Fermi耀变体的γ射线多波段辐射与射电辐射的关系

从Fermi 3期源表(3FGL)中选择了一个含935个耀变体(blazar)的样本,包括415个平谱射电源(Flat Spectrum Radio Quasar, FSRQ), 520个蝎虎天体(BL Lac object, BL Lac),其中高同步峰BL Lac (HBL) 233个,中同步峰BL Lac (IBL) 144个,低同步峰BL Lac (LBL) 143个.研究了总样本、FSRQ、BL Lac及其子类HBL、LBL的射电1.4 GHz与γ射线在0.1、0.3、1、3、10 GeV处辐射流量密度的关系.结果显示:所有样本的射电1.4 GHz与5个波段γ射线的辐射流量都有强相关,相关系数在0.48–0.81之间,机会概率均小于10~(-4);对于不同的样本相关系数随着γ射线辐射频率的变化有不同的变化趋势,所有样本在5个波段的相关系数平均值随γ射线频率的增加而减小.该结果暗示,随着频率的升高, blazar的γ射线辐射主导机制在发生变化,在相同频率处,不同类型天体的辐射主导机制存在差异; HBL的γ射线辐射主要由同步自康普顿主导,而LBL的其他成份比HBL的更复杂; FSRQ的γ射线起源较BL Lac的复杂.     

Blazar多波段有效谱指数关系研究

从相关文献中获得Fermi耀变体(blazar)的射电(R)1.4 GHz、光学(O)4.68×10~(14)Hz、X-ray(X)1 ke V和γ-ray(γ)1 Ge V辐射流量密度,计算了上述波段两两之间的6个有效谱指数α_(RO)、α_(RX)、α_(Rγ)、α_(OX)、α_(Oγ)、α_(Xγ).研究了blazar总样本及其子类FSRQ(Flat Spectral Radio Quasar),蝎虎天体(BL Lac)含高同步峰频BL Lac(HBL)和低同步峰频BL Lac(LBL)样本的任意两个有效谱指数之间的关系.结果表明:(1)除HBL样本及α_(OX)与α_(Rγ)之间关系外,两两有效谱指数之间均存在较强的相关,这种相关可用4个波段能谱分布的结构关系得到解释;(2)在有效谱指数相关的散点图中,FSRQ与LBL分布在相同的区域,但HBL与FSRQ(LBL)分布在不同的区域;(3)在不同的有效谱指数相关散点图中,HBL与FSRQ(LBL)分布的分离程度(区分度)不相同,这种区分度与决定2个有效谱指数的频率有关.     

费米耀变体的X射线辐射

耀变体(blazar)的X射线辐射位于同步辐射的尾部及逆康普顿辐射的前部分,因此其辐射起源较为复杂.耀变体从射电到X射线波段辐射的谱能分布(SED)可用抛物线函数近似拟合.若将该拟合所得拟合曲线近似视为耀变体的物理谱,分析费米(Fermi)耀变体的X射线辐射,则结果表明:耀变体的X射线辐射包含同步辐射和逆康普顿辐射2个成份,并可用该拟合线将X射线的同步辐射和逆康普顿辐射成份进行简单分离;源的同步峰频越高,其同步辐射成份越多,而其逆康普顿辐射成份越少;在X射线1 keV处,对于平谱射电类星体(FSRQ)、低同步峰BL Lac天体(LBL)和高同步峰BL Lac天体(HBL),其同步辐射成份占总辐射的比例分别为17%、27%和73%;同步峰频与X射线1 keV处同步辐射流量密度有强正相关,而与逆康普顿辐射流量密度无相关;在X射线波段,LBL的辐射机制与FSRQ的类似.     

Blazar天体的辐射特性研究

收集了47个Blazar天体的短时标光变资料,估算了中心天体质量和不同波段辐射区域,并对估算结果作了统计分析,发现Blazar天体中心黑洞质量在10~7M_☉到10~(10)M_☉之间,BL Lac天体与平谱射电类星体中心黑洞质量有很大差异,平谱射电类星体中心黑洞质量大于BL Lac天体中心黑洞质量;红外波段和γ射线波段辐射区域大小相似.同时,利用收集到Blazar天体的热光度分析了Blazar天体热光度与短时标光变之间的关系,证实了射电选BL Lac(RBL)天体和平谱射电类星体(FSRQs)的辐射是强成束的,但相对论聚柬效应对X射线选BL Lac(XBL)天体的辐射影响较小.     

