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Unusual flaring activity in the blazar PKS 1424-418 during 2008-2011

Journal Article · · Astronomy and Astrophysics
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [4];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [6];  [9];  [1];  [10];  [10];  [11];  [12];  [13];  [14];  [11];  [11] more »;  [15];  [16];  [17];  [16];  [18];  [19];  [20] « less
  1. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Padova (Italy).; Univ. of Padova (Italy)
  2. Univ. of Trieste (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Triest (Italy)
  3. Stockholm Univ. (Sweden); AlbaNova, Stockholm (Sweden)
  4. Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Science Data Center, Rome (Italy); Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Rome (Italy)
  5. Naval Research Lab. (NRL), Washington, DC (United States)
  6. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)
  7. Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Bologna (Italy). Istituto di Radioastronomia
  8. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States); Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
  9. Univ. of Trieste (Italy)
  10. Univ. of Heidelberg (Germany)
  11. Max Planck Inst. for Radioastronomy, Bonn (Germany)
  12. The Catholic Univ. of America, Washington, DC (United States)
  13. Univ. of Wurzburg (Germany); Dr. Remeis-Sternwarte Bamberg (Germany)
  14. Univ. of Wurzburg (Germany); Dr. Remeis-Sternwarte Bamberg (Germany); Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Bologna (Italy). Istituto di Radioastronomia; Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics (Germany); Universities Space Research Association (USRA), Columbia, MD (United States)
  15. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Narrabri, NSW (Australia)
  16. Univ. of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS (Australia)
  17. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Epping, NSW (Australia)
  18. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA (United States)
  19. Space Science Inst., Boulder, CO (United States)
  20. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), La Canada Flintridge, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab.
+ Show Author Affiliations
Context. Blazars are a subset of active galactic nuclei (AGN) with jets that are oriented along our line of sight. Variability and spectral energy distribution (SED) studies are crucial tools for understanding the physical processes responsible for observed AGN emission. Aims. We report peculiar behaviour in the bright γ-ray blazar PKS 1424-418 and use its strong variability to reveal information about the particle acceleration and interactions in the jet. Methods. Correlation analysis of the extensive optical coverage by the ATOM telescope and nearly continuous γ-ray coverage by the Fermi Large Area Telescope is combined with broadband, time-dependent modeling of the SED incorporating supplemental information from radio and X-ray observations of this blazar. Results. We analyse in detail four bright phases at optical-GeV energies. These flares of PKS 1424-418 show high correlation between these energy ranges, with the exception of one large optical flare that coincides with relatively low γ-ray activity. Although the optical/ γ-ray behaviour of PKS 1424-418 shows variety, the multiwavelength modeling indicates that these differences can largely be explained by changes in the flux and energy spectrum of the electrons in the jet that are radiating. We find that for all flares the SED is adequately represented by a leptonic model that includes inverse Compton emission from external radiation fields with similar parameters. Conclusions. Detailed studies of individual blazars like PKS 1424-418 during periods of enhanced activity in different wavebands are helping us identify underlying patterns in the physical parameters in this class of AGN.
Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
1356445
Journal Information:
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Journal Name: Astronomy and Astrophysics Vol. 569; ISSN 0004-6361
Publisher:
EDP SciencesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (4)

Relativistic Jets in Gamma-Ray-Emitting Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies preprint January 2019
Coincidence of a high-fluence blazar outburst with a PeV-energy neutrino event journal April 2016
The large gamma-ray flare of the flat-spectrum radio quasar PKS 0346−27 journal July 2019
Relativistic Jets in Gamma-Ray-Emitting Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies journal November 2019

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