Six years of BeppoSAX observations of blazars: a spectral catalog

We present a spectral catalog for blazars based on the BeppoSAX archive. The sample includes 44 High-energy peaked BL Lacs (HBLs), 14 Low-energy peaked BL Lacs (LBLs), and 28 Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs). A total of 168 LECS, MECS, and PDS spectra were analyzed, corresponding to observations taken in the period 1996--2002. The 0.1--50 keV continuum of LBLs and FSRQs is generally fitted by a single power law with Galactic column density. A minority of the observations of LBLs (25%) and FSRQs (15%) is best fitted by more complex models like the broken power law or the continuously curved parabola. These latter models provide also the best description for half of the HBL spectra. Complex models are more frequently required for sources with fluxes F_{2-10 keV} > 10^-11 cm-2 s-1, corresponding to spectra with higher signal-to-noise ratio. As a result, considering sources with flux above this threshold, the percentage of spectra requiring those models increases for all the classes. We note that there is a net separation of X-ray spectral properties between HBLs on one side, and LBLs and FSRQs on the other, the distinction between LBLs and FSRQs is more blurry. This is most likely related to ambiguities in the optical classification of the two classes.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in A&

Understanding Blazar Jets Through Their Multifrequency Emission

Being dominated by non-thermal (synchrotron and inverse Compton) emission from a relativistic jet, blazars offer important clues to the structure and radiative processes in extragalactic jets. Crucial information is provided by blazars' spectral energy distributions from radio to gamma-rays (GeV and TeV energies), their trends with bolometric luminosity, and their correlated variability properties. This review is focussed on recent multiwavelength monitorings of confirmed and candidate TeV blazars and the constraints they provide for the radiative properties of the emitting particles. I also present recent observations of the newly discovered class of ``blue quasars'' and the implications for current blazars' unification schemes.Comment: invited opening talk at the GeV-TeV Astronomy International meeting held at the Snowbird resort, Salt Lake City, Utah, August 199

X-ray Variability and Emission Process of the Radio Jet in M87

We monitored the M87 jet with the ACIS-S detector on Chandra with 5 observations between 2002 Jan and 2002 Jul. Our goal was to determine the presence and degree of variability in morphology, intensity, and spectral parameters. We find strong variability of the core and HST-1, the knot lying 0.8" from the core. These observations were designed to constrain the X-ray emission process: whereas synchrotron emission would necessitate the presence of extremely high energy electrons with a halflife of a few years or less, inverse Compton emission from a relativistic jet would arise from low energy electrons with very long halflives. Currently, all indications point to a synchrotron process for the X-ray emission from the M87 jet. We give key parameters for a ``modest beaming'' synchrotron model.Comment: 4 pages with 2 embedded figures (1 in color). To be published in the proceedings of the Bologna Jet Workshop "The Physics of Relativistic Jets in the CHANDRA and XMM Era", 23-27 September 2002, Brunetti, Harris, Sambruna, and Setti, editors. 2003, New Ast. Re

Constraints on the Low-Energy Cutoff in the Electron Distribution of the PKS 0637-752 Jet

We re-analyze the Chandra ACIS spectrum of the kpc-scale jet in PKS 0637-752 to investigate the possible low energy cutoff in the relativistic electron spectrum producing the non-thermal radiation in the scenario of inverse Compton emission off the cosmic microwave background. This was among the first objects targeted by the Chandra Observatory and gives a unique opportunity to study the low energy X-ray emission free of detector contamination. As previously reported in the literature, the spectrum can be fit by a power law, with the slope predicted by the radio spectrum, modified by low energy absorption through the Galaxy as determined from the spectrum of the quasar core and by HI 21 cm observations. We obtain a marginally better fit with an model of inverse Compton emission produced by an electron population that exhibits a cutoff at (gamma_min delta_10) between about 50 and 80 (assuming Gamma = delta). This range for gamma_min is higher than has previously been assumed in broad-band spectral fits to the jet emission. The observed optical flux can be used to place a lower limit on gamma_min; the constraint is not very strong, but does suggest that gamma_min must be higher than 1 to avoid overproducing the optical emission. We investigate the effect of uncertainties in the column density for galactic absorption as well as the calibration of Chandra for these early observations. Finally, we discuss the implication of these limits on the jet luminosity in this source.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Ap