Our present knowledge of the properties of blazars mostly comes from small samples of bright objects, especially regarding studies on their cosmological evolution. Statistically well defined and completely identified samples of faint blazars are very difficult to obtain. We present a new X-ray selected sample of 62 blazars and blazar candidates reaching deep X-ray fluxes. We relied on the availability of large catalogs of astronomical objects combined with on-line services offering simple access to finding charts and magnitude estimates. We built the sample cross-matching X-ray sources in the Swift Serendipitous Survey in deep XRT GRB Fields catalog with data from deep radio and optical surveys. Our sample can probe populations of sources 10 times weaker in the X-ray flux with respect previous studies, thus allowing for a more detailed comparison between data and simulated counts. We use the sample to calculate the radio and X-ray LogN-LogS of blazars down to fluxes at least one order of magnitude fainter than previous studies. We show that, considering that our sample may be somewhat contaminated by sources other than blazars, we are in agreement with previous observational and theoretical estimations.
I will review recent advances in the field of blazars, highlighting the contribution of Swift. Together with other operating satellites (most notably Fermi, but also AGILE, WISE, Planck) and ground based facilities such as Cherenkov telescopes, Swift was (and is) crucial for improving our understanding of blazars. The main advances in the blazar field made possible by Swift includes the opening of the time domain investigation, since there are several sources with hundreds of simultaneous optical, UV and X-ray data taken at different times; the possibility to measure the black hole mass in ver…
Blazar flares seen by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope Large Area Telescope (Fermi LAT) are often followed up by Target of Opportunity (ToO) requests to the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift). Using flares identified in the daily light curves of Fermi LAT Monitored Sources, we investigated which follow-up Swift ToO requests resulted in refereed publications. The goal was to create criteria of what Swift should look for in following up a Fermi-LAT gamma-ray flare. Parameters tested were peak gamma-ray flux, flare duration (based on a Bayesian Block analysis), type of AGN (BL Lac or FSRQ)…
During its first 10 years of orbital operations Swift dedicated approximately 11% of its observing time to blazars, carrying out more than 12,000 observations of ~1,600 different objects, for a total exposure time of over 25 million seconds. In this paper I briefly discuss the impact that Swift is having on blazar multi-frequency and time-domain astrophysics, as well as how it is contributing to the opening of the era of multi-messenger astronomy. Finally, I present some preliminary results from a systematic analysis of a very large number of Swift XRT observations of blazars. All the "science…
Open Universe for blazars is a set of high-transparency data products for blazar science, and the tools designed to generate them. Blazar astrophysics is becoming increasingly data driven, depending on the integration and combined analysis of large quantities of data from the entire span of observational astrophysics techniques. The project was therefore chosen as one of the pilot activities within the United Nations Open Universe Initiative. In this work we developed a data analysis pipeline called Swift_deepsky, based on the Swift XRTDAS software and the XIMAGE package, encapsulated into a D…
We have selected SDSS J222032.50+002537.5 and SDSS J142048.01+120545.9 as best blazar candidates out of a complete sample of extremely radio-loud quasars at z>4, with highly massive black holes. We observed them and a third serendipitous candidate with similar features (PMN J2134-0419) in the X-rays with the Swift/XRT telescope, to confirm their blazar nature. We observed strong and hard X-ray fluxes (i.e. $α_X<0.6$, where $F(ν)\proptoν^{-α_X}$ in the 0.3-10keV observed energy range, ~1-40keV rest frame) in all three cases. This allowed us to classify our candidates as real blazars, being char…
Blazars are a class of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) known for their very rapid variabilty in the high energy regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Despite this known fast variability, X-ray observations have generally not revealed variability in blazars with rate doubling or halving timescales less than approximately 15 min. Since its launch, the Swift X-ray Telescope has obtained 0.2-10 keV X-ray data on 143 AGNs, including blazars, through intense target of opportunity observations that can be analyzed in a multiwavelength context and used to model jet parameters, particularly during fla…
