A remarkable jet in the quasar 0800 + 608

• Published in: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Vol. 222; no. 2; pp. 365 - 372
• Main Authors: Shone, D. L., Browne, I. W. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Oxford University Press 01.09.1986; Blackwell Science
• Subjects: Astronomy; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Quasars; Quasars. Active or peculiar galaxies, objects, and systems; Stellar systems. Galactic and extragalactic objects and systems. The universe; Quasar; Jet; Models; Radio interferometric observation; Digital simulation
• ISSN: 0035-8711; 1365-2966
• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/222.2.365

VLA⋆ observations of the quasar 0800+608 (redshift, z = 0.689) show that it has a remarkable one-sided jet, and an apparently uncollimated structure on the opposite side of the radio/optical core. Such structure is difficult to reconcile with a model in which two symmetric oppositely directed jets are present. The jet itself displays a number of evenly spaced emission-knots, a pseudo-sinusoidal wiggle and a large-scale bend. This well-defined structure can be compared with analytical models and numerical simulations of jets. If the knots and wiggle can be attributed to MHD Kelvin–Helmholtz pinching and helical modes respectively, then the jet's flow speed is likely to be hypersonic, and its density is greater than that of its surroundings. The latter is consistent with the jet's lack of any well-defined lobe or cocoon. In addition, the jet speed may be constrained if the large-scale bend is assumed to be due to a wind or motion of the quasar through a cluster. Combined with the constraint of the Kelvin–Helmholtz model, this suggests a non-relativistic jet flow speed $\upsilon_\text {jet}\approx(0.15\pm0.1)c$.