The extreme ultraviolet deficit: jet connection in the quasar 1442+101

Abstract

In previous studies, it has been shown that the long-term time-averaged jet power, Q, is correlated with spectral index in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV), αEUV (defined by n ~ n-a F EUV computed between 700 and 1100 Å ). Larger Q tends to decrease the EUV emission. This is a curious relationship because it connects a long-term average over ∼106 years with an instantaneous measurement of the EUV. The EUV appears to emit adjacent to the central supermassive black hole and the most straightforward explanation of this correlation is that the EUV-emitting region interacts in real time with the jet launching mechanism. Alternatively stated, the Q–αEUV correlation is a manifestation of a contemporaneous (real time) jet power, Q(t), correlation with αEUV. In order to explore this possibility, this paper considers the time variability of the strong radio jet of quasar 1442+101, which is not aberrated by strong Doppler enhancement. This high-redshift (z = 3.55) quasar is uniquely suited for this endeavor as the EUV is redshifted into the optical observing window allowing for convenient monitoring. More importantly, it is bright enough to be seen through the Lyman forest and its radio flux is strong enough that it has been monitored frequently. Quasi-simultaneous monitoring (five epochs spanning ∼40 years) shows that increases in Q(t) correspond to decreases in the EUV as expected.