Blazars research is one of the hot topics of contemporary extra-galactic astrophysics. That is because these sources are the most abundant type of extra-galactic gamma-ray sources and are suspected to play a central role in multi-messenger astrophysics. We have used swift_xrtproc, a tool to carry out an accurate spectral and photometric analysis of the Swift-XRT data of all blazars observed by Swift at least 50 times between December 2004 and the end of 2020. We present a database of X-ray spectra, best-fit parameter values, count-rates and flux estimations in several energy bands of over 31,0…
The radio-loud quasar SDSS J114657.79+403708.6 at a redshift z=5.0 is one of the most distant radio-loud objects. The IR-optical luminosity and spectrum suggest that its black hole has a very large mass: M=(5+-1)x 1e9 Msun. The radio-loudness (ratio of the radio to optical flux) of the source is large (around 100), suggesting that the source is viewed at small angles from the jet axis, and could be a blazar. The X-ray observations fully confirm this hypothesis, due to the high level and hardness of the flux. This makes SDSS J114657.79+403708.6 the third most distant blazar known, after Q0906+6…
We compiled the radio, optical, and X-ray data of blazars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) database, and presented the distribution of luminosities and broad band spectral indices. The distribution of luminosities shows that the averaged luminosity of flat-spectral radio quasars (FSRQs) is larger than that of BL Lacs objects. On the other hand, the broad band spectral energy distribution reveals that FSRQs and low energy peaked BL Lac objects (LBLs) objects have similar spectral properties, but high energy peaked BL Lac objects (HBLs) have a distinct spectral property. This may be due …
We derive the most up-to-date Swift-Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) blazar luminosity function in the 14-195 keV range, making use of a clean sample of 118 blazars detected in the BAT 105-month survey catalog, with newly obtained redshifts from the BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS). We determine the best-fit X-ray luminosity function for the whole blazar population, as well as for Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs) alone. The main results are: (1) at any redshift, BAT detects the most luminous blazars, above any possible break in their luminosity distribution, which means we cannot differentiat…
We utilize machine learning methods to distinguish BL Lacertae objects (BL Lac) from Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQ) within a sample of likely X-ray blazar counterparts to Fermi 3FGL unassociated gamma-ray sources. From our previous work, we have extracted 84 sources that were classified as $\geq$ 99% likley to be blazars. We then utilize Swift$-$XRT, Fermi, and WISE (The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) data together to distinguish the specific type of blazar, FSRQs or BL Lacs. Various X-ray and Gamma-ray parameters can be used to differentiate between these subclasses. These are also …
Blazars are the most extreme subclass of active galactic nuclei with relativistic jets emerging from a super-massive black hole and forming a small angle with respect to our line of sight. Blazars are also known to be related to flaring activity as they exhibit large flux variations over a wide range of frequency and on multiple timescales, ranging from a few minutes to several months. The detection of a high-energy neutrino from the flaring blazar TXS 0506+056 and the subsequent discovery of a neutrino excess from the same direction have naturally strengthened the hypothesis that blazars are …
We have analysed all the X-ray images centred on Gamma Ray Bursts generated by Swift over the last 15 years using automatic tools that do not require any expertise in X-ray astronomy, producing results in excellent agreement with previous findings. This work, besides presenting the largest medium-deep survey of the X-ray sky and a complete sample of blazars, wishes to be a step in the direction of achieving the ultimate goal of the Open Universe Initiative, that is to enable non expert people to fully benefit of space science data, possibly extending the potential for scientific discovery, cur…
