We present the results of a broadband radio-to-GeV observing campaign organized to get a better understanding of the radiation processes responsible for the $γ$-ray flares observed in 3C 279. The total intensity and polarization observations of the source were carried out between December 28, 2013 and January 03, 2014 using the Fermi-LAT, Swift-XRT, Swift-UVOT, and KVN telescopes. A prominent flare observed in the optical/near-UV passbands was found to be correlated with a concurrent $γ$-ray flare at a confidence level $>$95$\%$, which suggests a co-spatial origin of the two. Moreover, the flaring activity in the two regimes was accompanied by no significant spectral variations. A peak in the X-ray light curve coincides with the peaks of the fractional polarization curves at 43 and 86 GHz radio bands. No prominent variation was noticed for the total intensity and the electric vector position angle (EVPA) observations at radio bands during this period. We noticed a possible hint of steepening of the radio spectrum with an increase in percentage polarization, which suggests that the radio polarization variations could be simply due to a spectral change. In a simple scenario, the correlated optical/$γ$-ray flares could be caused by the same population of emitting particles. The coincidence of the increase in radio polarization with the X-ray flux supports the picture that X-rays are produced via inverse-Compton scattering of radio photons. The observed fractional variability for the $γ$-ray flare $\sim$0.23 does not exceed that in the optical regime, which is inconsistent with what we usually observe for 3C 279; it could be due to different dependencies of the magnetic field and the external radiation field energy density profiles along the jet.
BL Lacertae (BL Lac) is categorized as TeV blazar and considered as a possible source of astrophysical neutrinos. In 2020, the brightest X-ray flare ever detected from it. A detailed study can answer many puzzling questions related to multiband emissions and fast-flux variability often seen in this kind of source. We have performed the temporal and spectral analysis of the brightest flare. The variability is characterized by the fractional variability amplitude and the variability time. We found that the source has crossed all its previous limits of flux and reached the maximum ever seen from …
We report the energy-resolved broadband timing analysis of the black hole X-ray transient MAXI J1631-479 during its 2019 outburst from February 11 to April 9, using data from the Insight-Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT), which caught the source from its hard intermediate state to the soft state. Thanks to the large effective area of Insight-HXMT at high energies, we are able to present the energy dependence of fast variability up to ~100 keV. Type-C quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) with frequency varying between 4.9 Hz and 6.5 Hz are observed in the 1-100 keV energy band. While…
Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes (MAGIC) detected the gamma-ray afterglow of GRB 190114C, which can constrain microscopic parameters of the shock-heated plasma emitting non-thermal emission. Focusing on the early afterglow of this event, we numerically simulate the spectrum and multi-wavelength light curves with constant and wind-like circumstellar medium using a time-dependent code. Our results show that the electron acceleration timescale at the highest energies is likely shorter than 20 times the gyroperiod to reproduce the GeV gamma-ray flux and its spectral index repor…
We present a detailed analysis of a recent $500$ ks net exposure \textit{Suzaku} observation, carried out in 2013, of the nearby ($z=0.184$) luminous (L$_{\rm bol}\sim10^{47}$ erg s$^{-1}$) quasar PDS 456 in which the X-ray flux was unusually low. The short term X-ray spectral variability has been interpreted in terms of variable absorption and/or intrinsic continuum changes. In the former scenario, the spectral variability is due to variable covering factors of two regions of partially covering absorbers. We find that these absorbers are characterised by an outflow velocity comparable to that…
We investigate aperiodic X-ray flux variability in accreting highly magnetized neutron stars - X-ray pulsars (XRPs). The X-ray variability is largely determined by mass accretion rate fluctuations at the NS surface, which replicate accretion rate fluctuations at the inner radius of the accretion disc. The variability at the inner radius is due to fluctuations arising all over the disc and propagating inwards under the influence of viscous diffusion. The inner radius varies with mean mass accretion rate and can be estimated from the known magnetic field strength and accretion luminosity of XRPs…
We develop a new spectral model for the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). This includes an outer standard disc, an inner warm Comptonising region to produce the soft X-ray excess and a hot corona. We tie these together energetically by assuming Novikov-Thorne emissivity, and use this to define a size scale for the hard X-ray corona as equal to the radius where the remaining accretion energy down to the black hole can power the observed X-ray emission. We test this on three AGN with well defined SEDs as well as on larger samples to show that the avera…