Fermi耀变体能谱分布曲率特性研究

收集了172个Fermi耀变体多波段准同时性观测数据,同步辐射成分和逆康普顿(IC)散射成分的多波段能谱通过对数抛物线拟合.研究了Fermi耀变体能谱分布的曲率特性,主要结果如下:平谱射电类星体(FSRQ)和蝎虎座BL型天体(BL Lac)的同步峰值频率和曲率有显著的负相关,但它们的相关关系是不同的.比较观测结果和不同理论模型预测,FSRQ加速机制与分数变换加速增益模型(The model of fluctuation of fractional acceleration gain)一致,而BL Lac则与能量依赖加速概率模型(The model of energydependent acceleration probability)一致;FSRQ同步曲率的平均值大于BL Lac的平均值,暗示了BL Lac的粒子加速效率高于FSRQ的粒子加速效率.这归因于FSRQ在宽线区(BLR)的喷流较强.此外FSRQ和低能峰蝎虎座BL型天体(LBL)具有相似的能谱分布特性.这与先前的研究结果一致;对于FSRQ和BL Lac,没有发现IC峰值频率与其曲率之间存在相关性.     

Blazar 的X射线谱性质

从Donato文献中选择了一个含有69个Blazar的样本，样本中每个源有多个X射线辐射流量数据，用该样本研究了流量密度和谱指数之间的关系，以及研究了三类源（HBL，LBL，FSRQ）的红移和谱指数的分布。结果表明：对于HBLs，谱指数和流量密度之间有一个较好的反相关关系存在，而对于LBLs和FSRQs却没有相关。因此认为HBL的X射线是同步辐射所致，而LBL和FSRQ的X射线辐射较为复杂可能是同步自康普顿过程导致。HBL显示软X射线谱，而FSRQ显示硬X射线谱，LBL居中。在谱图中HBL位于近端，rSRQ位于远端，LBL居中。     

BL Lac型天体的多波段光度相关性及喷流模型

本文对X射线选和射电选BL Lac型天体的射电、光学、X射线波段的单色光度进行相关性分析,发现X射线选的BL Lac天体只有射电与光学线性相关,而射电选BL Lac天体则X射线与射电、光学都相关。并在此基础上对射电选的BL Lac天体进行相对论修正后的相关性分析,得到了比修正前更好的相关性.因此,我们认为,两种选择的BL Lac型天体本质上是一样的;X射线流来自两种不同的辐射源;射电选的BL Lac型天体三波段流都有相对论提高。     

非均匀喷流模型及其在BL Lac天体中的应用

在非均匀锥形喷流模型中,电子数密度、磁场强度随着到喷流顶点的距离呈幂律分布.该模型能成功解释活动星系核喷流核心区域的平谱射电辐射,但已有的模型计算只适用于喷流运动方向与视线夹角很大的情况,所以需要建立适用于任何视角情况的非均匀锥形喷流辐射计算公式.普遍认为BL Lac天体中喷流的运动方向与视线夹角很小,推广后的非均匀喷流模型拟合了3个BL Lac天体的射电观测谱,确定了它们喷流中电子数密度、磁场强度等物理参数.研究结果表明观测辐射谱拐折频率确定出锥形喷流离黑洞最近距离,对于这3个BL Lac天体,它们的锥形喷流离黑洞最近距离约为Schwarzschild半径.     

