Model of a Precessing Jet in 3C 279

Abstract

AbstractThe parsec scale radio jet of 3C 279 presents a number of superluminal features that move along straight trajectories with constant velocities. The position angles P.A. of these trajectories, projected in the plane of the sky, and the velocities βobs of the individual components are different. We interpret the differences in the these velocities as differences in the angle between the jet and the line of sight and apply the model of a precessing beam to the data. All the geometrical parameters of the precessing jet and the Lorentz factor γ of the relativistic particles are determined. The model predicts the behavior of the Doppler factor δ as a function of time and we verify that its maximum value occurred at the epochs in which strong optical and X-ray flares were observed.