Martin Kochanczyk (Spring 2004): Large-Scale Jet Structures in Blazars
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The MOJAVE sample consists of the brightest 133 extragalactic radio
sources in the northern sky. These sources are all highly active
galaxies containing jets of relativistic plasma pointing nearly
directly at us. These jets eventually disrupt into large clouds after
travelling extremely large distances from the central engine. Since
the MOJAVE sources are viewed end-on, the jets appear highly beamed,
and are several orders of magnitude brighter than the clouds. This
project involves using archival radio observations and obtaining new
data to image these extremely faint clouds and thereby determine the
intrinsic strength of the jets in the MOJAVE sample.