scholarly journals Broad-band study of high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lac object 1ES 1218+304

2020 ◽  
Vol 496 (4) ◽  
pp. 5518-5527
Author(s):  
N Sahakyan

ABSTRACT The origin of the multiwavelength emission from the high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lac 1ES 1218+304 is studied using the data from SwiftUVOT/XRT, NuSTAR, and Fermi-LAT. A detailed temporal and spectral analysis of the data observed during 2008–2020 in the  γ-ray (>100 MeV), X-ray (0.3–70 keV), and optical/UV bands is performed. The γ-ray spectrum is hard with a photon index of 1.71 ± 0.02 above 100 MeV. The SwiftUVOT/XRT data show a flux increase in the UV/optical and X-ray bands; the highest 0.3–3 keV X-ray flux was (1.13 ± 0.02) × 10−10 erg cm−2 s−1. In the 0.3–10 keV range, the averaged X-ray photon index is >2.0 which softens to 2.56 ± 0.028 in the 3–50 keV band. However, in some periods, the X-ray photon index became extremely hard (<1.8), indicating that the peak of the synchrotron component was above 1 keV, and so 1ES 1218+304 behaved like an extreme synchrotron BL Lac. The hardest X-ray photon index of 1ES 1218+304 was 1.60 ± 0.05 on MJD 58489. The time-averaged multiwavelength spectral energy distribution is modelled within a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton leptonic model using a broken power law and power law with an exponential cutoff electron energy distributions. The data are well explained when the electron energy distribution is $E_{\rm e}^{-2.1}$ extending up to γbr/cut ≃ (1.7 − 4.3) × 105, and the magnetic field is weak (B ∼ 1.5 × 10−2 G). By solving the kinetic equation for electron evolution in the emitting region, the obtained electron energy distributions are discussed considering particle injection, cooling, and escape.

2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. A2
Author(s):  
Sylvain Chaty ◽  
Francis Fortin ◽  
Alicia López-Oramas

Aims. We aim to analyse our study of the X-ray transient Swift J1745−26, using observations obtained from its outburst in September 2012, up to its decay towards quiescence in March 2013. Methods. We obtained optical and infrared observations, through override programme at ESO/VLT with FORS2 and ISAAC instruments, and added archival optical (VLT/VIRCAM), radio and X-ray (Swift) observations, to build the light curve and the broad-band spectral energy distribution (SED) of Swift J1745−26. Results. We show that, during its outburst and also during its decay towards quiescence, Swift J1745−26 SED can be adjusted, from infrared up to X-rays, by the sum of both a viscous irradiated multi-colour black body emitted by an accretion disc, and a synchrotron power law at high energy. In the radio domain, the SED arises from synchrotron emission from the jet. While our SED fitting confirms that the source remained in the low/hard state during its outburst, we determine an X-ray spectral break at frequency 3.1 ≤ νbreak ≤ 3.4 × 1014 Hz, and a radio spectral break at 1012 Hz ≤ νbreak ≤ 1013 Hz. We also show that the system is compatible with an absorption AV of ∼7.69 mag, lies within a distance interval of D ∼ [2.6 − 4.8] kpc with an upper limit of orbital period Porb = 11.3 h, and that the companion star is a late spectral type in the range K0–M0 V, confirming that the system is a low-mass X-ray binary. We finally plot the position of Swift J1745−26 on an optical-infrared – X-ray luminosity diagram: its localisation on this diagram is consistent with the source staying in the low-hard state during outburst and decay phases. Conclusions. By using new observations obtained at ESO/VLT with FORS2 and ISAAC, and adding archival optical (VLT/VIRCAM), radio and X-ray (Swift) observations, we built the light curve and the broad-band SED of Swift J1745−26, and we plotted its position on an optical-infrared – X-ray luminosity diagram. By fitting the SED, we characterized the emission of the source from infrared, via optical, up to X-ray domain, we determined the position of both the radio and X-ray spectral breaks, we confirmed that it remained in the low-hard state during outburst and decay phases, and we derived its absorption, distance interval, orbital period upper limit, and the late-type nature of companion star, confirming Swift J1745−26 is a low-mass X-ray binary.


