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dc.contributor.authorBignall, Hayley
dc.contributor.authorJauncey, D.
dc.contributor.authorLovell, J.
dc.contributor.authorTzioumis, A.
dc.contributor.authorKedziora-Chudczer, L.
dc.contributor.authorMacquart, Jean-pierre
dc.contributor.authorTingay, Steven
dc.contributor.authorRayner, D.
dc.contributor.authorClay, R.
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-30T12:39:16Z
dc.date.available2017-01-30T12:39:16Z
dc.date.created2010-03-23T20:02:56Z
dc.date.issued2003
dc.identifier.citationBignall, Hayley and Jauncey, David and Lovell, J and Tzioumis, A and Kedziora-Chudczer, L and Macquart, Jean-pierre and Tingay, Steven and Rayner, D and Clay, R. 2003. Rapid Variability and Annual Cycles in the Characteristic Timescale of the Scintillating Source PKS 1257-326. The Astrophysical Journal. 585 (2): pp. 653-664.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/23804
dc.description.abstract

Rapid radio intraday variability (IDV) has been discovered in the southern quasar PKS 1257326. Fluxdensity changes of up to 40% in as little as 45 minutes have been observed in this source, making it, along with PKS 0405385 and J1819+3845, one of the three most rapid IDV sources known. We have monitored the IDV in this source with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) at 4.8 and 8.6 GHz over the course of the last year and find a clear annual cycle in the characteristic timescale of variability. This annual cycle demonstrates unequivocally that interstellar scintillation is the cause of the rapid IDV at radio wavelengths observed in this source. We use the observed annual cycle to constrain the velocity of the scattering material and the angular size of the scintillating component of PKS 1257326. We observe a time delay, which also shows an annual cycle, between the similar variability patterns at the two frequencies. We suggest that this is caused by a small (10 las) offset between the centroids of the 4.8 and 8.6 GHz components and may be due to opacity effects in the source. The statistical properties of the observed scintillation thus enable us to resolve source structure on a scale of 10 las, resolution orders of magnitude higher than current VLBI techniques allow. General implications of IDV for the physical properties of sources and the turbulent interstellar medium are discussed.

dc.publisherThe American Astronomical Society
dc.relation.urihttp://iopscience.iop.org/0004-637X/585/2/653
dc.subjectquasars
dc.subjectradio continuum
dc.subjectgeneral scattering
dc.subjectindividual (PKS 1257326)
dc.subjectISM structure
dc.titleRapid Variability and Annual Cycles in the Characteristic Timescale of the Scintillating Source PKS 1257-326
dc.typeJournal Article
dcterms.source.volume585
dcterms.source.number2
dcterms.source.startPage653
dcterms.source.endPage664
dcterms.source.issn0004637X
dcterms.source.titleThe Astrophysical Journal
curtin.note

Copyright © 2003 The American Astronomical Society ("AAS")-[The Astrophysical Journal (ApJ)]

curtin.accessStatusOpen access
curtin.facultyFaculty of Science and Engineering
curtin.facultyCurtin Institute of Radio Astronomy


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