BL Lac天体的γ射线和X射线辐射研究

收集了18个γ射线噪BL Lac天体的X射线流量密度和γ射线流量密度,以及X射线波段(1keV)和γ射线波段(＞100 MeV)的平均光谱指数,研究了它们之间的相关性.结果表明:1)X射线流量密度与γ射线流量密度在高态、低态和平均态均有较强的相关性.2)X射线波段和γ射线波段的平均光谱指数之间有较强的负相关性.3)X射线和γ射线波段的平均光谱指数与X射线和γ射线辐射流量密度在高态和平均态时均无显著的相关性.4)γ射线波段的平均光谱指数与X射线辐射流量密度的低态有较强的负相关性.X射线波段的平均光谱指数与γ射线波段的流量密度的低态之间也存在弱相关性.分析结果支持BL Lac天体的X射线和γ射线辐射可能来自同一相对论电子分布的同步辐射和同步自康普顿(SSC)辐射.     

特殊BL Lac型天体的VLBI观测研究

BL Lac型天体是一类特殊的活动星系核,根据辐射能谱的不同可以分为低峰值频率BL Lac型天体(LBLs),中间峰值频率BL Lac型天体(IBLs),高峰值频率BL Lac型天体(HBLs),以及极高峰值频率BL Lac型天体(UHBLs)。不同类型BL Lac型天体具有不同的辐射特性,通过射电、光学、X射线、伽玛射线等多波段的观测可以发现很多特殊类型及辐射特性的BL Lac型天体,而甚长干涉测量技术(Very Long Baseline Interferometry,VLBI)是目前分辨率最高的观测技术,也是探测致密核区结构的唯一手段。主要介绍目前对BL Lac型天体的VLBI观测研究概况,以及对其中一些特殊BL Lac型天体VLBI研究的进展及初步结果。     

X-ray Emissions of Fermi Blazarstwo

The X-ray emissions of blazars are located at the end of synchrotron radiation and the beginning of inverse Compton radiation. Therefore, the origin of the X-ray emissions is rather complex. The spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of blazars from radio to X-ray bands can be fitted approximatively by a parabolic function. If we consider approximately the fitting curves as the physical spectra of blazars to analyze the X-ray emissions of Fermi blazars, the results show that: (1) The X-ray emissions of blazars contain two components, i.e. the synchrotron radiation and inverse Compton radiation, which can be simply separated by these fitting curves; (2) the higher the synchrotron peak frequency of the source, the greater the synchrotron radiation component, and the less the inverse Compton radiation component; (3) at 1 keV of the X-ray waveband, the synchrotron radiation component accounts for 17%, 27%, and 73% of the total X-ray emission, for FSRQs (Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars), LBLs (Low synchrotron peak frequency BL Lac objects), and HBLs (High synchrotron peak frequency BL Lac objects), respectively; (4) there is a strong positive correlation between the synchrotron peak frequency and the synchrotron radiation flux density at 1 keV, while no correlation exists between the synchrotron peak frequency and the inverse Compton radiation flux density; (5) the radiation mechanism of LBLs may be similar to that of FSRQs in the X-ray waveband.     

Statistical Properties of a Blazar Sample and Comparison of HBLs, LBLs and FSRQs

Making use of the 2MASS Data Release, we have searched for near-infrared (JHK) counterparts to 268 blazars from Donato et al. and obtained 238 counterparts within 5" in the area covered by 2MASS. It provides us a sample with infrared data several times larger than the previous one of the same kind. Based on our sample and the sample by Donato et al., we have compared in detail the properties of HBLs, LBLs and FSRQs from five aspects and found that HBLs are significantly different from LBLs and FSRQs while LBLs are not obviously different from FSRQs. Our results strongly support the division of BL Lac objects into the high-frequency peaked (HBL) and low-frequency peaked (LBL) objects introduced by Padovani & Giommi and show that HBLs and LBLs are two kinds of blazar having different physical properties.     