2020 ◽  
Vol 496 (3) ◽  
pp. 3912-3928
Author(s):  
MAGIC Collaboration: V A Acciari ◽  
S Ansoldi ◽  
L A Antonelli ◽  
A Arbet Engels ◽  
A Babić ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Extreme high-frequency BL Lacs (EHBL) feature their synchrotron peak of the broad-band spectral energy distribution (SED) at νs ≥ 1017 Hz. The BL Lac object 1ES 2344+514 was included in the EHBL family because of its impressive shift of the synchrotron peak in 1996. During the following years, the source appeared to be in a low state without showing any extreme behaviours. In 2016 August, 1ES 2344+514 was detected with the ground-based γ-ray telescope FACT during a high γ-ray state, triggering multiwavelength (MWL) observations. We studied the MWL light curves of 1ES 2344+514 during the 2016 flaring state, using data from radio to very-high-energy (VHE) γ-rays taken with OVRO, KAIT, KVA, NOT, some telescopes of the GASP-WEBT collaboration at the Teide, Crimean, and St. Petersburg observatories, Swift-UVOT, Swift-XRT, Fermi-LAT, FACT, and MAGIC. With simultaneous observations of the flare, we built the broad-band SED and studied it in the framework of a leptonic and a hadronic model. The VHE γ-ray observations show a flux level of 55 per cent of the Crab Nebula flux above 300 GeV, similar to the historical maximum of 1995. The combination of MAGIC and Fermi-LAT spectra provides an unprecedented characterization of the inverse-Compton peak for this object during a flaring episode. The Γ index of the intrinsic spectrum in the VHE γ-ray band is 2.04 ± 0.12stat ± 0.15sys. We find the source in an extreme state with a shift of the position of the synchrotron peak to frequencies above or equal to 1018 Hz.


2019 ◽  
Vol 627 ◽  
pp. A72 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Ghisellini ◽  
M. Perri ◽  
L. Costamante ◽  
G. Tagliaferri ◽  
T. Sbarrato ◽  
...  

We observed three blazars at z >  2 with the NuSTAR satellite. These were detected in the γ-rays by Fermi/LAT and in the soft X-rays, but have not yet been observed above 10 keV. The flux and slope of their X-ray continuum, together with Fermi/LAT data allows us to estimate their total electromagnetic output and peak frequency. For some of them we were able to study the source in different states, and investigate the main cause of the different observed spectral energy distribution. We then collected all blazars at redshifts greater than 2 observed by NuSTAR, and confirm that these hard and luminous X-ray blazars are among the most powerful persistent sources in the Universe. We confirm the relation between the jet power and the disk luminosity, extending it at the high-energy end.


Author(s):  
D A Zyuzin ◽  
A V Karpova ◽  
Y A Shibanov ◽  
A Y Potekhin ◽  
V F Suleimanov

Abstract We analyze new XMM-Newton and archival Chandra observations of the middle-aged γ-ray radio-quiet pulsar J1957+5033. We detect, for the first time, X-ray pulsations with the pulsar spin period of the point-like source coinciding by position with the pulsar. This confirms the pulsar nature of the source. In the 0.15–0.5 keV band, there is a single pulse per period and the pulsed fraction is ≈18 ± 6 per cent. In this band, the pulsar spectrum is dominated by a thermal emission component that likely comes from the entire surface of the neutron star, while at higher energies (≳ 0.7 keV) it is described by a power law with the photon index Γ ≈ 1.6. We construct new hydrogen atmosphere models for neutron stars with dipole magnetic fields and non-uniform surface temperature distributions with relatively low effective temperatures. We use them in the spectral analysis and derive the pulsar average effective temperature of ≈(2 − 3) × 105 K. This makes J1957+5033 the coldest among all known thermally emitting neutron stars with ages below 1 Myr. Using the interstellar extinction–distance relation, we constrain the distance to the pulsar in the range of 0.1–1 kpc. We compare the obtained X-ray thermal luminosity with those for other neutron stars and various neutron star cooling models and set some constraints on latter. We observe a faint trail-like feature, elongated ∼8 arcmin from J1957+5033. Its spectrum can be described by a power law with a photon index Γ = 1.9 ± 0.5 suggesting that it is likely a pulsar wind nebula powered by J1957+5033.


