Revealing a ribbon-like jet in OJ 287 with RadioAstron

Abstract

We present space-based very long baseline interferometry observations of the BL Lac type object OJ 287 taken with RadioAstron at 22 GHz on April 25, 2016, in conjunction with a ground array comprising 27 radio telescopes. We detect ground-space fringes at projected baselines extending up to 4.6 Earth diameters, which allowed us to image the jet in OJ 287 with an angular resolution of ~47 μas. Applying an advanced regularized maximum likelihood imaging method, we resolved the innermost jet structure with a complex morphology at a resolution of ~15 μas (~0.1 pc projected distance). For the first time, due to a favorable geometrical position of the jet in tandem with high data quality, we detect multiple sharp bends that form a "ribbon-like" jet structure that extends down to 1 mas. Two-dimensional Gaussian model-fitting reveals regions of the jet with brightness temperatures of more than 10^13 K, indicative of strong Doppler boosting. Polarimetric imaging reveals that the electric vector position angles are predominantly perpendicular to the innermost jet direction, implying a dominant poloidal magnetic field component near the central engine. Complementary multi-epoch Very Long Baseline Array observations at 43 GHz provide a multifrequency view of the jet evolution. Ridgeline analysis of the 43 GHz data shows significant variations in the jet position angle from 2014 to 2017, behavior consistent with a rotating helical jet structure. Finally, we confirm the emergence of a new jet component (B15 or K), which may be associated with the source's first TeV flare, and offer new observational constraints relevant to models involving a supermassive black hole binary.