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arXiv · 2603.20701

Synchrotron Self-Absorption Spectral Modeling Reveals a Magnetically Driven Shock-in-Jet Scenario in Blazar 1156+295

Abstract

Unveiling the launching and driving mechanisms of powerful jets in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is crucial for understanding the co-evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies. 1156+295 is a blazar at a redshift of z=0.729 and exhibits significant variability in long-term radio monitoring. Using multi-frequency Effelsberg single-dish flux density data from 2007 to 2012, we performed synchrotron self-absorption (SSA) spectral modeling and extracted the turnover frequency and turnover flux density. By combining SSA spectral modeling with the core size and brightness temperature from quasi-simultaneous very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) images, we estimated the jet magnetic-field strength and magnetic flux, and investigated their temporal evolution in 1156+295. The evolution of radio flux density, spectral shape, and jet structure is consistent with the shock-in-jet framework. The inferred magnetic flux reaching or exceeding the magnetically arrested disk (MAD) threshold, together with evidence that magnetic energy release precedes the radio flares, supports a magnetically driven jet scenario. Overall, our results place magnetic-field measurements, spectral evolution, and inner-jet structural changes on a common timeline, providing observational constraints on their coupled evolution during flares.

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Wancheng Xu, Lang Cui, Tao An, Sándor Frey, Xin Wang, Yuanqi Liu, Ning Chang, Liang Chen, Yingkang Zhang. 2026-03-21. Synchrotron Self-Absorption Spectral Modeling Reveals a Magnetically Driven Shock-in-Jet Scenario in Blazar 1156+295. https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.20701

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