Effects of nonuniform structure on the derived physical parameters of compact synchrotron sources

Abstract

The reported investigation is based on the assumption that the flat opaque spectra of compact sources are due to magnetic fields and relativistic electron distributions which are decreasing functions of radius. An approximate solution to the radiative transfer equation in the case of a discrete nonuniform source component is obtained. It is shown that the results agree with more precise numerical calculations. The interferometric fringe visibility function of a nonuniform component is considered and a description is presented of the derivation of several important physical parameters of the source from very long baseline interferometry measurements at several frequencies.