(FermiFermi)-LAT observations of the 2014 May-July outburst from 3C 454.3
- Department of Physics, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park 2006 (South Africa)
- W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)
- Univ. Bordeaux, Centre d’Études Nucléaires de Bordeaux-Gradignan, UMR 5797, CNRS/IN2P3, F-33175 Gradignan (France)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, I-34131, Padova (Italy)
A prominent outburst of the flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 454.3 was observed in 2014 June with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. This outburst was characterized by a three-stage light-curve pattern—plateau, flare, and post-flare—that occurred from 2014 May to July, in a similar pattern as observed during the exceptional outburst in 2010 November. The highest flux of the outburst reported in this paper occurred during 2014 June 7–29, showing a multiple-peak structure in the light-curves. The average flux in these 22 days was found to be F[E>100 MeV]=(7.2±0.2)×10{sup −6} ph cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}, with a spectral index, for a simple power law, of Γ=2.04±0.01. That made this outburst the first γ-ray high state of 3C 454.3 ever to be detected by Fermi with such a hard spectrum over several days. The highest flux was recorded on 2014 June 15, in a 3 hr bin, at MJD 56823.5625, at a level of F[E>100 MeV]=(17.6±1.9)×10{sup −6} ph cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}. The rise time of one of the short subflares was found to be T{sub r}=1200±700 s at MJD = 56827, when the flux increased from 4 to 12 × 10{sup −6} ph cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}. Several photons above 20 GeV were collected during this outburst, including one at 45 GeV on MJD 56827, constraining the γ-ray emission region to be located close to the outer boundary of the broad-line region, leading to fast flux variability.
- OSTI ID:
- 22868567
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 830, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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