2020 ◽  
Vol 635 ◽  
pp. A25 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Sahakyan

The flat spectrum radio quasar CTA 102 entered an extended period of activity from 2016 to 2017 during which several strong γ-ray flares were observed. By using Fermi large area telescope data, a detailed investigation of γ-ray spectra of CTA 102 during the flaring period was performed. In several periods, the γ-ray spectrum is not consistent with a simple power-law, having a hard photon index with an index of ∼(1.8−2.0) that shows a spectral cut-off around an observed photon energy of ∼(9−16) GeV. The internal γ-ray absorption via photon-photon pair production on the broad-line-region-reflected photons cannot account for the observed cut-off and break even if the emitting region is very close to the central source. This cut-off and break are likely due to a similar intrinsic break in the energy distribution of emitting particles. The origin of the spectral break is investigated through the multiwavelength modeling of the spectral energy distribution in considering a different location for the emitting region. The observed X-ray and γ-ray data is modeled as inverse Compton scattering of synchrotron and/or external photons on the electron population that produces the radio-to-optical emission, which allowed to constrain the power-law index and cut-off energy in the electron energy distribution. The obtained results are discussed in the context of a diffusive acceleration of electrons in the CTA 102 jet.


2019 ◽  
Vol 624 ◽  
pp. A142 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Ferrigno ◽  
E. Bozzo ◽  
A. Sanna ◽  
G. K. Jaisawal ◽  
J. M. Girard ◽  
...  

The object IGR J17503–2636 is a hard X-ray transient discovered by INTEGRAL on 2018 August 11. This was the first ever reported X-ray emission from this source. Following the discovery, follow-up observations were carried out with Swift, Chandra, NICER, and NuSTAR. Here we report on the analysis of all of these X-ray data and the results obtained. Based on the fast variability in the X-ray domain, the spectral energy distribution in the 0.5–80 keV energy range, and the reported association with a highly reddened OB supergiant at ∼10 kpc, we conclude that IGR J17503–2636 is most likely a relatively faint new member of the supergiant fast X-ray transients. Spectral analysis of the NuSTAR data revealed a broad feature in addition to the typical power-law with exponential roll-over at high energy. This can be modeled either in emission or as a cyclotron scattering feature in absorption. If confirmed by future observations, this feature would indicate that IGR J17503–2636 hosts a strongly magnetized neutron star with B ∼ 2 × 1012 G.


2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (2) ◽  
pp. 1853-1873
Author(s):  
E Pouliasis ◽  
G Mountrichas ◽  
I Georgantopoulos ◽  
A Ruiz ◽  
M Yang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The detection of X-ray emission constitutes a reliable and efficient tool for the selection of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), although it may be biased against the most heavily absorbed AGNs. Simple mid-infrared (IR) broad-band selection criteria identify a large number of luminous and absorbed AGNs, yet again host contamination could lead to non-uniform and incomplete samples. Spectral energy distribution (SED) decomposition is able to decouple the emission from the AGN versus that from star-forming regions, revealing weaker AGN components. We aim to identify the obscured AGN population in the VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey in the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey W1 field through SED modelling. We construct SEDs for 6860 sources and identify 160 AGNs at a high confidence level using a Bayesian approach. Using optical spectroscopy, we confirm the nature of ∼85 per cent of the AGNs. Our AGN sample is highly complete (∼92 per cent) compared to mid-IR colour-selected AGNs, including a significant number of galaxy-dominated systems with lower luminosities. In addition to the lack of X-ray emission (80 per cent), the SED fitting results suggest that the majority of the sources are obscured. We use a number of diagnostic criteria in the optical, IR, and X-ray regimes to verify these results. Interestingly, only 35 per cent of the most luminous mid-IR-selected AGNs have X-ray counterparts suggesting strong absorption. Our work emphasizes the importance of using SED decomposition techniques to select a population of type II AGNs, which may remain undetected by either X-ray or IR colour surveys.