Using public \fermi LAT and \swift BAT observations, we constructed the first sample of blazars selected at both hard X-rays and gamma-rays. Studying its spectral properties, we find a luminosity dependence of the spectral slopes at both energies. Specifically, luminous blazars, generally classified as FSRQs, have {\it hard} continua in the medium-hard X-ray range but {\it soft} continua in the LAT gamma-ray range (photon indices $Γ_X$ \ltsima 2 and $Γ_G$ \gtsima 2), while lower luminosity blazars, classified as BL Lacs, have opposite behavior, i.e., {\it soft} X-ray and {\it hard} gamma-ray c…
We present results of X-ray spectral and time-domain variability analyses of 4 faint, "quiescent" blazars from the Swift-BAT 105-month catalog. We use observations from a recent, 5-month long NICER campaign, as well as archival BAT data. Variations in the 0.3-2 keV flux are detected on minute, $\sim$weekly, and monthly timescales, but we find that the fractional variability $F_{\rm var}$ on these timescales is $<25\%$ and decreases on longer timescales, implying generally low-amplitude variability across all sources and showing very low variability on monthly timescales ($F_{\rm var}\lesssim13…
Approximately one-third of the gamma-ray sources in the third Fermi-LAT catalog are unidentified or unassociated with objects at other wavelengths. Observations with Swift-XRT have yielded possible counterparts in $\sim$30% of these source regions. The objective of this work is to identify the nature of these possible counterparts, utilizing their gamma ray properties coupled with the Swift derived X-ray properties. The majority of the known sources in the Fermi catalogs are blazars, which constitute the bulk of the extragalactic gamma-ray source population. The galactic population on the othe…
Blazar flares have been suggested as ideal candidates for enhanced neutrino production. While the neutrino signal of $γ$-ray flares has been widely discussed, the neutrino yield of X-ray flares has received less attention. Here, we compute the predicted neutrino signal from X-ray flares detected in 66 blazars observed more than 50 times with the X-ray Telescope (XRT) on board the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. We consider a scenario where X-ray flares are powered by synchrotron radiation of relativistic protons, and neutrinos are produced through photomeson interactions between protons with t…
SVOM discovery of a strong X-ray outburst of the blazar 1ES~1959+650 and multi-wavelength follow-up with the Neil Gehrels Swift observatory
Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Astroparticule et Cosmologie（巴黎西岱大学）；Max-Planck-Institut für Radiostronomie（马克斯·普朗克射电天文研究所）；National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）；Northern Kentucky University（北肯塔基大学）；Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS（斯特拉斯堡天文台，斯特拉斯堡大学）；University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学）
The radio-loud quasar SDSS J013127.34-032100.1at a redshift z=5.18 is one of the most distant radio-loud objects. The radio to optical flux ratio (i.e. the radio-loudness) of the source is large, making it a promising blazar candidate. Its overall spectral energy distribution, completed by the X-ray flux and spectral slope derived through Target of Opportunity Swift/XRT observations, is interpreted by a non-thermal jet plus an accretion disc and molecular torus model. We estimate that its black hole mass is (1.1+-0.2)1e10 Msun. for an accretion efficiency eta=0.08, scaling roughly linearly wit…
We present an analysis of the optical spectra available in the Sloan Digital Sky survey data release nine (SDSS DR9) for the blazars listed in the ROMA-BZCAT and for the gamma-ray blazar candidates selected according to their IR colors. First, we adopt a statistical approach based on MonteCarlo simulations to find the optical counterparts of the blazarslisted in the ROMA-BZCAT catalog. Then we crossmatched the SDSS spectroscopic catalog with our selected samples of blazars and gamma-ray blazar candidates searching for those with optical spectra available to classify our blazar-like sources and…
MeV blazars are a sub--population of the blazar family, exhibiting larger--than--average jet powers, accretion luminosities and black hole masses. Because of their extremely hard X--ray continua, these objects are best studied in the X-ray domain. Here, we report on the discovery by the $Fermi$ Large Area Telescope and subsequent follow-up observations with $NuSTAR$, $Swift$ and GROND of a new member of the MeV blazar family: PMN J0641$-$0320. Our optical spectroscopy provides confirmation that this is a flat--spectrum radio quasar located at a redshift of $z=1.196$. Its very hard $NuSTAR$ spe…
