Structured jets and VHE emission of blazars and radiogalaxies
F. Tavecchio, G. Ghisellini
备注：
4 pages, 3 figures. To be published in the proceedings of the 4th Heidelberg International Symposium on High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy, July 7-11, 2008
Recent observations in the TeV band challenge the simplest models developed to describe the overall emission of blazars and radiogalaxies. In particular, the observation of variable TeV emission from M87 and the fast variability shown by PKS 2155-304 challenge the standard framework. We discuss how the existence of a radial structure in the sub-pc scale jet, with faster a component ("spine" or "needles") embedded in a slower layer can explain the basic phenomenology of these sources.
M 87 is the first extragalactic source detected in the Very High Energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray domain that is not a blazar, its large scale jet not being aligned to the line of sight. Slight modification of standard emission models of TeV blazars allows to account for the gamma-ray spectra obtained with H.E.S.S. We present a multi-blob synchrotron self-Compton model taking explicitly into account large viewing angles and moderate values of the Lorentz factor as inferred from MHD simulations of jet formation. Predictions of the VHE emission for the nearby radiogalaxy Cen A and an interpre…
Observations of very-high-energy (VHE, E > 250 GeV) gamma-ray emission from several blazars at z > 0.1 have placed stringent constraints on the elusive spectrum and intensity of the intergalactic infrared background radiation (IIBR). Correcting their observed VHE spectrum for gamma-gamma absorption even by the lowest plausible level of the IIBR provided evidence for a very hard (photon spectral index Gamma_{ph} < 2) intrinsic source spectrum out to TeV energies. Such a hard VHE gamma-ray spectrum poses a serious challenge to the conventional synchrotron-self-Compton interpretation of the VHE e…
The Very High Energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission of the BL Lacertae objects Markarian 501 and Markarian 421 has been observed by the CAT Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope in 1997 and 1998. The spectrum extraction method is presented, and the spectral properties of both sources are compared in different activity states. Theoretical implications for jet astrophysics are discussed.
The blazar 1ES 1101-232 was observed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) of Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (ACT) in 2004 and 2005, for a live time of 43 hours. VHE (E > 10^11 eV) gamma-rays were detected for the first time from this object. VHE observations of blazars are used to investigate the inner parts of the blazar jets, and also to study the extragalactic background light (EBL) in the near-infrared band. Observations in 2005 were conducted in a multiwavelength campaign, together with the RXTE satellite and optical observations. In 2004, simultaneous observations with X…
The observation of rapidly variable very high energy (VHE) gamma-rays from non-aligned active galactic nuclei (AGNs), as reported from M87, proves challenging for conventional theoretical acceleration and emission models. We re-examine the centrifugal acceleration of particles by rotating jet magnetospheres in the vicinity of accreting supermassive black hole systems and analyze the energy constraints imposed for highly underluminous systems. Applications are presented for conditions expected to be present in the radio galaxy M87, assuming accretion onto the central black hole to occur in an a…
The blazar Markarian 501 (Mrk 501) was observed above 100 GeV with the MAGIC Telescope during May, June and July 2005. The high sensitivity of the instrument made possible the detection of the source with high significance in each of the observing nights. During this observational campaign, the emitted gamma-ray flux from Mkn 501 was found to vary by one order of magnitude, and showed a high correlation with spectral changes. Intra-night flux variability was also observed, with flux-doubling times of ~2 minutes. The data showed a clear evidence of a spectral peak (in the nuFnu representation) …
