Detection of Superluminal Motion in the X-Ray Jet of M87

Abstract

Chandra HRC observations are investigated for evidence of proper motion and brightness changes in the X-ray jet of the nearby radio galaxy M87. Using images spanning 5 yr, proper motion is measured in the X-ray knot HST-1, with a superluminal apparent speed of $6.3\pm 0.4c$, or $24.1\pm 1.6\mathrm{mas}\mathrm{y}{\mathrm{r}}^{-1}$, and in Knot D, with a speed of $2.4\pm 0.6c$. Upper limits are placed on the speeds of the remaining jet features. The X-ray knot speeds are in excellent agreement with existing measurements in the radio, optical, and ultraviolet. Comparing the X-ray results with images from the Hubble Space Telescope indicates that the X-ray and optical/UV emitting regions co-move. The X-ray knots also vary by up to 73% in brightness, whereas there is no evidence of brightness changes in the optical/UV. Using the synchrotron cooling models, we determine lower limits on magnetic field strengths of $\sim 420\hat{I}¼\mathrm{G}$ and $\sim 230\hat{I}¼\mathrm{G}$ for HST-1 and Knot A, respectively, consistent with estimates of the equipartition fields. Together, these results lend strong support to the synchrotron cooling model for Knot HST-1, which requires that its superluminal motion reflects the speed of the relativistic bulk flow in the jet.

Accepted to ApJ, 12 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables