We report on the discovery of a supermassive binary black hole system in the radio galaxy 0402+379, with a projected separation between the two black holes of just 7.3 pc. This is the closest black hole pair yet found by more than 2 orders of magnitude. These results are based on recent multifrequency observations using the Very Long Baseline Array ( VLBA), which reveal two compact, variable, flat-spectrum, active nuclei within the elliptical host galaxy of 0402+379. Multiepoch observations from the VLBA also provide constraints on the total mass and dynamics of the system. Low spectral resolution spectroscopy using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope indicates two velocity systems with a combined mass of the two black holes of $1:5 ; 10 8 M . The two nuclei appear stationary, while the jets emanating from the weaker of the two nuclei appear to move out and terminate in bright hot spots. The discovery of this system has implications for the number of close binary black holes that might be sources of gravitational radiation. Green Bank Telescope observations at 22 GHz to search for water masers in this interesting system are also presented.

We report the detection of periodic (p = 1.96 hours) bursts of extremely bright, 100% circularly polarized, coherent radio emission from the M9 dwarf TVLM 513-46546. Simultaneous photometric monitoring observations have established this periodicity to be the rotation period of the dwarf. These bursts, which were not present in previous observations of this target, confirm that ultracool dwarfs can generate persistent levels of broadband, coherent radio emission, associated with the presence of kG magnetic fields in a large-scale, stable configuration. Compact sources located at the magnetic polar regions produce highly beamed emission generated by the electron cyclotron maser instability, the same mechanism known to generate planetary coherent radio emission in our solar system. The narrow beams of radiation pass our line of sight as the dwarf rotates, producing the associated periodic bursts. The resulting radio light curves are analogous to the periodic light curves associated with pulsar radio emission highlighting TVLM 513-46546 as the prototype of a new class of transient radio source.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Brown dwarfs are classified as objects which are not massive enough to sustain nuclear fusion of hydrogen, and are distinguished from planets by their ability to burn deuterium. 1 Old (>10 Myr) brown dwarfs are expected to possess short-lived magnetic fields 2 and, since they no longer generate energy from collapse and accretion, weak radio and X-ray emitting coronae. Several efforts have been undertaken in the past to detect chromospheric activity from the brown dwarf LP944−20 at X-ray 1,3 and optical 4,5,6,7 wavelengths, but only recently an X-ray flare from this object was detected. 3 Here we report on the discovery of quiescent and flaring radio emission from this source, which represents the first detection of persistent radio emission from a brown dwarf, with luminosities that are several orders of magnitude larger than predicted from an empirical relation 8,9 between the X-ray and radio luminosities of many stellar types. We show in the context of synchrotron emission, that LP944−20 possesses an unusually weak magnetic field in comparison to active dwarf M stars, 10,11 which might explain the null results from previous optical and X-ray observations of this source, and the deviation from the empirical relations. This paper has been submitted to Nature. You are free to use the results here for the purpose of

Using high frequency (12-22 GHz) VLBA observations we confirm the existence of a Faraday rotation measure gradient of ∼500 rad m −2 mas −1 transverse to the jet axis in the quasar 3C 273. The gradient is seen in two epochs spaced roughly six months apart. This stable transverse rotation measure gradient is expected if a helical magnetic field wraps around the jet. The overall order to the magnetic field in the inner projected 40 parsecs is consistent with a helical field. However, we find an unexpected increase in fractional polarization along the edges of the source, contrary to expectations. This high fractional polarization rules out internal Faraday rotation, but is not readily explained by a helical field. After correcting for the rotation measure, the intrinsic magnetic field direction in the jet of 3C 273 changes from parallel to nearly perpendicular to the projected jet motion at two locations. If a helical magnetic field causes the observed rotation measure gradient then the synchrotron emitting electrons must be separate from the helical field region. The presence or absence of transverse rotation measure gradients in other sources is also discussed.

Rotation measure observations of nine quasars, four BL Lacertae objects, and three radio galaxies are presented. The rest-frame rotation measures in the cores of the quasars and the jets of the radio galaxy M87 are several thousand rad m À2 . The BL Lac objects and the jets of the quasars have rest-frame rotation measures of a few hundred rad m À2 . A core rotation measure of 500 rad m À2 in the rest frame is suggested as the dividing line between quasars and BL Lac objects. The substantial rotation measures of the BL Lac objects and quasars cast doubt on the previous polarization position angle investigations of these objects at frequencies of 15 GHz or less. BL Lac itself has a rotation measure that varies in time, similar to the behavior observed for the quasars 3C 273 and 3C 279. A simple model with magnetic fields of 40 lG or less can account for the observed rotation measures.