MULTI-EPOCH MULTI-FREQUENCY VLBI STUDY OF THE PARSEC-SCALE JET IN THE BLAZAR 3C 66A

ABSTRACT We present observational results of the γ-ray blazar 3C 66A at 2.3, 8.4, and 22 GHz at four epochs during 2004-2005 with the VLBA. The resulting images show an overall core-jet structure extending roughly to the south, with two intermediate breaks occurring in the region near the core. By model-fitting to the visibility data, the northmost component, which is also the brightest, is identified as the core according to its relatively flat spectrum and its compactness. Combining our results with previous results to investigate the proper motions of the jet components, we found the kinematics of 3C 66A to be quite complicated, with components of inward and outward, subluminal and superluminal motions all detected in the radio structure. The superluminal motions indicate strong Doppler boosting exists in the jet. The apparent inward motions of the innermost components last for at least 10 years and could not be caused by newborn components. A possible reason could be non-stationarity of the core due to opacity change.