The energy spectra of TeV gamma-rays from blazars, after being corrected for intergalatic absorption in the Extragalactic Background Light (EBL), appear unusually hard, a fact that poses challenges to the conventional models of particle acceleration in TeV blazars and/or to the EBL models. In this paper we show that the internal absorption of gamma-rays caused by interactions with dense narrow-band radiation fields in the vicinity of compact gamma-ray production regions can lead to the formation of gamma-ray spectra of an almost arbitrary hardness. This allows significant relaxation of the cur…
The Very High Energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission of the closest BL Lacertae objects Markarian 501 and Markarian 421 has been observed by the CAT telescope in 1997 and 1998. In 1997 Mrk 501 exhibited a remarkable series of flares, with a VHE emission peaking above 250 GeV. The source showed correlated emissions in the X-ray and VHE gamma-ray bands, together with intensity-spectral hardness correlation in the latter energy range. During small flares in 1998, Mrk 421 became the second extragalactic source detected by CAT. Its spectral properties are compared to those of Mrk 501. Theoretical implicat…
TeV blazars are known as prominent nonthermal emitters across the entire electromagnetic spectrum with their photon power peaking in the X-ray and TeV bands. If distant, absorption of gamma-ray photons by the extragalactic background light (EBL) alters the intrinsic TeV spectral shape, thereby affecting the overall interpretation. Suzaku observations for two of the more distant TeV blazars known to date, 1ES 1101-232 and 1ES 1553+113, were carried out in 2006 May and July, respectively, including a quasi-simultaneous coverage with the state-of-the-art Cerenkov telescope facilities. We report o…
Photons with very high energy up to TeV (VHE) emitted from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) provide some invaluable information of the origin of $\gam$-ray emission. Although 66 blazars have been detected by {\it EGRET}, only three low redshift X-ray selected BL Lacs (Mrk 421, Mrk 501, and 1ES 2344+514) are conclusive TeV emitters (PKS 2155-304 is a potential TeV emitter) since VHE photons may be absorbed by cosmological background infrared photons ({\it external} absorption). Based on the ``mirror'' effect of clouds in broad line region, we argue that there is an {\it intrinsic} mechanism for th…
Recent findings by gamma-ray Cherenkov telescopes suggest a higher transparency of the Universe to very-high-energy (VHE) photons than expected from current models of the Extragalactic Background Light. It has been shown that such transparency can be naturally explained by the DARMA scenario, in which the photon mixes with a new, very light, axion-like particle predicted by many extensions of the Standard Model of elementary particles. We discuss the implications of DARMA for the VHE gamma-ray spectra of blazars, and show that it successfully accounts for the observed correlation between spect…
The direct measurement of the extragalactic background light (EBL) is difficult at optical to infrared wavelengths because of the strong foreground radiation originating in the Solar System. Very high energy (VHE, E$>$100 GeV) gamma rays interact with EBL photons of these wavelengths through pair production. In this work, the available VHE spectra from six blazars are used to place upper limits on the EBL. These blazars have been detected over a range of redshifts and a steepening of the spectral index is observed with increasing source distance. This can be interpreted as absorption by the EB…
The blazar Mrk421 was observed independently, but contemporaneously, in 2005 at TeV energies by MAGIC, the Whipple 10m telescope, and by a single VERITAS telescope during the construction phase of operations. A comparison of the time averaged spectra, in what was a relatively quiescent state, demonstrates the level of agreement between instruments. In addition, the increased sensitivity of the new generation instruments, and ever decreasing energy thresholds, questions how best to compare new observational data with archival results.
