The Center of Activity in the CSS Superluminal Source 3C 138

We present the results from the first quasi-simultaneous multi-frequency (2.3, 5.0, 8.4 and 15 GHz) Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations of a compact steep spectrum (CSS) superluminal source 3C138. For the first time, the spectral distribution of the components within its central 10 milli-arcsecond (mas) region was obtained. This enables us to identify the component at the western end as the location of the nuclear activity on the assumption that the central engine is associated with one of the detected components. The possibility that none of these visible components is the true core is also discussed. The new measurements further clarify the superluminal motions of its inner jet components. The multi-frequency data reveal a convex spectrum in one jet component, inferring the existence of free-free absorption by the ambient dense plasma.