MOJAVE: XV. VLBA 15 GHz Total Intensity and Polarization Maps of 437 Parsec-Scale AGN Jets From 1996-2017

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive set of 5321 high-resolution radio maps of 437 AGN jets over two decades, providing valuable data for studying their structure and evolution.

Contribution

It offers an extensive, publicly available dataset of VLBA 15 GHz total intensity and polarization maps for a large sample of AGNs, including long-term observations and polarization analysis.

Findings

Most AGNs are associated with gamma-ray sources.

Frequent multi-epoch observations reveal jet evolution.

Dataset supports future studies of AGN jet physics.

Abstract

We present 5321 milliarcsecond-resolution total intensity and linear polarization maps of 437 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) obtained with the VLBA at 15 GHz as part of the MOJAVE survey, and also from the NRAO data archive. The former is a long-term program to study the structure and evolution of powerful parsec-scale outflows associated with AGNs. The targeted AGNs are drawn from several flux-limited radio and gamma-ray samples, and all have correlated VLBA flux densities greater than about 50 mJy at 15 GHz. Approximately 80% of these AGNs are associated with gamma-ray sources detected by the Fermi LAT instrument. The vast majority were observed with the VLBA on 5 to 15 occasions between 1996 January 19 and 2016 December 26, at intervals ranging from a month to several years, with the most typical sampling interval being six months. A detailed analysis of the linear and circular polarization evolution of these AGN jets are presented in other papers in this series.