the expectations about the improvement that the Square Kilometer Array, used as a super-sensitive VLBI station on existing and future very long baseline interferometric arrays, will provide in terms of access to new source classes, and in terms of a deeper portion of the Universe than currently accessible. A series of key new radio loud AGN science fields, to be opened by the Square Kilometer Array, are outlined together with a collection of preliminary ideas about possible programs of interest to deep in such fields. The complementary aspects of future super-sensitive VLBI observations as compared to deep continuum surveys with the Square Kilometer Array and its precursors are also outlined here.