LOWER LIMITS ON ULTRAHIGH-ENERGY COSMIC RAY AND JET POWERS OF TeV BLAZARS
- School of Physics, Astronomy and Computational Sciences, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030 (United States)
Lower limits on the power emitted in ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), which are assumed to be protons with energy {approx}> 10{sup 17}-10{sup 20} eV, are derived for TeV blazars with the assumption that the observed TeV {gamma}-rays are generated due to interactions of these protons with cosmic microwave photons. The limits depend on the spectrum of the injected UHECR protons. While for a -2.2 injection spectrum the lower limits on the powers emitted in UHECRs by 1ES 0229+200, 1ES 1101-232, and 1ES 0347-121 are lower than their respective synchrotron luminosities ({approx}10{sup 46} erg s{sup -1}), in the case of 1ES 1426+428 it exceeds the corresponding synchrotron luminosity by up to an order of magnitude. The proposed Auger North Observatory should be able to detect 4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 19} eV cosmic-ray (CR) protons from 1ES 1426+428 within a few years of operation and test the TeV {gamma}-ray production model by UHECR energy losses while propagating along the line of sight or constrain the intergalactic magnetic field to be larger than {approx}10{sup -16} G in case of no detection. The lower limits on the apparent-isotropic jet power from accelerated 10{sup 10}-10{sup 20} eV proton spectra in the blazar jet is of the order of the Eddington luminosity of a 10{sup 9} M{sub Sun} black hole for a CR injection spectrum -2.2 or harder for all blazars considered except for 1ES 1426+428. In the case of the latter, the apparent-isotropic jet power exceeds the Eddington luminosity by an order of magnitude. For an injection spectrum softer than -2.2, as is required to fit the observed CR data above {approx}10{sup 17}-10{sup 18} eV, the Eddington luminosity is exceeded by the lower limits on the jet power for all blazars considered.
- OSTI ID:
- 22011715
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 745, 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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