We observed 5 gamma-ray loud blazars at redshift greater than 2 with the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) and the UltraViolet and Optical Telescope (UVOT) onboard the Swift satellite, and the Gamma-Ray burst Optical Near-Infrared Detector (GROND) instrument. These observations were quasi simultaneous, usually within a few hours. For 4 of these blazars the near-IR to UV data show the presence of an accretion disc, and we could reliably estimate its accretion rate and black hole mass. One of them, PKS 1348+007, was found in an extraordinarily high IR-optical state, almost two orders of magnitude brighter t…
Spectroscopic Analysis of Fermi-detected Blazars using SDSS-V
University of Edinburgh（爱丁堡大学）；University of Namibia（纳米比亚大学）；University of Washington（华盛顿大学）；The Pennsylvania State University（宾夕法尼亚州立大学）；University of Utah（犹他大学）；University of Oklahoma（俄克拉荷马大学）
In this work, we present a multi-wavelength study of the blazar 1ES 1218+304 using near simultaneous observations over 10 years during the period September 1, 2008 to August 31, 2018 (MJD 54710-58361). We have analyzed data from \emph{Swift}-UVOT, \emph{Swift}-XRT and \emph{Fermi}-LAT to study the long term behaviour of 1ES 1218+304 in different energy bands over the last decade. We have also used the archival data from OVRO, MAXI and \emph{Swift}-BAT available during the above period. The near simultaneous data on 1ES 1218+304 suggest that the long term multi-wavelength emission from the sour…
During a period of strong $γ$-ray flaring activity from BL Lacertae, we organized Swift, Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), and Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) follow-up observations. The source has been monitored by Swift-XRT (X-ray Telescope) between 2020 August 11 and October 16, showing a variability amplitude of 65, with a flux varying between 1.0 $\times$ 10$^{-11}$ and 65.3 $\times$ 10$^{-11}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. On 2020 October 6, Swift-XRT has observed the source during its historical maximum X-ray flux. A softer-when-brighter behaviour has been obs…
Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are well-known to exhibit flux variability across a wide range of wavelength regimes, but the precise origin of the variability at different wavelengths remains unclear. To investigate the relatively unexplored near-IR variability of the most luminous AGNs, we conduct a search for variability using well sampled JHKs-band light curves from the 2MASS survey calibration fields. Our sample includes 27 known quasars with an average of 924 epochs of observation over three years, as well as one spectroscopically confirmed blazar (SDSSJ14584479+3720215) with 1972 epochs o…
BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects are a subclass of blazar, distinguished by their featureless optical spectrum. The featureless spectrum presents a challenge in measuring the redshift of the BL Lacs. In this paper, we measure the redshift of BL Lacs using the photometric dropout technique. The space-based telescope \emph{Swift} and the ground-based SARA telescopes are employed to provide magnitudes in the $uvw2,\ uvm2,\ uvw1,\ u,\ b,\ v,\ g',\ r',\ i',\ z'$ filters. We observe 60 BL Lacs and report reliable redshift upper limits for 41 of them. We discover three new high-$z$ BL Lacs ($z>1.3$) at $…
We investigate the relative occurrence of radio--loud and radio-quiet quasars in the first billion years of the Universe, powered by black holes heavier than one billion solar masses. We consider the sample of high-redshfit blazars detected in the hard X-ray band in the 3-years all sky survey performed by the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) onboard the Swift satellite. All the black holes powering these blazars exceed a billion solar mass, with accretion luminosities close to the Eddington limit. For each blazar pointing at us, there must be hundreds of similar sources (having black holes of simil…
We present a detailed temporal and spectral study of the intermediate type blazar, ON 231 with observations taken by Swift and XMM-Newton satellites during an outburst phase in June 2008. The source shows multiple X-ray flares in that period when the flux amplitude varies in the range of 27-38%. The X-ray spectra are well fitted with a broken power-law model indicating the presence of both synchrotron and inverse Compton components. We find that the source shows strong and variable emission in the soft energy bands (below 3-4 keV), where the hard band emission is weak and stable. All the soft …
In this work, we study the short term flaring activity from the high synchrotron peaked blazar Mrk 501 detected by the FACT and H.E.S.S. telescopes in the energy range 2-20 TeV during June 23-24, 2014 (MJD 56831.86-56831.94). We revisit this major TeV flare of the source in the context of near simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of gamma-rays in MeV-GeV regime with Fermi-LAT, soft X-rays in 0.3-10 keV range with Swift-XRT, hard X-rays in 10-20 keV and 15-50 keV bands with MAXI and Swift-BAT respectively, UV-Optical with Swift-UVOT and 15 GHz radio with OVRO telescope. We have performed …
A study of blazar PKS 1424-418 was carried out using multi waveband data collected by Fermi-LAT, Swift-XRT, Swift-UVOT and SMARTS telescopes between MJD 56000 to MJD 56600 (14 Mar 2012 to 4 Nov 2013). Two flaring episodes were identified by analysing the gamma ray light curve. Simultaneous multi waveband Spectral Energy Distributions (SED) were obtained for those two flaring periods. A cross-correlation analysis of IR-Optical and $γ$-ray data suggested the origin of these emissions from the same region. We have set a lower limit for the Doppler factor using the highest energy photon observed f…
We searched for gamma-ray blazar candidates among the 382 unidentified hard X-ray sources of the 3rd Palermo BAT Catalog (3PBC) obtained from the analysis of 66 months of SWIFT-BAT survey data and listing 1586 sources. We adopted a recently developed association method based on the peculiar infrared colors which characterize the gamma-ray blazars included in the second catalog of active galactic nuclei detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (2LAC). We used this method exploiting the data of the all-sky survey performed by the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to establish correspo…
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 use 3 years of data from the Swift/BAT survey to select a complete sample of X-ray blazars above 15 keV. This sample comprises 26 Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs) and 12 BL Lac objects detected over a redshift range of 0.03<z<4.0. We use this sample to determine, for the first time in the 15--55 keV band, the evolution of blazars. We find that, contrary to the Seyfert-like AGNs detected by BAT, the population of blazars shows strong positive evolution. This evolution is comparable to the evolution of luminous optical QSOs and luminous X-ray selected AGNs. We also find evidence for an epo…
We discuss a new method for unveiling the possible blazar AGN nature among the numerous population of Unassociated Gamma-ray sources (UGS) in the Fermi catalogues. Our tool relies on positional correspondence of the Fermi object with X-ray sources (mostly from Swift-XRT), correlated with other radio, IR and optical data in the field. We built a set of Spectral Energy Distributions (SED) templates representative of the various blazar classes, and we quantitatively compared them to the observed multi-wavelength flux density data for all Swift-XRT sources found within the Fermi error-box, by taki…
The radio-loud quasar SDSS J102623.61+254259.5, at a redshift z=5.3, is one of the most distant radio-loud objects. Since its radio flux exceeds 100 mJy at a few GHz, it is also one of the most powerful radio-loud sources. We propose that this source is a blazar, i.e. we are seeing its jet at a small viewing angle. This claim is based on the spectral energy distribution of this source, and especially on its strong and hard X-ray spectrum, as seen by Swift, very typical of powerful blazars. Observations by the Gamma-Ray Burst Optical/Near-Infrared Detector (GROND) and by theWide-field Infrared …
Nearly 50% of all sources detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope are classified as blazars or blazar candidates, one of the most elusive classes of active galaxies. Additional blazars can also be hidden within the sample of unidentified or unassociated $γ$-ray sources (UGSs) that constitute about one-third of all gamma-ray sources detected to date. We recently confirmed that the large majority of Fermi blazars of the BL Lac subclass have an X-ray counterpart. Using the X-ray properties of a BL Lac training set and combining these with archival multifrequency information, we aim to search f…
We report on X-ray measurements constraining the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the high-redshift $z=5.18$ blazar SDSS J013127.34$-$032100.1 with new XMM-Newton and NuSTAR exposures. The blazar's X-ray spectrum is well fit by a power law with $Γ=1.9$ and $N_{\rm H}=1.1\times10^{21}\rm \ cm^{-2}$, or a broken power law with $Γ_l=0.5$, $Γ_h=1.8$, and a break energy $E_b=0.7$ keV for an expected absorbing column density of $N_{\rm H}=3.6\times 10^{20}\rm \ cm^{-2}$, supported by spectral fitting of a nearby bright source. No additional spectral break is found at higher X-ray energies (1-30…