A multiwavelength temporal and spectral analysis of flares of 3C 279 during November 2017--July 2018 are presented in this work. Three bright gamma-ray flares were observed simultaneously in X-ray and Optical/UV along with a prolonged quiescent state. A "harder-when-brighter" trend is observed in both gamma-rays and X-rays during the flaring period. The gamma-ray light curve for all the flares are binned in one-day time bins and a day scale variability is observed. Variability time constrains the size and location of the emission region to 2.1$\times$10$^{16}$ cm and 4.4$\times$10$^{17}$ cm, r…
We present a high-frequency very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) kinematical study of the BL Lac object S5 0716+714 over the time period of September 2008 to October 2010. The aim of the study is to investigate the relation of the jet kinematics to the observed broadband flux variability. We find significant non-radial motions in the jet outflow of the source. In the radial direction, the highest measured apparent speed is \sim37 c, which is exceptionally high, especially for a BL Lac object. Patterns in the jet flow reveal a roughly stationary feature \sim0.15 mas downstream of the core. …
Detailed investigation of broadband flux variability in the blazar 3C 273 allows us to probe the location and size of emission regions and their physical conditions. We report the results on correlation studies of the flaring activity observed between 2008 and 2012. The observed broadband variations were investigated using the structure function and the discrete correlation function, and power spectral density analysis (PSD) methods. The PSD analysis showed that the optical/IR light curve slopes are consistent with the slope of white noise processes, while, the PSD slopes at radio, X-ray and g…
In the past decades, the phenomenology of fast time variations of high-energy flux from black-hole binaries has increased, thanks to the availability of more and more sophisticated space observatories, and a complex picture has emerged. Recently, models have been developed to interpret the observed signals in terms of fundamental frequencies connected to General Relativity, which has opened a promising way to measure the prediction of GR in the strong-field regime. I review the current standpoint both from the observational and theoretical side and show that these systems are the most promisin…
Understanding corona and disk evolution in black hole X-ray binaries through a comprehensive study of their broadband variability and QPO characteristics
We present results from four new broadband X-ray observations of the extreme ultraluminous X-ray source Holmberg IX X-1 ($L_{\rm{X}} > 10^{40}$ erg/s), performed by $Suzaku$ and $NuSTAR$ in coordination. Combined with the archival data, we now have broadband observations of this remarkable source from six separate epochs. Two of these new observations probe lower fluxes than seen previously, allowing us to extend our knowledge of the broadband spectral variability exhibited. The spectra are well fit by two thermal blackbody components, which dominate the emission below 10 keV, as well as a ste…
We summarize broadband observations of the TeV-emitting blazar 1ES 1959+650, including optical R-band observations by the robotic telescopes Super-LOTIS and iTelescope, UV observations by Swift UVOT, X-ray observations by the Swift X-ray Telescope (XRT), high-energy gamma-ray observations with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray observations by VERITAS above 315 GeV, all taken between 17 April 2012 and 1 June 2012 (MJD 56034 and 56079). The contemporaneous variability of the broadband spectral energy distribution is explored in the context of a simple sync…
Modelling the Time-variable Broadband Emission and Correlation Study of FSRQ S5 1044+71
University of Kashmir(克什米尔大学);Central University of Kashmir(克什米尔中央大学);Bhabha Atomic Research Centre(巴哈原子研究中心);Homi Bhabha National Institute(霍米·巴巴国家研究所);National Institute of Technology, Srinagar(斯利那加国立技术学院);Indian Institute of Astrophysics(印度天体物理研究所)
We present our investigation into the long-term variability of the X-ray obscuration and optical-UV-X-ray continuum in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548. In 2013 and 2014, the Swift observatory monitored NGC 5548 on average every day or two, with archival observations reaching back to 2005, totalling about 670 ks of observing time. Both broadband spectral modelling and temporal rms variability analysis are applied to the Swift data. We disentangle the variability caused by absorption, due to an obscuring weakly-ionised outflow near the disk, from variability of the intrinsic continuum components (…
At high luminosities black hole binaries show spectra with a strong disc component accompanied by an equally strong tail where at least some of the electrons are non-thermal. We reanalyze the simultaneous ASCA-RXTE-OSSE data from the 1998 outburst of XTE J1550-564, which span 0.7-1000 keV and remain the best data available of a black hole binary in this state. We reassess the importance of electron-positron pair production using a realistically high value of the source compactness for the first time. The lack of an observable annihilation line together with the observed gamma-ray flux beyond 5…
We present results from the major coordinated X-ray observing program on the ULX NGC 1313 X-1 performed in 2017, combining $XMM$-$Newton$, $Chandra$ and $NuSTAR$, focusing on the evolution of the broadband ($\sim$0.3-30.0 keV) continuum emission. Clear and unusual spectral variability is observed, but this is markedly suppressed above $\sim$10-15 keV, qualitatively similar to the ULX Holmberg IX X-1. We model the multi-epoch data with two-component accretion disc models designed to approximate super-Eddington accretion, allowing for both a black hole and a neutron star accretor. With regards t…
