Deep Chandra Observations of the Centaurus A Jet

Abstract

Chandra has observed the jet of Centaurus A for 560 ks in 2007, giving a total on-source observation time since the launch of Chandra of 720 ks. Combining these datasets gives us a uniquely detailed X-ray view of the jet in the nearest radio galaxy, while regular VLA monitoring provides complementary high-resolution radio data. We present some images and first results from the new data, including constraints on the variability of compact components of the jet and a discussion of the implications for particle acceleration of the spatial variation of jet X-ray spectral index.