Multi-Wavelength Variability in PKS 2155-304

We study multi-wavelength variability in BL Lacertae object PKS 2155-304 in the frame of the time dependent one-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model, where stochastic particle acceleration is taken into account. In this model, a homogeneously and isotropically spherical structure is assumed, the Fokker–Planck type equation which describes the evolution of the particles energy is numerically solved, and the synchrotron and self-Compton components from the spherical blob are calculated. Our results can reproduce observed spectra energy distribution (SED) and give definite predictions for the flux and spectral variability of PKS 2155-304. We find that particle injection rate, magnetic field and Doppler factor in the acceleration zone are important parameters for explaining its flaring behaviour.     

Possible properties of Te V spectra in PKS 2155–304

We present a one-zone homogeneous lepton-hadronic model and obtain steady-state spectra by solving the time-dependent equations to study a plausible origin of hard TeV spectra in PKS 2155-304.In this model,we assume a steady electron and proton injection rate in the source and solve the non-linear time-dependent kinematic equations that self-consistently consist of proton-photon interaction,synchrotron radiation of electron/positron pairs and proton,inverse Compton scattering,and synchrotron self-absorption.We employ this model to reproduce the multi-wavelength spectrum of PKS 2155-304,then find that the possible bump located at E~1 TeV which may originate from the synchrotron radiation of secondary electrons produced by Bethe-Heitler pair production,resulting in the hard TeV spectrum.     

BL Lac天体PKS 2155－304的X射线谱

对ＢＬＬａｃ天体ＰＫＳ２１５５－３０４的多波段同时性观测表明，１－１０ｋｅＶ左右的Ｘ射线谱可用近似幂律谱和６－７ｋｅＶ之间的吸收峰很好地描述，观测到的光变时标，秒。这说明ｘ射线很可能是产生于中心黑洞附近的内部区域而穿过源外部“冷”的气体到达观测者的，因此，本文假定１－１０ｋｅＶ左右的Ｘ射线是在中心天体附近区域产生，观测到的谱则是原始谱在穿过周围较“冷”的等离子体介质时，受到康普顿软化所致。由此可解释Ｘ射线谱的观测特征，特别是Ｘ射线幂律谱高频端的陡化。     

Rapid variability in the southern blazar PKS 0521-365

We present an intrinsic interpretation for the recently reported radio variability in the southern blazar PKS 0521-365. A shockedjet model can account for the quasi-periodical variations in the flux density of the source by means of inhomogeneities in the electron density with a quasi-periodic distribution along a jet in which a relativistic strong shock is propagating. These inhomogeneities are naturally produced by the effects of Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities in the hypersonic parsec scale jet. The quasi-linear evolution of the polarization position angle can be understood as an effect of the illumination of successive cross sections with different mean field orientation or as a consequence of the shock propagation through a turbulent region in the jet. The high brightness temperature problem introduced by the short timescale varibility is solved invocating relativistic boosting with a moderately small viewing angle in agreement with the known structure of the source. In this context, several parameters are estimated.Fellow of CONICETMember of CONICET     

Probing the mass and anisotropy of the Milky Way gaseous halo: sight-lines toward Mrk 421 and PKS 2155-304