We present the discovery of very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission from the high-frequency-peaked BL Lac object 1ES 0806+524 (z=0.138) and the intermediate-frequency-peaked BL Lac object W Comae (z=0.102) with VERITAS. VHE emission was discovered from these objects during the 2007/2008 observing campaign, with a strong outburst from W Comae detected in mid-March, lasting a few days. Quasi-simultaneous spectral energy distributions are presented, incorporating optical (AAVSO), and X-ray (Swift/RXTE) observations. We also present the energy spectrum of the distant BL Lac (z=0.182) 1ES 1218+30…
We present the results from a multiwavelength campaign on the TeV blazar 1ES 1959+650, performed in May, 2006. Data from the optical, UV, soft- and hard-X-ray and very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray (E > 100 GeV) bands were obtained with the SUZAKU and SWIFT satellites, with the MAGIC telescope and other ground based facilities. The source spectral energy distribution (SED), derived from SUZAKU and MAGIC observations at the end of May 2006, shows the usual double hump shape, with the synchrotron peak at a higher flux level than the Compton peak. With respect to historical values, during our campa…
We discuss some phenomenological aspects of $γ$-ray emitting jets. In particular, we present calculations of the $γ$-sphere and $π$-sphere for various target photon fields, and employ them to demonstrate how $γ$-ray observations at very high energies can be used to constraint the Doppler factor of the emitting plasma and the production of VHE neutrinos. We also consider the implications of the rapid TeV variability observed in M87 and the TeV blazars, and propose a model for the very rapid TeV flares observed with HESS and MAGIC in some blazars,that accommodates the relatively small Doppler fa…
All but three (M87, BL Lac and 3C 279) extragalactic sources detected so far at very high energy (VHE) gamma-rays belong to the class of high-frequency peaked BL Lac (HBL) objects. This suggested to us a systematic scan of candidate sources with the MAGIC telescope, based on the compilation of X-ray blazars by Donato et al. (2001). The observations took place from December 2004 to March 2006 and cover sources on the northern sky visible under small zenith distances zd < 30 degrees at culmination. The sensitivity of the search was planned for detecting X-ray bright F(1 keV) > 2 uJy) sources emi…
Aims: We derive limits on the EBL density from the energy spectra of distant sources of very high energetic gamma-rays (VHE gamma-rays). Methods: VHE gamma-rays are attenuated by the photons of the EBL via pair production, which leaves an imprint in the measured spectra from distant sources. In this paper we present a new method to derive constraints on the EBL. Hereby, we use only very basic assumptions about TeV blazar physics and no pre-defined EBL model, but rather a large number of generic shapes constructed from a grid in EBL density vs. wavelength. In our study we utilize spectral data …
M87 is the first extragalactic source detected in the TeV gamma-ray domain that is not a blazar, its large scale jet not being aligned to the line of sight. We present here a multi-blob synchrotron self-Compton model accounting explicitly for large viewing angles and moderate Lorentz factors as inferred from magnetohydrodynamic simulations of jet formation, motivated by the detection of M87 at very high energies (VHE; E > 100GeV). Predictions are presented for the very high-energy emission of active galactic nuclei with extended optical or X-ray jet, which could be misaligned blazars but still…
The double humped SED (Spectral Energy Distribution) of blazars, and their flaring phenomena can be explained by various leptonic and hadronic models. However, accurate modeling of the high frequency component and clear identification of the correct emission mechanism would require simultaneous measurements in both the MeV-GeV band and the TeV band. Due to the differences in the sensitivity and the field of view of the instruments required to do these measurements, it is essential to identify active states of blazars likely to be detected with TeV instruments. Using a reasonable intergalactic …
The rapid variability of the VHE emission reported for some TeV blazars implies Doppler factors well in excess of those inferred from superluminal motions and unification schemes. We propose that those extreme flares may result from radiative deceleration of blobs on scales where local dissipation occurs. The minimum jet power estimated from the resolved synchrotron emission on VLBI scales appears to be consistent with this model. It is shown that if the energy distribution of nonthermal electrons accelerated locally in the blob is reasonably flat, then a background radiation field having a lu…
The MAGIC collaboration recently reported the detection of the quasar 3C279 at > 100 GeV gamma-ray energies. Here we present simultaneous optical (BVRI) and X-ray (RXTE PCA) data from the day of the VHE detection and discuss the implications of the snap-shot spectral energy distribution for jet models of blazars. A one-zone synchrotron-self-Compton origin of the entire SED, including the VHE gamma-ray emission can be ruled out. The VHE emission could, in principle, be interpreted as Compton upscattering of external radiation (e.g., from the broad-line regions). However, such an interpretation …
The High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) experiment, a ground-based gamma-ray Cherenkov telescope array located in Namibia, has now detected many extragalactic objects, which redshifts range from z=0.00183 up to z=0.2, possibly more. With the increasing performances of Cherenkov telescopes, it now becomes possible to probe these objects at small timescales in gamma-ray, allowing the study of regions thought to be very close to the central supermassive black holes. Furthermore, H.E.S.S. has confirmed a gamma-ray emission from M87, which is thus the first extragalactic source seen at the T…
