Multiwavelength Observations of a Dramatic High-Energy Flare in the Blazar 3C 279
- Infrared Processing Analysis Center, MC 100-22, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States)
- Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, Maryland 21218 (United States)
- Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Brera 28, I-20121 Milan (Italy)
- Department of Physics, University of Southampton, Southampton SO9 5NH, England (United Kingdom)
- Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Bianchi 46, I-22055 Merate (Lecco) (Italy)
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 (United States)
- ISAS, 3-1-1, Yoshinodai, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229 (Japan)
- Department of Astronomy, Boston University, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 (United States)
- Landessternwarte, Heidelberg-Koenigsstuhl, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, University Park, Miami, Florida 33199 (United States)
- University of Minnesota, Department of Astronomy, 116 Church Street, SE Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 (United States)
- University of Michigan, Physics and Astronomy, 817 Dennison Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States)
- Franklin Marshall College, Physics and Astronomy Department, P.O. Box 3003, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17604-3003 (United States)
- Colgate University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, New York 13346-1398 (United States)
The blazar 3C 279, one of the brightest identified extragalactic objects in the {gamma}-ray sky, underwent a large (factor of {approximately}10 in amplitude) flare in {gamma}-rays toward the end of a 3 week pointing by {ital Compton Gamma Ray} Observatory (CGRO), in 1996 January{endash}February. The flare peak represents the highest {gamma}-ray intensity ever recorded for this object. During the high state, extremely rapid {gamma}-ray variability was seen, including an increase of a factor of 2.6 in {approximately}8 hr, which strengthens the case for relativistic beaming. Coordinated multifrequency observations were carried out with {ital Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics (ASCA; or, Astro-D), Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT),} and {ital International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE)} and from many ground-based observatories, covering most accessible wavelengths. The well-sampled, simultaneous {ital RXTE} light curve shows an outburst of lower amplitude (factor of {approx_equal}3) well correlated with the {gamma}-ray flare without any lag larger than the temporal resolution of {approximately}1 day. The optical-UV light curves, not well sampled during the high-energy flare, exhibit more modest variations (factor of {approximately}2) and a lower degree of correlation. The flux at millimetric wavelengths was near a historical maximum during the {gamma}-ray flare peak, and there is a suggestion of a correlated decay. We present simultaneous spectral energy distributions of 3C 279 prior to and near to the flare peak. The {gamma}-rays vary by more than the square of the observed IR{endash}optical flux change, which poses some problems for specific blazar emission models. The synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model would require that the largest synchrotron variability occurred in the mostly unobserved submillimeter/far-infrared region. Alternatively, a large variation in the external photon field could occur over a timescale of a few days. This occurs naturally in the {open_quotes}mirror{close_quotes} model, wherein the flaring region in the jet photoionizes nearby broad emission line clouds, which, in turn, provide soft external photons that are Comptonized to {gamma}-ray energies. {copyright} {ital 1998.} {ital The American Astronomical Society}
- OSTI ID:
- 656278
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 497, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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