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The cosmic evolution of Fermi BL lacertae objects

Journal Article · · The Astrophysical Journal
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [2];  [8];  [8];  [2];  [5];  [7];  [8];  [8];  [7]
  1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Space Sciences Lab.
  2. Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Kavli Inst. for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
  3. Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Science Data Center, Rome (Italy); National Institute for Astrophysics-Astronomical Observatory of Rome, Rome (Italy).
  4. Technical Univ. of Munchen, Garching (Germany). Dept. of Physics
  5. Univ. of Oxford (United Kingdom). Dept. of Astrophysics
  6. Naval Research Lab. (NRL), Washington, DC (United States). Space Science Division
  7. Max Planck Inst. for Extraterrestrial Physics, Garching (Germany)
  8. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Dept. of Astronomy
+ Show Author Affiliations
Fermi has provided the largest sample of γ-ray-selected blazars to date. We use a uniformly selected set of 211 BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects detected by Fermi during its first year of operation. We obtained redshift constraints for 206 out of the 211 BL Lac objects in our sample, making it the largest and most complete sample of BL Lac objects available in the literature. We use this sample to determine the luminosity function of BL Lac objects and its evolution with cosmic time. Here, we find that for most BL Lac classes the evolution is positive, with a space density peaking at modest redshift (z ≈ 1.2). Low-luminosity, high-synchrotron-peaked (HSP) BL Lac objects are an exception, showing strong negative evolution, with number density increasing for z lesssim 0.5. Since this rise corresponds to a drop-off in the density of flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), a possible interpretation is that these HSPs represent an accretion-starved end state of an earlier merger-driven gas-rich phase. Additionally, we find that the known BL Lac correlation between luminosity and photon spectral index persists after correction for the substantial observational selection effects with implications for the so-called "blazar sequence." Finally, by estimating the beaming corrections to the luminosity function, we find that BL Lac objects have an average Lorentz factor of $$\gamma =6.1^{+1.1}_{-0.8}$$, and that most are seen within 10° of the jet axis.
Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Contributing Organization:
Fermi LAT Collaboration
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
1356540
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 22348288
Journal Information:
The Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: The Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 780; ISSN 0004-637X
Publisher:
Institute of Physics (IOP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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The space density of z  > 4 blazars journal January 2019
Gamma-ray luminosity function of BL Lac objects and contribution to the extragalactic gamma-ray background journal September 2019
Pulsar timing constraints on the Fermi massive black hole binary blazar population journal August 2018
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Diffuse neutrino intensity from the inner jets of active galactic nuclei: Impacts of external photon fields and the blazar sequence journal July 2014
Mapping dark matter in the gamma-ray sky with galaxy catalogs journal July 2014
Star-forming galaxies significantly contribute to the isotropic gamma-ray background journal October 2017
Robust constraints and novel gamma-ray signatures of dark matter that interacts strongly with nucleons journal June 2018
Characterizing the local gamma-ray Universe via angular cross-correlations journal November 2018
Hidden Cosmic-Ray Accelerators as an Origin of TeV-PeV Cosmic Neutrinos journal February 2016
Constraints on decaying dark matter from the extragalactic gamma-ray background text January 2015
Interpretation of the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux in terms of the blazar sequence text January 2018
Determining the fraction of cosmic-ray protons at ultra-high energies with cosmogenic neutrinos text January 2019
Open Questions in Cosmic-Ray Research at Ultrahigh Energies text January 2019
Fermi-LAT Stacking Analysis Technique: An Application to Extreme Blazars and Prospects for their CTA Detection text January 2019
BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey. XVI. General Physical Characteristics of BAT Blazars text January 2019
Investigation of Two Fermi -LAT Gamma-Ray Blazars Coincident with High-energy Neutrinos Detected by IceCube text January 2019
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Interpretation of the Diffuse Astrophysical Neutrino Flux in Terms of the Blazar Sequence journal January 2019
Probing the Emission Mechanism and Magnetic Field of Neutrino Blazars with Multiwavelength Polarization Signatures journal May 2019
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BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey. XVI. General Physical Characteristics of BAT Blazars journal August 2019
A Two-zone Model for Blazar Emission: Implications for TXS 0506+056 and the Neutrino Event IceCube-170922A journal November 2019
NuSTAR Observations and Multiwavelength Modeling of the High-redshift BL Lacertae Object 4FGL J2146.5-1344 journal January 2020
Complementarity of Stacking and Multiplet Constraints on the Blazar Contribution to the Cumulative High-energy Neutrino Intensity journal February 2020
Determining the Core Radio Luminosity Function of Radio AGNs via Copula journal December 2018
Identifying the 3FHL Catalog. III. Results of the CTIO-COSMOS Optical Spectroscopy Campaign journal February 2019
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Supermassive Binaries in Quasars and BL Lac Objects: Electromagnetic and Gravitational Wave Emissions journal April 2019
Fermi -LAT Stacking Analysis Technique: An Application to Extreme Blazars and Prospects for their CTA Detection journal August 2019
Diffuse Neutrino Intensity from the Inner Jets of Active Galactic Nuclei: Impacts of External Photon Fields and the Blazar Sequence text January 2014
Power spectrum tomography of dark matter annihilation with local galaxy distribution text January 2014
Evidence of cross-correlation between the CMB lensing and the gamma-ray sky text January 2014
The Origin of the Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Background and Implications for Dark-Matter Annihilation text January 2015
Limits on Dark Matter Annihilation Signals from the Fermi LAT 4-year Measurement of the Isotropic Gamma-Ray Background text January 2015
Dark matter searches in the gamma-ray extragalactic background via cross-correlations with galaxy catalogues text January 2015
Planck Lensing and Cosmic Infrared Background Cross-Correlation with Fermi-LAT: Tracing Dark Matter Signals in the Gamma-Ray Background text January 2016
General Physical Properties of CGRaBS Blazars text January 2017
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Interpretation of the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux in terms of the blazar sequence text January 2018
Blazar Flares as an Origin of High-Energy Cosmic Neutrinos? text January 2018
Identifying the 3FHL catalog: I. Results of the KOSMOS optical spectroscopy campaign text January 2018
Blazar jets as the most efficient persistent engines preprint January 2018
Angular power spectrum analysis on current and future high-energy neutrino data text January 2018
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Probing the Emission Mechanism and Magnetic Field of Neutrino Blazars with Multi-Wavelength Polarization Signatures text January 2019
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Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
cosmology: observations
diffuse radiation
galaxies: active
galaxies: jets
gamma rays: diffuse background
surveys