Suzaku Observations of Luminous Quasars: Revealing the Nature of High-Energy Blazar emission in low level activity states

A. A. Abdo; M. Ackermann; M. Ajello; E. Antolini; L. Baldini; Jean Ballet; G. Barbiellini; M. G. Baring; D. Bastieri; K. Bechtol; R. Bellazzini; B. Berenji; R. D. Blandford; E. D. Bloom; E. Bonamente; A. W. Borgland; J. Bregeon; A. Brez; M. Brigida; Pascal Bruel; R. Buehler; S. Buson; G. A. Caliandro; R. A. Cameron; S. Carrigan; J. M. Casandjian; E. Cavazzuti; C. Cecchi; A. Chekhtman; A. W. Chen; J. Chiang; S. Ciprini; R. Claus; J. Cohen-Tanugi; S. Colafrancesco; J. Conrad; S. Cutini; C. D. Dermer; F. de Palma; S. W. Digel; E. Do Couto e Silva; P. S. Drell; R. Dubois; D. Dumora; C. Farnier; C. Favuzzi; S. J. Fegan; E. C. Ferrara; W. B. Focke; M. Frailis; Y. Fukazawa; P. Fusco; F. Gargano; D. Gasparrini; N. Gehrels; B. Giebels; N. Giglietto; P. Giommi; F. Giordano; M. Giroletti; T. Glanzman; G. Godfrey; P. Grandi; I. A. Grenier; L. Guillemot; S. Guiriec; D. Hadasch; A. K. Harding; M. Hayashida; D. Horan; R. E. Hughes; R. Itoh; M. S. Jackson; G. Johannesson; A. S. Johnson; W. N. Johnson; T. Kamae; H. Katagiri; J. Kataoka; N. Kawai; Jürgen Knödlseder; M. Kuss; J. Lande; L. Latronico; F. Longo; F. Loparco; B. Lott; M. N. Lovellette; P. Lubrano; G. M. Madejski; A. Makeev; M. N. Mazziotta; J. E. Mcenery; S. Mcglynn; C. Meurer; P. F. Michelson; W. Mitthumsiri; T. Mizuno; C. Monte; M. E. Monzani; A. Morselli; I. V. Moskalenko; S. Murgia; I. Nestoras; P. L. Nolan; J. P. Norris; E. Nuss; T. Ohsugi; A. Okumura; E. Orlando; J. F. Ormes; M. Ozaki; D. Paneque; J. H. Panetta; D. Parent; V. Pelassa; M. Pepe; M. Pesce-Rollins; F. Piron; T. A. Porter; S. Raino; R. Rando; M. Razzano; A. Reimer; O. Reimer; L. C. Reyes; A. Y. Rodriguez; M. Roth; F. Ryde; H. F.-W. Sadrozinski; R. Sambruna; A. Sander; R. Sato; C. Sgro; M. S. Shaw; E. J. Siskind; P. D. Smith; G. Spandre; P. Spinelli; Ł. Stawarz; F. W. Stecker; M. S. Strickman; D. J. Suson; H. Takahashi; T. Takahashi; T. Tanaka; J. B. Thayer; J. G. Thayer; D. J. Thompson; O. Tibolla; D. F. Torres; G. Tosti; A. Tramacere; Y. Uchiyama; T. L. Usher; V. Vasileiou; N. Vilchez; M. Villata; V. Vitale; A. von Kienlin; A. P. Waite; P. Wang; B. L. Winer; K. S. Wood; Z. Yang; T. Ylinen; M. Ziegler; F. Tavecchio; M. Sikora; P. Schady; P. Roming; M. M. Chester; L. Maraschi

doi:10.1088/0004-637X/716/1/835

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Suzaku Observations of Luminous Quasars: Revealing the Nature of High-Energy Blazar emission in low level activity states

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Suzaku Observations of Luminous Quasars: Revealing the Nature of High-Energy Blazar emission in low level activity states

A. A. Abdo, M. Ackermann, M. Ajello, E. Antolini, L. Baldini, Jean Ballet, G. Barbiellini, M. G. Baring, D. Bastieri, K. Bechtol, …