We recently found that the halo of the Milky Way contains a large reservoir of warm-hot gas that accounts for large fraction of the missing baryons from the Galaxy. The average physical properties of this circumgalactic medium (CGM) are determined by combining average absorption and emission measurements along several extragalactic sightlines. However, there is a wide distribution of both, the halo emission measure and the O?vii column density, suggesting that the Galactic warm-hot gaseous halo is anisotropic. We present Suzaku observations of fields close to two sightlines along which we have precise O?vii absorption measurements with Chandra. The column densities along these two sightlines are similar within errors, but we find that the emission measures are different: 0.0025±0.0006 cm^?6?pc near the Mrk 421 direction and 0.0042±0.0008 cm^?6?pc close to the PKS 2155-304 sightline. Therefore the densities and pathlengths in the two directions must be different, providing a suggestive evidence that the warm-hot gas in the CGM of the Milky Way is not distributed uniformly. However, the formal errors on derived parameters are too large to make such a claim. In the Mrk 421 direction we derive the density of \(1.6^{+2.6}_{-0.8} \times 10^{-4}~\mbox{cm}^{-3}\) and pathlength of \(334^{+685}_{-274}~\mbox{kpc}\) . In the PKS 2155-304 direction we measure the gas density of \(3.6^{+4.5}_{-1.8} \times10^{-4}~\mbox{cm}^{-3}\) and path-length of \(109^{+200}_{-82}~\mbox{kpc}\) . Thus the density and pathlength along these sightlines are consistent with each other within errors. The average density and pathlength of the two sightlines are similar to the global averages, so the halo mass is still huge, over 10 billion solar masses. With more such studies, we will be able to better characterize the CGM anisotropy and measure its mass more accurately. We can then compare the observational results with theoretical models and investigate if/how the CGM structure is related to the larger scale environment of the Milky Way. We also show that the Galactic disk makes insignificant contribution to the observed O?vii absorption; a similar conclusion was also reached by Henley and Shelton (2013) about the emission measure. We further argue that any density inhomogeneity in the warm-hot gas, be it from clumping, from the disk, or from a non-constant density gradient, would strengthen our result in that the Galactic halo path-length and the mass would become larger than what we estimate here. As such, our results are conservative and robust.     

The Periodicity Analysis of Radio Flux Variability of PKS 1510-089 with the Period04 Method

We have collected the 37 GHz radio data of PKS 1510-089 from 1990 to 2005, and obtained its long-term light curve after making data processing. From the light curve we can find that the activity in PKS 1510-089 is very strong. In this paper, the Period04 method is used for the first time to analyze the light periodicity of PKS 1510-089. The result indicates that its radio emission at 37 GHz has the periods of (1.87±0.13) yr and (0.87±0.07) yr. This result is consistent with the results obtained by Xie et al. in 2004, 2005, 2008, and Wu et al. in 2005 with other methods of data analysis.     

Modeling the emission processes in blazars

Blazars are the most violent steady/recurrent sources of high-energy gamma-ray emission in the known Universe. They are prominent emitters of electromagnetic radiation throughout the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The observable radiation most likely originates in a relativistic jet oriented at a small angle with respect to the line of sight. This review starts out with a general overview of the phenomenology of blazars, including results from a recent multiwavelength observing campaign on 3C279. Subsequently, issues of modeling broadband spectra will be discussed. Spectral information alone is not sufficient to distinguish between competing models and to constrain essential parameters, in particular related to the primary particle acceleration and radiation mechanisms in the jet. Short-term spectral variability information may help to break such model degeneracies, which will require snap-shot spectral information on intraday time scales, which may soon be achievable for many blazars even in the gamma-ray regime with the upcoming GLAST mission and current advances in Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope technology. In addition to pure leptonic and hadronic models of gamma-ray emission from blazars, leptonic/hadronic hybrid models are reviewed, and the recently developed hadronic synchrotron mirror model for TeV γ-ray flares which are not accompanied by simultaneous X-ray flares (“orphan TeV flares”) is revisited. The U.S. Government’s right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty-free license in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

Interstellar Scintillation and Annual Cycles in the BL Lac Source PKS 1519-273

We have measured annual cycles in the time scales of the rapid, intra-day variability of the total and circularly polarized flux density, of the unusual BL Lac source PKS 1519–273 at 4.8 and 8.6 GHz. This data was collected at the ATCA over the last seven years, and establishes unequivocally interstellar scintillation as the principal mechanism responsible for this cm-wavelength intra-day variability.     

PKS2250-41 and the Role of Jet Cloud Interactions in Powerful Radio Galaxies

We have studied the effects of the interaction between the radio jet and the ambient gas in the powerful radio galaxy PKS2250-41 (z = 0.31). Our results show that the gas has been accelerated, compressed, heated and collisionally ionized by the shock. This study helps us to understand the processes which determine the observed properties of many high redshift radio galaxies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Chance coincidences and the so-called redshift systems in the absorption spectrum of PKS 0237-23

It is shown that the number of redshift systems based on Civ doublets, proposed by Borosonet al. (1978) in the absorption spectrum of the quasar PKS 0237-23, is insignificantly different from that that would be expected from chance coincidences. Consequently, these systems and theirz-values appear to be devoid of any physical significance.     