BL Lac objects in the synchrotron proton blazar model

We calculate the spectral energy distribution (SED) of electromagnetic radiation and the spectrum of high-energy neutrinos from BL Lac objects in the context of the synchrotron proton blazar model. In this model, the high-energy hump of the SED is due to accelerated protons, while most of the low-energy hump is due to synchrotron radiation by co-accelerated electrons. To accelerate protons to sufficiently high energies to produce the high-energy hump, rather high magnetic fields are required. Assuming reasonable emission region volumes and Doppler factors, we then find that in low-frequency peaked BL Lacs (LBLs), which have higher luminosities than high-frequency peaked BL Lacs (HBLs), there is a significant contribution to the high-frequency hump of the SED from pion photoproduction and subsequent cascading, including synchrotron radiation by muons. In contrast, in HBLs we find that the high-frequency hump of the SED is dominated by proton synchrotron radiation. We are able to model the SED of typical LBLs and HBLs, and to model the famous 1997 flare of Markarian 501. We also calculate the expected neutrino output of typical BL Lac objects, and estimate the diffuse neutrino intensity due to all BL Lacs. Because pion photoproduction is inefficient in HBLs, as protons lose energy predominantly by synchrotron radiation, the contribution of LBLs dominates the diffuse neutrino intensity. We suggest that nearby LBLs may well be observable with future high-sensitivity TeV γ-ray telescopes.     

The optical spectral slope variability of 17 blazars

Many quasi-simultaneous optical observations of 17 blazars are obtained from previous papers published over the last 19 years in order to investigate the spectral slope variability and understand the radiation mechanism of blazars. The long-period dereddened optical spectral slopes are calculated. We analyse the average spectral slope distribution, which suggests that the spectra of flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and high energy peaked BL Lac objects (HBLs) are probably deformed by other emission components. The average spectral slopes of low energy peaked BL Lac objects(LBLs), which scatter around 1.5, show a good accordance with the synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) loss-dominated model. We present and discuss the variability between the spectral slope and optical luminosity. The spectra of all HBLs and LBLs get flatter when they turn brighter, while for FSRQs this trend does not exist or may even be reversed. This phenomenon may imply that there is a thermal contribution to the optical spectrum for FSRQs. For the FSRQ 1156+295, there is a hint that the slope gets flatter at both the brightest and faintest states. Our result shows that three subclasses locate in different regions in the pattern of slope variability indicator versus average spectral slope. The relativistic jet mechanism is supported by the significant correlation between the optical Doppler factor and the average spectral slope.     

The contribution of unresolved radio-loud AGN to the extragalactic diffuse gamma-ray background

We present a calculation of the blazar contribution to the extragalactic diffuse γ -ray background (EGRB) in the EGRET energy range. Our model is based on inverse-Compton scattering as the dominant γ -ray production process in the jets of flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and BL Lac objects, and on the unification scheme of radio-loud AGN. According to this picture, blazars represent the beamed fraction of the Fanaroff–Riley radio galaxies (FR galaxies).
The observed log  N –log  S distribution and redshift distribution of both FSRQs and BL Lacs constrain our model. Depending slightly on the evolutionary behaviour of blazars, we find that unresolved AGN underproduce the intensity of the extragalactic background radiation. With our model only 20–40 per cent of the extragalactic background emission can be explained by unresolved blazars if we integrate to a maximum redshift of Z _max=3. For Z _max=5, blazars could account for 40–80 per cent of the EGRB. Roughly 70–90 per cent of the AGN contribution to the EGRB would result from BL Lacs. While the systematic uncertainties in our estimate for the FSRQ contribution appear small, in the case of BL Lacs our model parameters are not consistent with the results from studies in other wavelength regimes, and therefore may have larger systematic uncertainties. Thus we end up with two possibilities, depending on whether we underpredict or overpredict the BL Lac contribution: either unresolved AGN cannot account for the entire EGRB, or unresolved BL Lacs produce the observed background.
We predict a significant flattening of the γ -ray log  N –log  S function in the next two decades of flux below the EGRET threshold.     

