During outbursts, the observational properties of black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) vary on timescales of days to months. These relatively short timescales make these systems ideal laboratories to probe the coupling between accreting material and outflowing jets as a the accretion rate varies. In particular, the origin of the hard X-ray emission is poorly understood and highly debated. This spectral component, which has a power-law shape, is due to Comptonisation of photons near the black hole, but it is unclear whether it originates in the accretion flow itself, or at the base of the jet, or possibly the interface region between them. In this paper we explore the disk-jet connection by modelling the multi-wavelength emission of MAXI J1836-194 during its 2011 outburst. We combine radio through X-ray spectra, X-ray timing information, and a robust joint-fitting method to better isolate the jet's physical properties. Our results demonstrate that the jet base can produce power-law hard X-ray emission in this system/outburst, provided that its base is fairly compact and that the temperatures of the emitting electrons are sub-relativistic. Because of energetic considerations, our model favours mildly pair-loaded jets carrying at least 20 pairs per proton. Finally, we find that the properties of the X-ray power spectrum are correlated with the jet properties, suggesting that an underlying physical process regulates both.
By cross-correlating both the Parkes Catalogue and the Second Planck Catalogue of Compact Sources with the arrival direction of the track-type neutrinos detected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, we find the flat-spectrum blazar PKS 0723-008 as a good candidate for the high-energy neutrino event 5 (ID5). Apart from its coordinates matching those of ID5, PKS 0723-008 exhibits further interesting radio properties. Its spectrum is flat up to high Planck frequencies, and it produced a fivefold-increased radio flux density through the last decade. Based upon these radio properties we propose a s…
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 …
Since August 2009, MAXI experiment on the ISS has been performing all-sky X-ray monitoring. With MAXI, we detected flaring activities of some blazers, including Mrk 421, Mrk 501, and 3C 273. Recently, new X-ray flaring activities were detected from two blazers, MAXI J1930+093 = 2FGL J1931.1+0938 (Atel#5943) and 2MAXI J0243-582 = BZB J0244-5819 (Atel#6012). The MAXI monitoring also covers black hole binaries, including Cyg X-1 and Cyg X-3 which emit GeV gamma-rays. Their gamma-ray emission was found to coincide with their X-ray state transitions. We present light curves and outstanding events o…
Cross-correlating gamma-ray maps with locations of galaxies in the low-redshift Universe vastly increases sensitivity to signatures of annihilation of dark matter particles. Low-redshift galaxies are ideal targets, as the largest contribution to anisotropy in the gamma-ray sky from annihilation comes from $z\lesssim 0.1$, where we expect minimal contributions from astrophysical sources such as blazars. Cross-correlating the five-year data of Fermi-LAT with the redshift catalog of the 2MASS survey can detect gamma rays from annihilation if dark matter has the canonical annihilation cross sectio…
The archetypical very-high-energy gamma-ray blazar Mrk 421 was monitored for more than 3 years with the Gas Slit Camera onboard Monitor of All Sky X-ray Image (MAXI), and its longterm X-ray variability was investigated. The MAXI lightcurve in the 3 -- 10 keV range was transformed to the periodogram in the frequency range $f = 1 \times 10^{-8}$ -- $2 \times 10^{-6}$ Hz. The artifacts on the periodogram, resulting from data gaps in the observed lightcurve, were extensively simulated for variations with a power-law like Power Spectrum Density (PSD). By comparing the observed and simulated periodo…
Blazars are highly variable active galactic nuclei which emit radiation at all wavelengths from radio to gamma-rays. Polarized radiation from blazars is one key piece of evidence for synchrotron radiation at low energies and it also varies dramatically. The polarization of blazars is of interest for understanding the origin, confinement, and propagation of jets. However, even though numerous measurements have been performed, the mechanisms behind jet creation, composition and variability are still debated. We performed simultaneous gamma-ray and optical photopolarimetry observations of 45 blaz…
The author is developing a numerical code with thousands of emission zones to simulate the time-dependent multi-waveband emission from blazars. The code is based on a model in which turbulent plasma flowing at a relativistic speed down a jet crosses a standing conical collimation shock that accelerates electrons to maximum energies in the 5-100 GeV range. This paper reports early results produced by the model. The simulated light curves and time profiles of the degree and position angle of polarization have a number of features in common with the observational data of blazars. Maps of the pola…
Blazar variability appears to be stochastic in nature. However, a possibility of low-dimensional chaos was considered in the past, but with no unambiguous detection so far. If present, it would constrain the emission mechanism by suggesting an underlying dynamical system. We rigorously searched for signatures of chaos in Fermi-Large Area Telescope light curves of 11 blazars. The data were comprehensively investigated using the methods of nonlinear time series analysis: phase-space reconstruction, fractal dimension, maximal Lyapunov exponent (mLE). We tested several possible parameters affectin…
We present a theoretical analysis of the expected X-ray and gamma-ray polarization signatures resulting from synchrotron self-Compton emission in leptonic models, compared to the polarization signatures from proton synchrotron and cascade synchrotron emission in hadronic models for blazars. Source parameters resulting from detailed spectral-energy-distribution modeling are used to calculate photon-energy-dependent upper limits on the degree of polarization, assuming a perfectly organized, mono-directional magnetic field. In low-synchrotron-peaked blazars, hadronic models exhibit substantially …
