Three dimensional magnetic field structure of six parsec-scale active galactic nuclei jets

Abstract

The parsec-scale Faraday rotation measure (RM) distribution of six "blazars" is investigated using multi-frequency (4.6--43 GHz) polarization observations taken on 2006 July 2 with the VLBA. Analysis of the RM provides the direction of the line-of-sight (LoS) magnetic field component, as well as the intrinsic 2-D polarization distribution on the plane of the sky. Our results show that the magnitude of the core RM increases systematically with frequency, and is well described by a power-law, where |RM_{core}| \propto ν^a. Our measured values of $a$ vary from 0.9 to 3.8, providing information on the assumed power-law fall-off in the electron density with distance from the central engine for each source. RM gradients were detected across the jets of three sources, supporting the presence of helical magnetic fields in a sheath or boundary layer surrounding their jets. We find a bi-modal distribution of the intrinsic jet polarization orientation; either aligned or orthogonal to the jet direction. A helical magnetic field geometry can neatly explain both the bi-model distribution of the jet polarization orientation and the ordered polarization structure detected on these scales. In half the sources, we find that the core RM changes sign with distance from the central engine. We provide an explanation for this by considering a boundary layer of Faraday rotating material threaded by a helical magnetic field, where bends in the relativistic jet or accelerating/decelerating flows give rise to changes in the dominant LoS components of the magnetic field, which in turn gives rise to different signs of the RM. (abridged)