Journal article
Multiwavelength Observations of the Blazar BL Lacertae: A New Fast TeV Gamma-Ray Flare
The Astrophysical journal, Vol.856(2), p.95
03/28/2018
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aab35c
Abstract
Combined with measurements made by very-long-baseline interferometry, the observations of fast TeV gamma-ray flares probe the structure and emission mechanism of blazar jets. However, only a handful of such flares have been detected to date, and only within the last few years have these flares been observed from lower-frequency-peaked BL Lac objects and flat-spectrum radio quasars. We report on a fast TeV gamma-ray flare from the blazar BL Lacertae observed by the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS). with a rise time of ∼2.3 hr and a decay time of ∼36 min. The peak flux above 200 GeV is (4.2 0.6) × 10−6 photon m−2 s−1 measured with a 4-minute-binned light curve, corresponding to ∼180% of the flux that is observed from the Crab Nebula above the same energy threshold. Variability contemporaneous with the TeV gamma-ray flare was observed in GeV gamma-ray, X-ray, and optical flux, as well as in optical and radio polarization. Additionally, a possible moving emission feature with superluminal apparent velocity was identified in Very Long Baseline Array observations at 43 GHz, potentially passing the radio core of the jet around the time of the gamma-ray flare. We discuss the constraints on the size, Lorentz factor, and location of the emitting region of the flare, and the interpretations with several theoretical models that invoke relativistic plasma passing stationary shocks.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Multiwavelength Observations of the Blazar BL Lacertae: A New Fast TeV Gamma-Ray Flare
- Creators
- A. U Abeysekara - University of UtahW Benbow - Harvard UniversityR Bird - University of California, Los AngelesT Brantseg - Iowa State UniversityR Brose - University of PotsdamM Buchovecky - University of California, Los AngelesJ. H Buckley - Washington University in St. LouisV Bugaev - Washington University in St. LouisM. P Connolly - Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of GalwayW Cui - Purdue University West LafayetteM. K Daniel - Harvard UniversityA Falcone - Pennsylvania State UniversityQ Feng - McGill UniversityJ. P Finley - Purdue University West LafayetteL Fortson - University of MinnesotaA Furniss - California State University, East BayG. H Gillanders - Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of GalwayI Gunawardhana - University of UtahM Hütten - DESY, Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen, GermanyD Hanna - McGill UniversityO Hervet - University of California, Santa CruzJ Holder - University of DelawareG Hughes - Harvard UniversityT. B Humensky - Columbia UniversityC. A Johnson - University of California, Santa CruzP Kaaret - University of IowaP Kar - University of UtahM Kertzman - DePauw UniversityF Krennrich - Iowa State UniversityM. J Lang - Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of GalwayT. T. Y Lin - McGill UniversityS McArthur - Purdue University West LafayetteP Moriarty - Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of GalwayR Mukherjee - Columbia UniversityS O'Brien - University College DublinR. A Ong - University of California, Los AngelesA. N Otte - Georgia Institute of TechnologyN Park - University of ChicagoA Petrashyk - Columbia UniversityM Pohl - University of PotsdamE Pueschel - DESY, Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen, GermanyJ Quinn - University College DublinK Ragan - McGill UniversityP. T Reynolds - Cork Institute of TechnologyG. T Richards - Georgia Institute of TechnologyE Roache - Harvard UniversityC Rulten - University of MinnesotaI Sadeh - DESY, Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen, GermanyM Santander - Columbia UniversityG. H Sembroski - Purdue University West LafayetteK Shahinyan - University of MinnesotaS. P Wakely - University of ChicagoA Weinstein - Iowa State UniversityR. M Wells - Iowa State UniversityP Wilcox - University of IowaD. A Williams - University of California, Santa CruzB Zitzer - McGill UniversityS. G Jorstad - Boston UniversityA. P Marscher - Boston UniversityM. L Lister - Purdue University West LafayetteY. Y Kovalev - Max Planck SocietyA. B Pushkarev - Crimean Astrophysical ObservatoryT Savolainen - Aalto UniversityI Agudo - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasS. N Molina - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasJ. L Gómez - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasV. M Larionov - St Petersburg UniversityG. A Borman - Crimean Astrophysical ObservatoryA. A Mokrushina - St Petersburg UniversityM Tornikoski - Aalto UniversityA Lähteenmäki - Aalto UniversityW Chamani - Aalto UniversityS Enestam - Aalto UniversityS Kiehlmann - California Institute of TechnologyT Hovatta - University of TurkuP. S Smith - University of ArizonaP Pontrelli - University of California, Santa CruzVERITAS Collaboration
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Astrophysical journal, Vol.856(2), p.95
- DOI
- 10.3847/1538-4357/aab35c
- ISSN
- 0004-637X
- eISSN
- 1538-4357
- Publisher
- Institute of Physics (IOP)
- Number of pages
- 14
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/28/2018
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984199841802771
Metrics
11 Record Views