Near-equipartition jets with log-parabola electron energy distribution and the blazar spectral-index diagrams
- Space Science Division, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States)
- Key Laboratory of Particle Astrophysics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China)
- Department of Astronomy, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, Yunnan (China)
- Centre d’Études Nucléaires Bordeaux Gradignan, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS/IN2P3, UMR 5797, Gradignan, F-33175 (France)
Fermi-LAT analyses show that the γ-ray photon spectral indices Γ{sub γ} of a large sample of blazars correlate with the νF{sub ν} peak synchrotron frequency ν{sub s} according to the relation Γ{sub γ}=d−klog ν{sub s}. The same function, with different constants d and k, also describes the relationship between Γ{sub γ} and peak Compton frequency ν{sub C}. This behavior is derived analytically using an equipartition blazar model with a log-parabola description of the electron energy distribution (EED). In the Thomson regime, k=k{sub EC}=3b/4 for external Compton (EC) processes and k=k{sub SSC}=9b/16 for synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) processes, where b is the log-parabola width parameter of the EED. The BL Lac object Mrk 501 is fit with a synchrotron/SSC model given by the log-parabola EED, and is best fit away from equipartition. Corrections are made to the spectral-index diagrams for a low-energy power-law EED and departures from equipartition, as constrained by absolute jet power. Analytic expressions are compared with numerical values derived from self-Compton and EC scattered γ-ray spectra from Lyα broad-line region and IR target photons. The Γ{sub γ} versus ν{sub s} behavior in the model depends strongly on b, with progressively and predictably weaker dependences on γ-ray detection range, variability time, and isotropic γ-ray luminosity. Implications for blazar unification and blazars as ultra-high energy cosmic-ray sources are discussed. Arguments by Ghisellini et al. that the jet power exceeds the accretion luminosity depend on the doubtful assumption that we are viewing at the Doppler angle.
- OSTI ID:
- 22882742
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 809, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Since 2009, the country of publication for this journal is the UK.; ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
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