The Astrophysical Journal, Vol.716, pp.835-849

06/2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/716/1/835

Abstract

galaxies: active

galaxies: jets

radiation mechanisms: non-thermal

X-rays: galaxies

We present the results from the Suzaku X-ray observations of five flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), namely PKS0208-512, Q0827+243, PKS1127-145, PKS1510-089 and 3C 454.3. All these sources were additionally monitored simultaneously or quasi-simultaneously by the Fermi satellite in gamma-rays and the Swift UVOT in the UV and optical bands, respectively. We constructed their broad-band spectra covering the frequency range from 10^14 Hz up to 10^25 Hz, and those reveal the nature of high-energy emission of luminous blazars in their low-activity states. The analyzed X-ray spectra are well fitted by a power-law model with photoelectric absorption. In the case of PKS0208-512, PKS1127-145, and 3C 454.3, the X-ray continuum showed indication of hard-ening at low-energies. Moreover, when compared with the previous X-ray observations, we see a significantly increasing contribution of low-energy photons to the total X-ray fluxes when the sources are getting fainter. The same behavior can be noted in the Suzaku data alone. A likely explanation involves a variable, flat-spectrum component produced via inverse-Compton (IC) emission, plus an additional, possibly steady soft X-ray component prominent when the source gets fainter. This soft X-ray excess is represented either by a steep powerlaw (photon indices Gamma ~ 3 - 5) or a blackbody-type emission with temperatures kT ~ 0.1-0.2 keV. We model the broad-band spectra spectra of the five observed FSRQs using synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) and/or external-Compton radiation (ECR) models. Our modeling suggests that the difference between the low and high-activity states in luminous blazars is due to the different total kinetic power of the jet, most likely related to varying bulk Lorentz factor of the outflow within the blazar emission zone.

