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Superluminal Gravitational Microlensing Events In PKS 0537-441 And Prospects For Future Detections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 May 2016

G.C. Surpi ,
G.E. Romero  and
H. Vucetich
G.C. Surpi
Affiliation:
Depto. de Física, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Univresistaria - Pab. I, 1428 Bs. As., Argentina
G.E. Romero
Affiliation:
Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía, CC5, 1894 Villa Elisa, Bs. As., Argentina
H. Vucetich
Affiliation:
FCAyG - Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque S/N, 1900 La Plata, Bs. As., Argentina

Abstract

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The BL-Lac object PKS 0537-441 has recently displayed strong intraday variability at 1.42 GHz on time scales of ∼ 104 s. Such kind of variability is hardly consistent with an intrinsic-to-source origin, since apparent brightness temperatures higher than 1021 K are implied for the emitting region in the source.

An alternative explanation for this ultra-rapid radio variability in PKS 0537-441 is developed based on gravitational microlensing of a superluminal component in the blazar caused by compact objects in the halo of an intervening galaxy. The mass of the microlenses is estimated and the blazar is proposed as a good candidate in a systematic search for extragalactic MACHOs.

Type
Chapter 8: Quasar Structure & Microlensing
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 173: Astrophysical Applications of Gravitational Lensing , 1996 , pp. 265 - 266
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1996 

References

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