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Title: Herschel PACS and SPIRE Observations of Blazar PKS 1510-089: A Case for Two Blazar Zones

Abstract

In this paper, we present the results of observations of blazar PKS 1510–089 with the Herschel Space Observatory PACS and SPIRE instruments, together with multiwavelength data from Fermi/LAT, Swift, SMARTS, and Submillimeter Array. The source was found in a quiet state, and its far-infrared spectrum is consistent with a power law with a spectral index of α ≃ 0.7. Our Herschel observations were preceded by two "orphan" gamma-ray flares. The near-infrared data reveal the high-energy cutoff in the main synchrotron component, which cannot be associated with the main gamma-ray component in a one-zone leptonic model. This is because in such a model the luminosity ratio of the external-Compton (EC) and synchrotron components is tightly related to the frequency ratio of these components, and in this particular case an unrealistically high energy density of the external radiation would be implied. Therefore, we consider a well-constrained two-zone blazar model to interpret the entire data set. Finally, in this framework, the observed infrared emission is associated with the synchrotron component produced in the hot-dust region at the supra-parsec scale, while the gamma-ray emission is associated with the EC component produced in the broad-line region at the sub-parsec scale. In addition, the optical/UV emissionmore » is associated with the accretion disk thermal emission, with the accretion disk corona likely contributing to the X-ray emission.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [7]
  1. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
  2. Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Warsaw (Poland)
  3. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Kavli Inst. for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
  4. KU Leuven (Belgium). Inst. of Astronomy
  5. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Kavli Inst. for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology; Jagiellonian Univ., Krakow (Poland)
  6. Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Torun (Poland)
  7. European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), Madrid (Spain). Herschel Science Centre
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Warsaw (Poland)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE; National Science Foundation (NSF); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); National Science Centre (NCN) (Poland)
Contributing Org.:
Fermi-LAT Collaboration; KU Leuven (Belgium); European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), Madrid (Spain)
OSTI Identifier:
1356609
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-76SF00515; AST-0907872; NNX09AG02G; NNX11AO39G; RSA 1433865; DEC-2011/01/B/ST9/04845
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
The Astrophysical Journal
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 760; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X
Publisher:
Institute of Physics (IOP)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; active galaxies; galaxies jets; gamma rays; infrared; quasars; non-thermal radiation mechanisms

Citation Formats

Nalewajko, Krzysztof, Sikora, Marek, Madejski, Greg M., Exter, Katrina, Szostek, Anna, Szczerba, Ryszard, Kidger, Mark R., and Lorente, Rosario. Herschel PACS and SPIRE Observations of Blazar PKS 1510-089: A Case for Two Blazar Zones. United States: N. p., 2012. Web. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/760/1/69.
Nalewajko, Krzysztof, Sikora, Marek, Madejski, Greg M., Exter, Katrina, Szostek, Anna, Szczerba, Ryszard, Kidger, Mark R., & Lorente, Rosario. Herschel PACS and SPIRE Observations of Blazar PKS 1510-089: A Case for Two Blazar Zones. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/760/1/69
Nalewajko, Krzysztof, Sikora, Marek, Madejski, Greg M., Exter, Katrina, Szostek, Anna, Szczerba, Ryszard, Kidger, Mark R., and Lorente, Rosario. 2012. "Herschel PACS and SPIRE Observations of Blazar PKS 1510-089: A Case for Two Blazar Zones". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/760/1/69. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1356609.
@article{osti_1356609,
title = {Herschel PACS and SPIRE Observations of Blazar PKS 1510-089: A Case for Two Blazar Zones},
author = {Nalewajko, Krzysztof and Sikora, Marek and Madejski, Greg M. and Exter, Katrina and Szostek, Anna and Szczerba, Ryszard and Kidger, Mark R. and Lorente, Rosario},
abstractNote = {In this paper, we present the results of observations of blazar PKS 1510–089 with the Herschel Space Observatory PACS and SPIRE instruments, together with multiwavelength data from Fermi/LAT, Swift, SMARTS, and Submillimeter Array. The source was found in a quiet state, and its far-infrared spectrum is consistent with a power law with a spectral index of α ≃ 0.7. Our Herschel observations were preceded by two "orphan" gamma-ray flares. The near-infrared data reveal the high-energy cutoff in the main synchrotron component, which cannot be associated with the main gamma-ray component in a one-zone leptonic model. This is because in such a model the luminosity ratio of the external-Compton (EC) and synchrotron components is tightly related to the frequency ratio of these components, and in this particular case an unrealistically high energy density of the external radiation would be implied. Therefore, we consider a well-constrained two-zone blazar model to interpret the entire data set. Finally, in this framework, the observed infrared emission is associated with the synchrotron component produced in the hot-dust region at the supra-parsec scale, while the gamma-ray emission is associated with the EC component produced in the broad-line region at the sub-parsec scale. In addition, the optical/UV emission is associated with the accretion disk thermal emission, with the accretion disk corona likely contributing to the X-ray emission.},
doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/760/1/69},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1356609}, journal = {The Astrophysical Journal},
issn = {0004-637X},
number = 1,
volume = 760,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Nov 06 00:00:00 EST 2012},
month = {Tue Nov 06 00:00:00 EST 2012}
}

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The mid-2016 flaring activity of the flat spectrum radio quasar PKS 2023-07
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Magnetic field amplification and flat spectrum radio quasars
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Systematic Study of Gamma-Ray-Bright Blazars with Optical Polarization and Gamma-Ray Variability
journal, December 2016


Blazar Spectra with Hard-sphere-like Acceleration of Electrons
journal, June 2018


Probing an X-Ray Flare Pattern in Mrk 421 Induced by Multiple Stationary Shocks: A Solution to the Bulk Lorentz Factor Crisis
journal, May 2019


Two-zone Emission Modeling of PKS 1510-089 during the High State of 2015
journal, September 2019


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Short-timescale γ -Ray Variability in CTA 102
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Magnetic Field Amplification and Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars
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