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[33.03] Continuing a Chandra Survey of Quasar Jets

H.L. Marshall, J.M. Gelbord (MIT Kavli Institute), D.A. Schwartz (SAO), J.E.J. Lovell (CSIRO ATNF), D.W. Murphy (JPL), D.M. Worrall, M. Birkinshaw (SAO), E.S. Perlman (UMBC), D.L. Jauncey (CSIRO ATNF)

We present further results from {\em Chandra} X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of a flux-limited sample of flat spectrum radio-emitting quasars with jet-like extended structure. Out of 37 jets, 22 have been detected in short exposures with {\em Chandra}, or about 59% of the sample. The X-ray flux from these powerful jets is often interpreted as inverse Compton scattering of photons from the cosmic microwave background (CMB) by electrons in a highly relativistic jet that is nearly aligned to the line of sight. In this model, we can derive the distribution of angles of the jets to the line of sight if the bulk Lorentz factors are similar from object to object. The model also predicts that the spectral index from the radio to the X-ray band, \alpha_rx should vary strongly with z as the CMB is brighter in the quasar jet frames at high z. We find that high z quasar jets have the same \alpha_rx as lower redshift quasar jets and marginally exclude the predicted variation expected in the IC-CMB model. This test is made more difficult by the very broad distribution of \alpha_rx at all redshifts; the FWHM of the distribution is about a factor of 10.

There are many morphologies observed, from straight jets to jets with 90\deg bends with X-ray emission beyond the bends. Some of the brightest jets have been selected for follow-up {\em Chandra} observations to get more signal in individual features.

Partial support for this work was provided by the NASA through the SAO contract SV3-73016 to MIT for Support of the Chandra X-Ray Center, which is operated by SAO for and on behalf of NASA under contract NAS8-03060. Support has also come from SAO grant GO4-5124 and directly from NASA under contract NAS8-03060.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #2
© 2005. The American Astronomical Soceity.