The AGILE gamma-ray satellite accumulated data over two years on several blazars. Moreover, for all of the sources detected by AGILE, we exploited multiwavelength observations involving both space and ground based telescopes and consortia, obtaining in several cases broad-band spectral energy distributions (SEDs) which span from the radio wavelengths up to the TeV energy band. I will review both published and yet unpublished AGILE results on gamma-ray blazars, discussing their time variability, their gamma-ray flare durations and the theoretical modeling of the SEDs. I will also highlight the …
We present the results of an identification campaign of unassociated sources from the Fermi Large Area Telescope 3FHL catalog. Out of 200 unidentified sources, we selected 110 sources for which archival Swift-XRT observations were available, 52 of which were found to have exactly one X-ray counterpart within the 3FHL 95\% positional uncertainty. In this work, we report the X-ray, optical, IR, and radio properties of these 52 sources using positional associations with objects in various catalogs. The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer color-color plot for sources suggests that most of these be…
Blazars are a class of AGN, one of their jets is pointed towards the earth. Here, we report about the multi-wavelength study for blazar S5 1803+78 between MJD 58727 to MJD 59419. We analysed $γ$-ray data collected by Fermi-LAT, X-ray data collected by Swift-XRT \& NuSTAR, optical photons detected by Swift-UVOT \& TUBITAK observatory in Turkey. Three flaring states are identified by analysing the $γ$-ray light curve. A day scale variability is observed throughout the flares with the similar rise and decay times suggesting a compact emission region located close to the central engine. Cross-corr…
This work is a summary of the X-ray spectral studies of 29 TeV $γ$-ray emitting blazars observed with Swift/XRT, especially focusing on sources for which X-ray regime allows to study the low and the high energy ends of the particle distributions function. Variability studies require simultaneous coverage, ideally sampling different flux states of each source. This is achieved using X-ray observations by disentangling the high-energy end of the synchrotron emission and the low-energy end of the Compton emission, which are produced by the same electron population. We focused on a sample of 29 Te…
SDSS J141118.31+481257.6 is an ultracompact white dwarf binary (or AM CVn system) with an orbital period of 46 min. We analyze ~23 ks of X-ray and UV data taken with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory during its first ever recorded outbursts. The events took place 13 years after the system was discovered. We detected 3 events in our UV data, all with amplitudes of ~7 mags with respect to quiescence, the largests detected for an AM CVn system so far. The first 2 events correspond to a superoutburst and the third one to another detected outburst. The 3 episodes that we identified occurred in a p…
We present long-term observations of several VHE (E > 100 GeV) blazars with VERITAS, together with contemporaneous Swift and RXTE X-ray data. The observed targets include Mrk 421, Mrk 501, 1ES 2344+514. Strong flux and spectral variability is seen in Mrk 421 on nightly time-scales between January and June 2008, revealing a highly correlated X-ray to GeV/TeV connection. Modest X-ray variability is evident in Mrk 501. Observations of 1ES 2344+514 in December 2007 show VHE gamma-ray and X-ray flux doubling on nightly time-scales.
The variability of blazars in the X-ray and optical regions informs both the physics of their emitting region and places demands on the observer if a program requires that the object be bright or faint. The extensive simultaneous X-ray and optical observation by Swift provides the best insight into the variable nature of these objects. This program uses \textit{Swift} data for 19 X-ray-bright blazars, generally at $z > 0.1$, to determine their variability properties. The analysis is based on structure functions and provides insight into the nature of the variability and how it depends on time,…
We report on the identification of a new soft gamma-ray source, namely IGR J20159+3713/SWIFT J2015.9+3715, first detected by INTEGRAL/IBIS and then confirmed by Swift/BAT. The source, which has an observed 20-100 keV flux in the range (0.7-1.4) x 10^(-11) erg cm^(-2) s^(-1), encloses a Fermi variable source (2FGL J2015.6+3709) and is spatially close to a TeV emitter (VER J2016+372). Thanks to X-ray follow-up observations performed with the X-ray telescope on board Swift, we have been able to identify the new IBIS/BAT detection with the combined emission of the blazar B2013+370 and the cataclys…