2018 ◽  
Vol 612 ◽  
pp. A106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Na Sun ◽  
Rui-Zhi Yang ◽  
Frank M. Rieger ◽  
Ruo-Yu Liu ◽  
Felix Aharonian

The X-ray emission from the jets in active galactic nuclei (AGN) carries important information on the distributions of relativistic electrons and magnetic fields on large scales. We reanalysed archival Chandra observations on the jet of M 87 from 2000 to 2016 with a total exposure of 1460 kiloseconds to explore the X-ray emission characteristics along the jet. We investigated the variability behaviours of the nucleus and the inner jet component HST-1, and confirm indications for day-scale X-ray variability in the nucleus contemporaneous to the 2010 high TeV γ-ray state. HST-1 shows a general decline in X-ray flux over the last few years consistent with its synchrotron interpretation. We extracted the X-ray spectra for the nucleus and all knots in the jet, showing that they are compatible with a single power law within the X-ray band. There are indications that the resultant X-ray photon index exhibit a trend, with slight but significant index variations ranging from ≃ 2.2 (e.g. in knot D) to ≃ 2.4−2.6 (in the outer knots F, A, and B). When viewed in a multiwavelength context, a more complex situation can be seen. Fitting the radio to X-ray spectral energy distributions (SEDs) assuming a synchrotron origin, we show that a broken power-law electron spectrum with break energy Eb around 1 (300 μG/B)1/2 TeV allows a satisfactory description of the multiband SEDs for most of the knots. However, in the case of knots B, C, and D we find indications that an additional high-energy component is needed to adequately reproduce the broad-band SEDs. We discuss the implications and suggest that a stratified jet model may account for the differences.


2020 ◽  
Vol 498 (3) ◽  
pp. 3888-3901
Author(s):  
Jiachen Jiang ◽  
Luigi C Gallo ◽  
Andrew C Fabian ◽  
Michael L Parker ◽  
Christopher S Reynolds

ABSTRACT We present a detailed analysis of the XMM–Newton observations of five narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s). They all show very soft continuum emission in the X-ray band with a photon index of Γ ≳ 2.5. Therefore, they are referred to as ‘ultra-soft’ NLS1s in this paper. By modelling their optical/UV–X-ray spectral energy distribution (SED) with a reflection-based model, we find indications that the disc surface in these ultra-soft NLS1s is in a higher ionization state than other typical Seyfert 1 AGN. Our best-fitting SED models suggest that these five ultra-soft NLS1s have an Eddington ratio of λEdd = 1–20 assuming available black hole mass measurements. In addition, our models infer that a significant fraction of the disc energy in these ultra-soft NLS1s is radiated away in the form of non-thermal emission instead of the thermal emission from the disc. Due to their extreme properties, X-ray observations of these sources in the iron band are particularly challenging. Future observations, e.g. from Athena, will enable us to have a clearer view of the spectral shape in the iron band and thus distinguish the reflection model from other interpretations of their broad-band spectra.


2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (1) ◽  
pp. 571-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Bassi ◽  
J Malzac ◽  
M Del Santo ◽  
E Jourdain ◽  
J-P Roques ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The black hole transient GRS 1716−249 was monitored from the radio to the γ-ray band during its 2016–2017 outburst. This paper focuses on the spectral energy distribution (SED) obtained in 2017 February–March, when GRS 1716−249 was in a bright hard spectral state. The soft γ-ray data collected with the INTEGRAL/SPI telescope show the presence of a spectral component that is in excess of the thermal Comptonization emission. This component is usually interpreted as inverse Compton emission from a tiny fraction of non-thermal electrons in the X-ray corona. We find that hybrid thermal/non-thermal Comptonization models provide a good fit to the X-/γ-ray spectrum of GRS 1716−249. The best-fitting parameters are typical of the bright hard state spectra observed in other black hole X-ray binaries. Moreover, the magnetized hybrid Comptonization model belm provides an upper limit on the intensity of the coronal magnetic field of about 106 G. Alternatively, this soft γ-ray emission could originate from synchrotron emission in the radio jet. In order to test this hypothesis, we fit the SED with the irradiated disc plus Comptonization model combined with the jet internal shock emission model ishem. We found that a jet with an electron distribution of p ≃ 2.1 can reproduce the soft γ-ray emission of GRS 1716−249. However, if we introduce the expected cooling break around 10 keV, the jet model can no longer explain the observed soft γ-ray emission, unless the index of the electron energy distribution is significantly harder (p < 2).


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