A near magnetic-to-kinetic energy equipartition flare from the relativistic jet in AO 0235+164 during 2013-2019
: Cheong Whee Yeon, Lee Sang-Sung, Kim Sang-Hyun, Kang Sincheol, Kim Jae Young, Rani Bindu, Readhead Anthony C S, Kiehlmann Sebastian, Lähteenmäki Anne, Tornikoski Merja, Tammi Joni, Ramakrishnan Venkatessh, Agudo Iván, Fuentes Antonio, Traianou Efthalia, Escudero Juan, Thum Clemens, Myserlis Ioannis, Casadio Carolina, Gurwell Mark
Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS
: OXFORD
: 2024
: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
: MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
: MON NOT R ASTRON SOC
: 527
: 1
: 882
: 894
: 13
: 0035-8711
: 1365-2966
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad3250
: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad3250
: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/387286551
We present the multiwavelength flaring activity of the blazar AO 0235 + 164 during its recent active period from 2013 to 2019. From a discrete correlation function analysis, we find a significant (>95 per cent) correlation between radio and gamma-ray light curves with flares at longer wavelengths following flares at shorter wavelengths. We identify a new jet component in 43 GHz Very Long Baseline Array data that was ejected from the radio core on MJD 57246-30+26 (2015 August 12), during the peak of the 2015 radio flare. From the analysis of the jet component, we derived a Doppler factor of δvar = 28.5 ± 8.4, a bulk Lorentz factor of Γ = 16.8-3.1+3.6, and an intrinsic viewing angle of θv = 1.42-0.52+1.07 degrees. Investigation of the quasi-simultaneous radio data revealed a partially absorbed spectrum with the turnover frequency varying in the range of 10-70 GHz and the peak flux density varying in the range of 0.7-4 Jy. We find the synchrotron self-absorption magnetic field strength to be BSSA = 15.3-14.0+12.6) mG at the peak of the 2015 radio flare, which is comparable to the equipartition magnetic field strength of BEQ=43.6-10.4+10.6 mG calculated for the same epoch. Additional analysis of the radio emission region in the relativistic jet of AO 0235 + 164 suggests that it did not significantly deviate from equipartition during its recent flaring activity.