The jet of FSRQ PKS 1229−02 and its misidentification as a γ-ray AGN

Abstract

Abstract Flat-spectrum radio quasar PKS 1229–02 with a knotty and asymmetric radio morphology was identified as the optical and radio counterpart of a γ-ray source. In this paper, we study the properties (e.g. morphology, opacity, polarization and kinematics) of the jet in PKS 1229–02 using radio interferometry. With our results, we find that the knotty and asymmetric morphology of this source may probably shaped by the interaction between its anterograde jet and the nonuniform dense ambient medium. By reproducing a Spectral Energy Distribution of PKS 1229–02 with the obtained kinematic parameters, we find that the relativistic beaming effect in PKS 1229–02 is not strong enough to produce the reported γ-ray emission, i.e. PKS 1229–02 may not be a γ-ray AGN. The misidentification may probably be due to the poor spatial resolution of the γ-ray detector of the previous generation.