Interaction between the X-ray gas and radio gas in the galaxy cluster PKS 0745-191

By analyzing the Chandra data of the central region of the galaxy cluster PKS 0745-191, the properties of a patch of bright X-ray gas distributed along the radio structure in the west of the central galaxy are investigated. This gas is found to be cooler and denser than the ambient gas. According to the calculation based on radio observations, the pressure gradient of the radio gas in the west is greater than that in the east. It means that there is interaction between that patch of cool X-ray gas and the radio gas. The cool gas is either formed by outer cool gas supported and disturbed by the radio gas, or is brought out from the central galaxy by radio buoyant bubbles. Assuming that the gas is in pressure-gravity balance, the volume filling factor of the X-ray gas in the central region is calculated to be b = 0.69 ± 0.28, and the properties of the relativistic particles in the radio gas, as well as the expansion effect of the radio gas on the cooling flow, are discussed.     

The heating of the X-ray gas by the radiogas in the cluster PKS 0745-191

Calculations of the energy evolution of relativistic particles in a cluster of galaxies are presented. The heating of the X-ray gas by the radio gas in the cluster PKS 0745-191 is derived using Chandra X-ray data and VLA radio data. It is found that the heating is not sufficient for the radiation loss of the X-ray gas if the lower limit of energy in the power-law spectrum of relativistic electrons is set at 0.001 erg.     

Hadronuclear interpretation of the possible neutrino emission from PKS B1424-418,GB6 J1040+0617 and PKS 1502+106

In addition to neutrino event IceCube-170922A which is observed to be associated with a γ-ray flare from blazar TXS 0506+056,there are also several neutrino eve...     

Jet and accretion power in the most powerful Fermi blazars

Among the blazars detected by the Fermi satellite, we have selected the 23 blazars that in the 3 months of survey had an average γ-ray luminosity above 10⁴⁸ erg s⁻¹. For 17 out of the 23 sources we found and analysed X-ray and optical–ultraviolet data taken by the Swift satellite. With these data, implemented by archival and not simultaneous data, we construct the spectral energy distributions, and interpreted them with a simple one-zone, leptonic, synchrotron and inverse Compton model. When possible, we also compare different high-energy states of single sources, like 0528+134 and 3C 454.3, for which multiple good sets of multiwavelength data are available. In our powerful blazars the high energy emission always dominates the electromagnetic output, and the relatively low level of the synchrotron radiation often does not hide the accretion disc emission. We can then constrain the black hole mass and the disc luminosity. Both are large (i.e. masses equal or greater than  10⁹ M _⊙  and disc luminosities above 10 per cent of Eddington). By modelling the non-thermal continuum we derive the power that the jet carries in the form of bulk motion of particles and fields. On average, the jet power is found to be slightly larger than the disc luminosity, and proportional to the mass accretion rate.     

The quasar PKS 0237-233: Chance coincidences and the alleged co redshift systems

It is shown that the number of redshifted CO absorption-line systems which are found in the spectrum of the quasar PKS 0237-233, using the rules of Varshalovich and Levshakov (1981), differ insignificantly from that that would be expected from chance coincidences. Consequently, the CO systems proposed by Varshalovich and Levshakov have no physical reality.     

星系团PKS 0745-191中射电气体与X射线气体的相互作用

利用星系团PKS 0745—191中心区域的Chandra数据,研究了在中心星系的西边且沿着射电结构而分布的一团明亮X射线气体的性质,发现这团气体是低温而高密的;另由射电观测计算发现射电气体在中心星系的西边压强梯度要大于东边,这说明那团 X射线冷气体与射电气体之间存在相互作用．该冷气体可能是由射电浮力泡从中心星系带出;或者是外围冷气体受到了射电气体的支撑及扰动而形成．进一步,假设气体处在压强重力平衡状态,计算了中心区域的X射线气体的体积占有率为b=0．69±0．28,并且讨论了射电气体所包含的相对论性粒子的性质以及射电气体膨胀对冷流的影响．