We attempt to present a multiwavelength variability and correlation study as well as detailed multi-waveband spectral characteristics of the May 2021 $γ$-ray flare of the blazar source TXS 1700+685. The multi-wavelength observation from \textit{Fermi}-LAT, \textit{Swift}-XRT/UVOT as well as radio archival data are used for our spectro-temporal investigation. We estimate the variability time-scale of the source from the flux doubling time in different flaring regions detected in \textit{Fermi}-LAT observation and the shortest variability time is used to put a constraint on the minimum Doppler f…
It is thought that ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are mainly powered by super-Eddington accreting neutron stars or black holes as shown by recent discovery of X-ray pulsations and relativistic winds. This work presents a follow up study of the spectral evolution over two decades of the pulsing ULX NGC 1313 X-2, in order to understand the structure of the accretion disc. The primary objective is to determine the shape and nature of the dominant spectral components by investigating their variability with the changes in the source luminosity. We have performed a spectral analysis over the can…
We present the results obtained from our campaign to characterize the intra-night-optical variability properties of blazars detected by the {\it Fermi} Large Area Telescope. This involves R-band monitoring observations of a sample of 18 blazars, that includes five flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and thirteen BL Lac objects (BL Lacs) covering the redshift range z = 0.085$-$1.184. Our observations, carried out using the 1.3 m J.C. Bhattacharya Telescope cover a total of 40 nights ($\sim$200 hrs) between the period 2016 December and 2020 March. We characterized variability using the power enh…
We present a flux-resolved X-ray analysis of the dwarf Seyfert 1.8 galaxy NGC 4395, based on three archival $XMM-Newton$ and one archival $NuSTAR$ observations. The source is known to harbor a low mass black hole ($\sim 10^4- {\rm a~ few~}\times 10^{5}~\rm M_\odot$) and shows strong variability in the full X-ray range during these observations. We model the flux-resolved spectra of the source assuming three absorbing layers: neutral, mildly ionized, and highly ionized ($N_{\rm H} \sim 1.6\times 10^{22}-3.4 \times 10^{23}~\rm cm^{-2}$, $\sim 0.8-7.8 \times 10^{22}~\rm cm^{-2}$, and $ 3.8 \times…
Below an accretion rate of approximately a few per cent of the Eddington accretion rate, X-ray binary systems are not usually found in the soft spectral state. However, at accretion rates a factor of a few lower still, in the hard state, there is another spectral transition which is well observed but not well understood. Below ~0.5-1 per cent of the Eddington accretion rate (m_crit), the spectral index hardens with increasing accretion rate, but above m_crit, although still in the hard state, the spectral index softens with increasing accretion rate. Here we use a combination of X-ray spectral…
GX~339$-$4 is a black hole X-ray binary that is a key focus of accretion studies since it goes into outburst roughly every two-to-three years. Tracking of its radio, IR and X-ray flux during multiple outbursts reveals tight broadband correlations. The radio emission originates in a compact, self-absorbed jet, however the origin of the X-ray emission is still debated: jet base or corona? We fit 20 quasi-simultaneous radio, IR, optical and X-ray observations of GX~339$-$4 covering three separate outbursts in 2005, 2007, 2010--2011, with a composite corona + jet model, where inverse Compton emiss…
We present a broadband polarization analysis of 36 discrete polarized radio sources over a very broad, densely-sampled frequency band. Our sample was selected on the basis of polarization behaviour apparent in narrowband archival data at 1.4 GHz: half the sample show complicated frequency-dependent polarization behaviour (i.e. Faraday complexity) at these frequencies, while half show comparatively simple behaviour (i.e. they appear Faraday simple). We re-observed the sample using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) in full polarization, with 6 GHz of densely sampled frequency coverage…
The common observations of multiple radio VLBI stationary knots in high-frequency-peaked BL Lacs (HBLs) can be interpreted as multiple recollimation shocks accelerating particles along jets. This approach can resolve the so-called "bulk Lorentz factor crisis" of sources with high Lorentz factor, deduced from maximum gamma-gamma opacity and fast variability, and apparently inconsistent slow/stationary radio knots. It also suggests that a unique pattern of the non-thermal emission variability should appear after each strong flare. Taking advantage of the 13 years of observation of the HBL Mrk 42…
We report the broadband spectro-temporal study of the poorly studied accreting neutron star (NS) low mass X-ray binary (LMXB) 4U 1724-30 using data from Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) and Large Area X-ray Proportional Counters (LAXPC) instruments on board AstroSat. The dim persistent LMXB source was observed with AstroSat over 4 epochs in 2017, all of which corresponded to a low-luminosity non-thermal emission dominated (hard/island) emission state with modest spectral evolution. All the X-ray broadband spectra can be modelled by a combination of thermal emission from the NS boundary layer (BL) or…
