Revealing a ribbon-like jet in OJ 287 with RadioAstron
E. Traianou (1, 2), J. L. Gomez (1), I. Cho (3, 4, 1), A. Chael (6), A. Fuentes (1), I. Myserlis (9, 5), M. Wielgus (1), G.-Y. Zhao (5, 1), R. Lico (7), K. Moriyama (1), L. Dey (10, 11), G. Bruni (8), R. Dahale (1), T. Toscano (1), L. I. Gurvits (12, 13, 14), M. M. Lisakov (15)

TL;DR
This study uses space-based VLBI with RadioAstron to image the innermost jet of OJ 287 at unprecedented resolution, revealing a complex, ribbon-like structure with sharp bends, high brightness temperatures, and magnetic field insights, advancing understanding of jet physics.
Contribution
First space VLBI imaging of OJ 287's jet at 22 GHz with 47 μas resolution, unveiling a complex, ribbon-like jet structure and magnetic field configuration near the central engine.
Findings
Detected multiple sharp bends forming a ribbon-like jet structure.
Observed brightness temperatures exceeding 10^13 K, indicating strong Doppler boosting.
Identified a new jet component potentially linked to a TeV flare.
Abstract
We present space-based very long baseline interferometry observations of the BL Lac type object OJ 287 taken with RadioAstron at 22 GHz on April 25, 2016, in conjunction with a ground array comprising 27 radio telescopes. We detect ground-space fringes at projected baselines extending up to 4.6 Earth diameters, which allowed us to image the jet in OJ 287 with an angular resolution of ~47 {\mu}as. Applying an advanced regularized maximum likelihood imaging method, we resolved the innermost jet structure with a complex morphology at a resolution of ~15 {\mu}as (~0.1 pc projected distance). For the first time, due to a favorable geometrical position of the jet in tandem with high data quality, we detect multiple sharp bends that form a "ribbon-like" jet structure that extends down to 1 mas. Two-dimensional Gaussian model-fitting reveals regions of the jet with brightness temperatures of…
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