Forgotten treasures in the HST/FOC UV imaging polarimetric archives of active galactic nuclei

III. Five years monitoring of M87

¹ Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, UMR 7550, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
² Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St Mary, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK
³ Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583, Japan
⁴ Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics & Cosmology (KIPAC), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA

^⋆ Corresponding author; frederic.marin@astro.unistra.fr

Received: 5 July 2024
Accepted: 8 October 2024

Abstract

Context. The active galactic nucleus within M87, a giant elliptical galaxy, is responsible for one of the closest kiloparsec-scale relativistic jets to Earth. It is thus a perfect target for spatially resolved observations.

Aims. This one-sided jet has been extensively observed at almost all wavelengths, with almost all techniques. Among many other discoveries, it was found that the optical emission is more concentrated in the knots and along the center line of the jet, in comparison to, for example, the radio emission. A remaining question relates to what we can learn from its polarized counterpart.

Methods. We unearthed unpublished polarization maps taken with the Faint Object Camera (FOC) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), obtained between 1995 and 1999. At a rate of one observation per year, we can follow the evolution of the polarized flux knots in the jet. We can thus constrain the timescale of variation in the magnetic field up to a spatial resolution of one tenth of an arcsecond (∼11.5 pc).

Results. After coherently reducing the five observations using the same methodology presented in the first paper of this series, the analysis of polarized maps from POS 1 (base of the jet) and POS 3 (end of the jet) reveals significant temporal and spatial dynamics in the jet’s magnetic field morphology. Despite minimal changes in the overall intensity structure, notable fluctuations in polarization degrees and angles are detected across various knots and inter-knot regions. In addition, the emission and polarization characteristics of M87’s jet differ significantly between POS1 and POS3. POS1 shows a more collimated jet with strong variability in polarization, while POS3 reveals a thicker structure, a quasi-absence of variability, and complex magnetic field interactions. This suggests that the jet may have coaxial structures with distinct kinetic properties. Theoretical models like the jet-in-jet scenario, featuring double-helical magnetic flux ropes, help to explain these observations and indicate a strong density contrast and higher speeds in the inner jet.

Conclusions. Our temporal analysis demonstrates the importance of high-spatial-resolution polarization mapping in understanding jets’ polarization properties and overall dynamics, especially if such maps are taken at different wavelengths (ultraviolet and radio).