A unifying view of the spectral energy distributions of blazars

We collect data at well-sampled frequencies from the radio to the γ-ray range for the following three complete samples of blazars: the Slew survey, the 1-Jy samples of BL Lacs and the 2-Jy sample of flat-spectrum radio-loud quasars (FSRQs). The fraction of objects detected in γ-rays ( E  ≳ 100 MeV) is ∼ 17, 26 and 40 per cent in the three samples respectively. Except for the Slew survey sample, γ-ray detected sources do not differ either from other sources in each sample, or from all the γ-ray detected sources, in terms of the distributions of redshift, radio and X-ray luminosities or of the broad-band spectral indices (radio to optical and radio to X-ray). We compute average spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from radio to γ-rays for each complete sample and for groups of blazars binned according to radio luminosity, irrespective of the original classification as BL Lac or FSRQ. The resulting SEDs show a remarkable continuity in that (i) the first peak occurs in different frequency ranges for different samples/luminosity classes, with most luminous sources peaking at lower frequencies; (ii) the peak frequency of the γ-ray component correlates with the peak frequency of the lower energy one; (iii) the luminosity ratio between the high and low frequency components increases with bolometric luminosity. The continuity of properties among different classes of sources and the systematic trends of the SEDs as a function of luminosity favour a unified view of the blazar phenomenon: a single parameter, related to luminosity, seems to govern the physical properties and radiation mechanisms in the relativistic jets present in BL Lac objects as well as in FSRQs. The general implications of this unified scheme are discussed while a detailed theoretical analysis, based on fitting continuum models to the individual spectra of most γ-ray blazars, is presented in a separate paper.     

Variations in the broad-band spectra of BL Lac objects: millimetre observations of an X-ray-selected sample

Observations at millimetre wavelengths are presented for a representative sample of 22 X-ray-selected BL Lac objects (XBLs). This sample comprises 19 high-energy cut-off BL Lac objects (HBLs), 1 low-energy cut-off BL Lac object (LBL) and 2 'intermediate' sources. Data for LBLs, which are mostly radio-selected BL Lac objects (RBLs), are taken from the literature. It is shown that the radio–millimetre spectral indices of HBLs     are slightly steeper than those of the LBLs     . A correlation exists between α _5–230 and 230 GHz luminosity. While this correlation could be an artefact of comparing two populations of BL Lac objects with intrinsically different radio properties, it is also consistent with the predictions of existing unified schemes that relate BL Lac objects to Fanaroff–Riley class I radio galaxies.
The HBLs have significantly flatter submillimetre–X-ray spectral indices     than the LBLs     although the two intermediate sources also have intermediate values of α _230–X∼−0.9. It is argued that this difference cannot be explained entirely by the viewing-angle hypothesis and requires a difference in physical-source parameters. The α _230–X values for the HBLs are close to the canonical value found for large samples of radio sources and thus suggest that synchrotron radiation is the mechanism that produces the X-ray emission. As suggested by Padovani & Giommi, the inverse-Compton mechanism is likely to dominate in the LBLs requiring the synchrotron spectra of these sources to steepen or cut off at lower frequencies than those of the HBLs.     

BeppoSAX observations of 1-Jy BL Lacertae objects – I

We present new BeppoSAX observations of seven BL Lacertae objects selected from the 1-Jy sample plus one additional source. The collected data cover the energy range     (observer's frame), reaching ∼50 keV for one source (BL Lac). All sources characterized by a peak in their multifrequency spectra at infrared/optical energies (i.e., of the low-energy peaked BL Lac type, LBL) display a relatively flat     X-ray spectrum, which we interpret as inverse Compton emission. Four objects (two-thirds of the LBLs) show some evidence for a low-energy steepening, which is probably due to the synchrotron tail merging into the inverse Compton component around ∼     . If this were generally the case with LBLs, it would explain why the     ROSAT spectra of our sources are systematically steeper than the BeppoSAX ones     . The broad-band spectral energy distributions fully confirm this picture, and a synchrotron inverse Compton model allows us to derive the physical parameters (intrinsic power, magnetic field, etc.) of our sources. Combining our results with those obtained by BeppoSAX on BL Lacs covering a wide range of synchrotron peak frequency, ν _peak, we confirm and clarify the dependence of the X-ray spectral index on ν _peak originally found in ROSAT data.     

一个耀变体样本在射电波段的Jurkevich周期分析

利用欧文斯谷射电天文台(Owens Valley Radio Observatory, OVRO) 15 GHz的观测数据,通过Jurkevich理论分析了78个耀变体样本的光变曲线,结果表明,射电源显示了显著的光变周期,范围为0.83–2.55 yr.另外,通过估算射电源光变的调制指数,发现蝎虎天体的调制指数较平谱射电类星体有更大的高斯分布峰值.