Objective

Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula

The project objective is to study the physical properties of the blazar jets at small scales by means of the observed blazar microvariability. Briefly, the microvariability (a.k.a. intra-day or intra-night variability) is a flux variation with amplitude up to tenths of magnitude over timescales from minutes to hours (i.e. low-amplitude flux variations within the night). The most popular model invoked to explain the microvariability is the turbulent jet model (e.g. Bhatta et al. 2013, A&A, 558, A92). Within this model, a plane shock hits a turbulent cell and accelerates (energizes) the cell electrons, which are then cooled by synchrotron rediation. In this way, a flux pulse is produced, which manifests itself as a flare on the blazar light curve. The flare parameters (timescales, peak flux, etc.), obtained after the intra-night light curve analysis, can be used to estimate the emitting region parameters (magnetic field strength, radius, etc.).

Header image: Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope; credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI.