666 research outputs found
The Spectral Energy Distribution of Fermi Bright Blazars
We have conducted a detailed investigation of the broadband spectral properties of the γ-ray selected blazars of the Fermi LAT Bright AGN Sample (LBAS). By combining our accurately estimated Fermi γ-ray spectra with Swift, radio, infra-red, optical, and other hard X-ray/γ-ray data, collected within 3 months of the LBAS data taking period, we were able to assemble high-quality and quasi-simultaneous spectral energy distributions (SED) for 48 LBAS blazars. The SED of these γ-ray sources is similar to that of blazars discovered at other wavelengths, clearly showing, in the usual log ν-log ν F _ν representation, the typical broadband spectral signatures normally attributed to a combination of low-energy synchrotron radiation followed by inverse Compton emission of one or more components. We have used these SED to characterize the peak intensity of both the low- and the high-energy components. The results have been used to derive empirical relationships that estimate the position of the two peaks from the broadband colors (i.e., the radio to optical, α_(ro), and optical to X-ray, α_(ox), spectral slopes) and from the γ-ray spectral index. Our data show that the synchrotron peak frequency (ν^S _(peak)) is positioned between 10^(12.5) and 10^(14.5) Hz in broad-lined flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and between 10^(13) and 10^(17) Hz in featureless BL Lacertae objects. We find that the γ-ray spectral slope is strongly correlated with the synchrotron peak energy and with the X-ray spectral index, as expected at first order in synchrotron-inverse Compton scenarios. However, simple homogeneous, one-zone, synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) models cannot explain most of our SED, especially in the case of FSRQs and low energy peaked (LBL) BL Lacs. More complex models involving external Compton radiation or multiple SSC components are required to reproduce the overall SED and the observed spectral variability. While more than 50% of known radio bright high energy peaked (HBL) BL Lacs are detected in the LBAS sample, only less than 13% of known bright FSRQs and LBL BL Lacs are included. This suggests that the latter sources, as a class, may be much fainter γ-ray emitters than LBAS blazars, and could in fact radiate close to the expectations of simple SSC models. We categorized all our sources according to a new physical classification scheme based on the generally accepted paradigm for Active Galactic Nuclei and on the results of this SED study. Since the LAT detector is more sensitive to flat spectrum γ-ray sources, the correlation between ν ^S _(peak) and γ-ray spectral index strongly favors the detection of high energy peaked blazars, thus explaining the Fermi overabundance of this type of sources compared to radio and EGRET samples. This selection effect is similar to that experienced in the soft X-ray band where HBL BL Lacs are the dominant type of blazars
Analytical Models for the Energetics of Cosmic Accretion Shocks, their Cosmological Evolution, and the Effect of Environment
We present an analytical description of the energetics of the population of
cosmic accretion shocks, for a concordance cosmology. We calculate how the
shock-processed accretion power and mass current are distributed among
different shock Mach numbers, and how they evolve with cosmic time. We
calculate the cumulative energy input of cosmic accretion shocks of any Mach
number to the intergalactic medium as a function of redshift, and we compare it
with the energy output of supernova explosions as well as with the energy input
required to reionize the universe. In addition, we investigate and quantify the
effect of environmental factors, such as local clustering properties and
filament preheating on the statistical properties of these shocks. We find that
the energy processed by accretion shocks is higher than the supernova energy
output for z<3 and that it becomes more than an order of magnitude higher in
the local universe. The energy processed by accretion shocks alone becomes
comparable to the energy required to reionize the universe by z~3.5. Finally,
we establish both qualitative and quantitatively that both local clustering as
well as filament compression and preheating are important factors in
determining the statistical properties of the cosmic accretion shock
population.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, emulateap
Unresolved Unidentified Source Contribution to the Gamma-ray Background
The large majority of EGRET point sources remain without an identified
low-energy counterpart, and a large fraction of these sources are most likely
extragalactic. Whatever the nature of the extragalactic EGRET unidentified
sources, faint unresolved objects of the same class must have a contribution to
the diffuse extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGRB). Understanding this
component of the EGRB, along with other guaranteed contributions from known
sources, is essential if we are to use this emission to constrain exotic
high-energy physics. Here, we follow an empirical approach to estimate whether
a potential contribution of unidentified sources to the EGRB is likely to be
important, and we find that it is. Additionally, we show how upcoming GLAST
observations of EGRET unidentified sources, as well as of their fainter
counterparts, can be combined with GLAST observations of the Galactic and
extragalactic diffuse backgrounds to shed light on the nature of the EGRET
unidentified sources even without any positional association of such sources
with low-energy counterparts.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Ap
Unidentified EGRET Sources and the Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Background
The large majority of EGRET point sources remain to this day without an
identified low-energy counterpart. Whatever the nature of the EGRET
unidentified sources, faint unresolved objects of the same class must have a
contribution to the diffuse gamma-ray background: if most unidentified objects
are extragalactic, faint unresolved sources of the same class contribute to the
background, as a distinct extragalactic population; on the other hand, if most
unidentified sources are Galactic, their counterparts in external galaxies will
contribute to the unresolved emission from these systems. Understanding this
component of the gamma-ray background, along with other guaranteed
contributions from known sources, is essential in any attempt to use gamma-ray
observations to constrain exotic high-energy physics. Here, we follow an
empirical approach to estimate whether a potential contribution of unidentified
sources to the extragalactic gamma-ray background is likely to be important,
and we find that it is. Additionally, we comment on how the anticipated GLAST
measurement of the diffuse gamma-ray background will change, depending on the
nature of the majority of these sources.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in proceedings of "The Multi-Messenger
Approach to High Energy Gamma-Ray Sources", Barcelona, 4-7 July 2006;
comments welcom
The connection between the 15 GHz radio and gamma-ray emission in blazars
Since mid-2007 we have carried out a dedicated long-term monitoring programme
at 15 GHz using the Owens Valley Radio Observatory 40 meter telescope. One of
the main goals of this programme is to study the relation between the radio and
gamma-ray emission in blazars and to use it as a tool to locate the site of
high energy emission. Using this large sample of objects we are able to
characterize the radio variability, and study the significance of correlations
between the radio and gamma-ray bands. We find that the radio variability of
many sources can be described using a simple power law power spectral density,
and that when taking into account the red-noise characteristics of the light
curves, cases with significant correlation are rare. We note that while
significant correlations are found in few individual objects, radio variations
are most often delayed with respect to the gamma-ray variations. This suggests
that the gamma-ray emission originates upstream of the radio emission. Because
strong flares in most known gamma-ray-loud blazars are infrequent, longer light
curves are required to settle the issue of the strength of radio-gamma
cross-correlations and establish confidently possible delays between the two.
For this reason continuous multiwavelength monitoring over a longer time period
is essential for statistical tests of jet emission models.Comment: To appear in the Proceedings of the IAU Symposium No. 313:
"Extragalactic jets from every angle," Galapagos, Ecuador, 15-19 September
2014, F. Massaro, C. C. Cheung, E. Lopez, and A. Siemiginowska (Eds.),
Cambridge University Pres
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