Pks 2155-304 relativistically beamed synchrotron radiation from BL Lac object

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:5636198

Urry, C M; Mushotzky, R F

The newly discovered BL Lacertae object, PKS 2155-304, was observed with the medium and high intensity energy detectors of the HEAO-1 A2 experiment. The variability by a factor of two in less than a day reported by Snyder, et al (1979) is confirmed. Two spectra, obtained a year apart, while the satellite was in scanning mode, are well fit by simple power laws with energy spectral index alpha sub 1 equals approximately 1.4. A third spectrum, of higher statistical quality, obtained while the satellite was pointed at its source, has two components. An acceptable fit was obtained using a two power law model, with indices alpha sub 1 equals 2.0 (+1.2, -0.6) and alpha sub 2 equals -1.5 (+1.5, -2.3). An interpretation of the overall spectrum from radio through X-rays in terms of a synchrotron self-Compton model gives a good description of the data if allowance is made for relativistic beaming. Thus, from a consideration of the spectrum, combined with an estimate of the size of the source, the presence of jets is inferred without their observation.

• Research Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD (USA). Goddard Space Flight Center
• OSTI ID: 5636198
• Report Number(s): NASA-TM-82101
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BL LACERTAE OBJECTS
ENERGY SPECTRA
COMPTON EFFECT
ELECTRON BEAMS
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SYNCHROTRON RADIATION
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BEAMS
BREMSSTRAHLUNG
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELASTIC SCATTERING
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY RANGE
INTERACTIONS
LEPTON BEAMS
PARTICLE BEAMS
RADIATIONS
SCATTERING
SPECTRA
640103* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Quasi-Stellar
Radio
& X-Ray Sources- (-1987)