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Title: Suzaku Observations of Luminous Quasars: Revealing the Nature of High-Energy Blazar emission in low level activity states
Creators - without role: A. A. Abdo - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
M. Ackermann - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
M. Ajello - Stanford University
E. Antolini - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia
L. Baldini - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
Jean Ballet - Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation
G. Barbiellini - University of Trieste
M. G. Baring - Rice University
D. Bastieri - University of Padua
K. Bechtol - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
R. Bellazzini - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
B. Berenji - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
R. D. Blandford - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
E. D. Bloom - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
E. Bonamente - University of Perugia
A. W. Borgland - Stanford University
J. Bregeon - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
A. Brez - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
M. Brigida - Polytechnic University of Bari
Pascal Bruel - École Polytechnique
R. Buehler - Stanford University
S. Buson - INFN Sezione di Padova
G. A. Caliandro - Institute of Space Sciences
R. A. Cameron - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Carrigan - University of Padua
J. M. Casandjian - Université Paris Cité
E. Cavazzuti - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
C. Cecchi - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia
A. Chekhtman - United States Naval Research Laboratory
A. W. Chen - Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Milano
J. Chiang - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Ciprini - University of Perugia
R. Claus - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. Cohen-Tanugi - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
S. Colafrancesco - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
J. Conrad - Stockholm University
S. Cutini - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
C. D. Dermer - United States Naval Research Laboratory
F. de Palma - Polytechnic University of Bari
S. W. Digel - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
E. Do Couto e Silva
P. S. Drell - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
R. Dubois - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
D. Dumora - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
C. Farnier - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
C. Favuzzi - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
S. J. Fegan - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
E. C. Ferrara - Goddard Space Flight Center
W. B. Focke - Stanford University
M. Frailis - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste
Y. Fukazawa - Hiroshima University
P. Fusco - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
F. Gargano - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
D. Gasparrini - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
N. Gehrels - Goddard Space Flight Center
B. Giebels - École Polytechnique
N. Giglietto - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
P. Giommi - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
F. Giordano - Polytechnic University of Bari
M. Giroletti - Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna
T. Glanzman - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
G. Godfrey - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
P. Grandi - National Institute for Astrophysics
I. A. Grenier - Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation
L. Guillemot - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
S. Guiriec - University of Alabama in Huntsville
D. Hadasch - Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats
A. K. Harding - Goddard Space Flight Center
M. Hayashida - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
D. Horan - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
R. E. Hughes - The Ohio State University
R. Itoh - Hiroshima University
M. S. Jackson - AlbaNova
G. Johannesson - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
A. S. Johnson - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
W. N. Johnson - United States Naval Research Laboratory
T. Kamae - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
H. Katagiri - Hiroshima University
J. Kataoka - Waseda University
N. Kawai - RIKEN
Jürgen Knödlseder - Centre National d'Études Spatiales
M. Kuss - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
J. Lande - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
L. Latronico - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
F. Longo - University of Trieste
F. Loparco - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
B. Lott - Université de Bordeaux
M. N. Lovellette - United States Naval Research Laboratory
P. Lubrano - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia
G. M. Madejski - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
A. Makeev - United States Naval Research Laboratory
M. N. Mazziotta - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
J. E. Mcenery - Goddard Space Flight Center
S. Mcglynn - KTH Royal Institute of Technology
C. Meurer - AlbaNova
P. F. Michelson - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
W. Mitthumsiri - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. Mizuno - Hiroshima University
C. Monte - Polytechnic University of Bari
M. E. Monzani - SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
A. Morselli - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Roma Tor Vergata
I. V. Moskalenko - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Murgia - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
I. Nestoras - Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy
P. L. Nolan - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. P. Norris - University of Denver
E. Nuss - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
T. Ohsugi - Hiroshima University
A. Okumura - The University of Tokyo
E. Orlando - Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
J. F. Ormes - University of Denver
M. Ozaki - Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
D. Paneque - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. H. Panetta - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
D. Parent - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
V. Pelassa - Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules
M. Pepe - University of Perugia
M. Pesce-Rollins - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
F. Piron - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
T. A. Porter - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
S. Raino - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
R. Rando - University of Padua
M. Razzano - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
A. Reimer - Stanford University
O. Reimer - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
L. C. Reyes - Universität Innsbruck
A. Y. Rodriguez - Institute of Space Sciences
M. Roth - University of Chicago
F. Ryde - AlbaNova
H. F.-W. Sadrozinski - University of Washington
R. Sambruna - Goddard Space Flight Center
A. Sander - The Ohio State University
R. Sato - Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
C. Sgro - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
M. S. Shaw - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
E. J. Siskind - Real Time Tomography
P. D. Smith
G. Spandre - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa
P. Spinelli - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari
Ł. Stawarz - Jagiellonian University
F. W. Stecker - Goddard Space Flight Center
M. S. Strickman - United States Naval Research Laboratory
D. J. Suson - Purdue University Northwest
H. Takahashi - Hiroshima University
T. Takahashi - Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
T. Tanaka - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. B. Thayer - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
J. G. Thayer - Stanford University
D. J. Thompson - Goddard Space Flight Center
O. Tibolla - University of Würzburg
D. F. Torres - Institute of Space Sciences
G. Tosti - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia
A. Tramacere - Stanford University
Y. Uchiyama - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
T. L. Usher - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
V. Vasileiou - University of Maryland, Baltimore County
N. Vilchez - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
M. Villata - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino
V. Vitale - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Roma Tor Vergata
A. von Kienlin - Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
A. P. Waite - Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
P. Wang - Stanford University
B. L. Winer - The Ohio State University
K. S. Wood - United States Naval Research Laboratory
Z. Yang - AlbaNova
T. Ylinen - Fraunhofer Chalmers Research Centre for Industrial Mathematics
M. Ziegler - University of California, Santa Cruz
F. Tavecchio - Consorzio Interuniversitario Fisica Spaziale
M. Sikora - Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center
P. Schady
P. Roming
M. M. Chester - Trieste Astronomical Observatory
L. Maraschi - Brera Astronomical Observatory
Publication Details: The Astrophysical Journal, Vol.716, pp.835-849
Identifiers: 9933984409311
Academic Unit: Université de Montpellier
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article
Local Fields: in2p3-00496048