To understand the X-ray emission of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we explored the optical-to-X-ray variation correlation of a radio-loud quasar (RLQ) SDSS J121426.52+140258.9 (hereafter J1214+1402) with multi-epoch observations of Swift and XMM-Newton telescopes. With the historical multi-band data, we found that the infrared to X-ray flux of RLQ J1214+1402 should not be dominated by the beamed jet emission. The Swift optical/UV and X-ray light curves showed that J1214+1402 has two optical states with low flux before 2014 April 08 and high flux after 2014 June 11, but has no significant X-ray…
The recently released 105-month {\it Swift}-Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) all-sky hard X-ray survey catalog presents an opportunity to study astrophysical objects detected in the deepest look at the entire hard X-ray (14$-$195 keV) sky. Here we report the results of a multifrequency study of 146 blazars from this catalog, quadrupling the number compared to past studies, by utilizing recent data from the {\it Fermi}-Large Area Telescope (LAT), Swift-BAT, and archival measurements. In our $γ$-ray analysis of $\sim$10 years of the LAT data, 101 are found as $γ$-ray emitters, whereas, 45 remains LAT…
The flat-spectrum radio quasar 4C $+$71.07 is a high-redshift ($z=2.172$), $γ$-loud blazar whose optical emission is dominated by the thermal radiation from accretion disc. 4C $+$71.07 has been detected in outburst twice by the AGILE $γ$-ray satellite during the period end of October - mid November 2015, when it reached a $γ$-ray flux of the order of $F_{\rm E>100\,MeV} = (1.2 \pm 0.3)\times 10^{-6}$ photons cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ and $F_{\rm E>100\,MeV} = (3.1 \pm 0.6)\times 10^{-6}$ photons cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$, respectively, allowing us to investigate the properties of the jet and of the emission…
Extragalactic nuclear activity is best explored with observations at high energies, where the most extreme flux and spectral variations are expected to occur, witnessing changes in the accretion flow or in the kinematics of the plasma. In active galactic nuclei of blazar type, these variations are the most dramatic. By following blazar outbursts from their onset and by correlating the observed variations at many different wavelengths we can reconstruct the behavior of the plasma and map out the development of the flare within the jet. The advent of the Fermi satellite has allowed the start of …
We report on the Swift/XRT observation and classification of eleven blazar candidates at $z>4$. These sources were selected as part of a sample of extremely radio-loud quasars, in order to focus on quasars with jets oriented roughly close to our line-of-sight. Deriving their viewing angles and their jets bulk Lorentz factors was crucial for a strict blazar classification, and it was possible only thanks to X-ray observations. Out of eleven sources, five show strong and hard X-ray fluxes, that allow their blazar classification, two are uncertain, three host relativistic jets that we observe jus…
The active galaxy PKS 0208-512, detected at lower energies by COMPTEL, has been claimed to be a MeV blazar from EGRET. We report on the most recent INTEGRAL observations of the blazar PKS 0208-512, which are supplemented by Swift ToO observations. The high energy X-ray and gamma-ray emission of PKS 0208-512 during August - December 2008 has been studied using 682 ks of INTEGRAL guest observer time and ~ 56 ks of Swift/XRT observations. These data were collected during the decay of a gamma-ray flare observed by Fermi/LAT. At X-ray energies (0.2 - 10 keV) PKS 0208-512 is significantly detected b…
We are carrying out a dense monitoring of the blazar OJ 287 with Swift since late 2015 as part of our project MOMO (Multiwavelength Observations and Modeling of OJ 287). This is the densest existing monitoring of OJ 287 involving X-ray and UV data. In this latest publication of a sequence, we characterize the multiwavelength variability of OJ 287 based on >4000 Swift single-wave-band data sets including archival data since 2005. A structure function analysis reveals a characteristic timescale of ~5 days in the optical-UV at epochs of low-level activity, and larger during outbursts. The discret…
A detailed multi-epoch study of the broadband spectral behaviour of the very high energy (VHE) source, 1ES\,1011+496, provides us with valuable information regarding the underlying particle distribution. Simultaneous observations of the source at optical/ UV/ X-ray/ $γ$-ray during three different epochs, as obtained from Swift-UVOT/ Swift-XRT/ Fermi-LAT, are supplemented with the information available from the VHE telescope array, HAGAR. The longterm flux variability at the Fermi-LAT energies is clearly found to be lognormal. It is seen that the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) of …
