Direct VLBI Detection of Interstellar Turbulence Imprint on a Quasar: TXS 2005+403

Abstract

We report the first unambiguous detection of refractive substructure in an active galactic nucleus (AGN) using ground-based Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). Our analysis of TXS 2005+403 - observed at 1-5 GHz along a line of sight through the Cygnus region - reveals clear signatures of turbulence-induced substructure on long baselines that cannot be explained by the smooth scatter-broadened profile from diffractive effects alone. This signal persists across multiple observations spanning 2010-2019, demonstrating stable scattering properties along this line of sight. The combination of high flux density, compact intrinsic structure, and strong scattering establishes TXS 2005+403 as an exceptional laboratory for probing Galactic turbulence. This detection demonstrates that AGNs can serve as cosmic lighthouses illuminating interstellar plasma across the sky, complementing pulsar scintillation studies and informing scattering mitigation for millimeter-wavelength imaging of Sagittarius A*.