One of the most important questions in blazar physics is the origin of broadband emission and fast-flux variation. In this work, we studied the broadband temporal and spectral properties of a TeV blazar 1ES 1727+502 and explore the one-zone synchrotron-self Compton (SSC) model to fit the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED). We collected the long-term (2014-2021) multiband data which includes both the low and high flux states of the source. The entire light curve is divided into three segments of different flux states and the best-fit parameters obtained by broadband SED modeling corre…
A study of the gravitationally lensed blazar PKS 1830-211 was carried out using multi waveband data collected by Fermi-LAT, Swift-XRT and Swift-UVOT telescopes between MJD 58400 to MJD 58800 (9 Oct 2018 to 13 Nov 2019). Flaring states were identified by analysing the gamma-ray light curve. Simultaneous multi-waveband SED were obtained for those flaring periods. A cross-correlation analysis of the multi-waveband data was carried out, which suggested a common origin of the gamma-ray and X-ray emission. The broadband emission mechanism was studied by modelling the SED using a leptonic model. Phys…
We present results for two Ultraluminous X-ray Sources (ULXs), IC 342 X-1 and IC 342 X-2, using two epochs of XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations separated by $\sim$7 days. We observe little spectral or flux variability above 1 keV between epochs, with unabsorbed 0.3--30 keV luminosities being $1.04^{+0.08}_{-0.06} \times 10^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$ for IC 342 X-1 and $7.40\pm0.20 \times 10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$ for IC 342 X-2, so that both were observed in a similar, luminous state. Both sources have a high absorbing column in excess of the Galactic value. Neither source has a spectrum consistent with …
Terzan 5 is the only Galactic globular cluster that has plausibly been detected at very-high energies by the High Energy Stereoscopic System. It has an unexpectedly asymmetric very-high-energy morphology that is offset from the cluster center, in addition to a large-scale, offset radio structure and compact diffuse X-ray emission associated with this cluster. We present new data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope on this source. We model the updated broadband spectral energy distribution, attributing this to cumulative pulsed emission from a population of embedded millisecond pulsars as well …
Probing spectral variability in NGC 4490 ULX-8 over 24 years of XMM-Newton, Chandra and Swift-XRT observations
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali(印度科学教育研究所);University of Southampton(南安普顿大学);Indian Institute of Astrophysics(印度天体物理研究所);Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics(大学间天文学与天体物理学中心);Raman Research Institute(拉曼研究所)
Quasi-Simultaneous Broadband Spectral Energy Distributions of a Sample of Fermi Blazars -- I. Correlation Results
Zhejiang Normal University(浙江师范大学);Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院紫金山天文台);University of Science and Technology of China(中国科学技术大学);Shanghai Normal University(上海师范大学);Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院云南天文台);Center for Astronomical Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院国家天文台);College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Qilu Normal University(齐鲁师范学院物理与电子工程学院)
We report on monitoring observations of the TeV gamma-ray binary HESS J0632+057, which were carried out to constrain the interaction between the Be circumstellar disk and the compact object of unknown nature, and provide for the first time high-dispersion (R > 50000) optical spectra in the second half of the orbital cycle, from apastron through periastron. The Halpha, Hbeta, and Hgamma line profiles are found to exhibit remarkable short-term variability for ~1 month after the apastron (phase 0.6--0.7), whereas they show little variation near the periastron. These emission lines show "S-shaped"…
Blazars, a class of highly variable active galactic nuclei, sometimes exhibit Orphan $γ$-ray flares. These flares having high flux only in $γ$-ray energies do not show significant variations in flux at lower energies. We study the temporal and spectral profile of these Orphan $γ$-ray flares in detail from three $γ-ray$ bright blazars, 3C 273, PKS 1510-089 and 3C 279 and also their simultaneous broadband emissions. We find that the variability timescales of the Orphan $γ$-ray flares were $(0.96\pm0.28)$ days, $(3.12\pm2.40)$ hr and $(2.16\pm0.72)$ hr, for 3C 273, PKS 1510-089 and 3C 279, respec…
Rapid Variability and Broadband Spectral Modeling in the Flaring Activity of BL Lacertae
Yunnan University(云南大学);Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院);Zhejiang Normal University(浙江师范大学);Yunnan Normal University(云南师范大学);Leshan Normal University(乐山师范学院)
Fast transitions between different types of power density spectra (PDS) happening over timescales of several tens of seconds are rare phenomena in black hole X-ray binaries. In this paper, we report a broadband spectral-timing analysis of the fast transitions observed in the 2021 outburst of GX 339-4 using NICER and HXMT observations. We observe transitions between band-limited noise-dominated PDS and type-B quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs), and their rapid appearance or disappearance. We also make a detailed comparison between the fast transitions in GX 339-4 with those seen in MAXI J1820+0…