Blazars have been regarded as one of the most powerful sources of the highest energy cosmic rays and also their byproducts, neutrinos. Provided that a magnetized filamentary system is established in a blazar jet as well, we could apply the mechanism of multi-stage diffusive shock acceleration to a feasible TeV emitter, Mrk 501 to evaluate the achievable maximum energy of protons. Taking conceivable energy restriction into account systematically, it seems adequate to say that EeV-protons are produced at this site by our present model. We also estimate neutrino fluxes generated by these accelera…
We examine the gamma-ray quasi-periodic variability of PKS 2155-304 with the latest publicly available \emph{Fermi}-LAT Pass 8 data which covers the years from 2008 August to 2016 October. We produce the light curves in two ways, i.e., the exposure-weighted aperture photometry and the maximum likelihood optimization. The light curves are then analyzed by using Lomb-Scargle Periodogram (LSP) and Weighted Wavelet Z-transform (WWZ); and the results reveal a significant quasi-periodicity with a period of $1.74\pm0.13$ years and a significance of $\sim$ 4.9 $σ$. The constraint of multifrequencies q…
Variable \gama-ray emission from blazars, one of the most powerful classes of astronomical sources featuring relativistic jets, is a widely discussed topic. In this work, we present the results of a variability study of a sample of 20 blazars using \gama-ray (0.1--300~GeV) observations from Fermi/LAT telescope. Using maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) methods, we find that the probability density functions that best describe the $γ$-ray blazar flux distributions use the stable distribution family, which generalizes the Gaussian distribution. The results suggest that the average behavior of th…
An $R$--band photopolarimetric variability analysis of the TeV bright blazar W Comae, between 2008 February 28 and 2013 May 17, is presented. The source showed a gradual tendency to decrease its mean flux level with a total change of ~3~mJy. A maximum and minimum brightness states in the $R$-band of 14.25$\pm$0.04 and 16.52$\pm$0.1~mag respectively were observed, corresponding to a maximum variation of $Δ$F = 5.40 mJy. We estimated a minimum variability timescale of $Δ$t=3.3 days. A maximum polarization degree $P$=33.8\%$\pm$1.6\%, with a maximum variation of $Δ$P = 33.2\%, was found. One of o…
Blazars are among the most powerful steady sources in the Universe. Multi-messenger searches for blazars have traditionally focused on their gamma-ray emission, which can be produced simultaneously with neutrinos in photohadronic interactions. However, X-ray data can be equally vital to constrain the SED of these sources, since the hadronically co-produced gamma-rays could get absorbed by the ambient photon fields and cascade down to X-ray energies before escaping. In this work, we present the outline for an untriggered, time-dependent analysis of neutrino flares from the direction of X-ray se…
We present the light curve data of a remarkable blazer 3C 454.3 (z=0.859) in optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray bands. Since January 2008, we have been monitoring this object using the 50 cm MITSuME, a optical telescope, and detected several flares including extraordinary and simultaneous flares in the $γ$-ray and optical bands in November 2010. Additionally, the Monitor of All-sky Image (MAXI) has been observing 3C 454.3 continuously since August 2009. Using these data and gamma-ray flux observed with Fermi-LAT, we discuss features and correlations of flux variations between the energy bands.
Aims. High Synchrotron Peaked blazars (HSPs) dominate the -ray sky at energies larger than a few GeV; however, only a few hundred blazars of this type have been catalogued so far. In this paper we present the 2WHSP sample, the largest and most complete list of HSP blazars available to date, which is an expansion of the 1WHSP catalog of gamma-ray source candidates off the Galactic plane. Methods. We cross-matched a number of multi-wavelength surveys (in the radio, infrared and X-ray bands) and applied selection criteria based on the radio to IR and IR to X-ray spectral slopes. To ensure the sel…
We present the results of a cluster search in the Fermi-LAT Pass 8 gamma-ray sky by means of the Minimum Spanning Tree algorithm, at energies higher than 10 GeV and at Galactic latitudes higher than 25 degrees. The selected clusters have a minimum number of photons higher than or equal to 5, a high degree of concentration, and are without a clear corresponding counterpart in blazar catalogues. A sample of 30 possible gamma-ray sources was obtained. These objects were verified by applying the standard Maximum Likelihood analysis on the Fermi-LAT data. A search for possible radio counterparts in…
The gamma-ray-detected blazar 3C 454.3 exhibits dramatic flux and polarization variations in the optical and near-infrared bands. In December 2010, the object emitted a very bright outburst. We monitored it for approximately four years (including the 2010 outburst) by optical and near-infrared photopolarimetry. During the 2010 outburst, the object emitted two rapid, redder brightenings, at which the polarization degrees (PDs) in both bands increased significantly and the bands exhibited a frequency-dependent polarization. The observed frequency-dependent polarization leads us to propose that t…
We compare the γ-ray light curves of the blazars, constructed with data provided by the Fermi Large Area Telescope, with flux and polarization variations in the VLBI core and bright superluminal knots obtained via monthly monitoring with the Very Long Baseline Array at 43 GHz. For all blazars in the sample that exhibit a high γ-ray state on time scales from several weeks to several months, an increase of the total flux in the mm-wave core is contemporaneous with the γ-ray activity (more than a third of the sample). Here we present the results for quasars with the most extreme γ-ray behavior (3…
Fermi Gamma ray Space Telescope measurements of spectra, variability time scale, and maximum photon energy give lower limits to the apparent jet powers and, through gammagamma opacity arguments, the bulk Lorentz factors of relativistic jets. The maximum cosmic-ray particle energy is limited by these two quantities in Fermi acceleration scenarios. Recent data are used to constrain the maximum energies of cosmic-ray protons and Fe nuclei accelerated in colliding shells of GRBs and blazars. The Fermi results indicate that Fe rather than protons are more likely to be accelerated to ultra-high ener…
We detected a possible quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) of ~ 71 days in the 0.1 -- 300 GeV gamma-ray Fermi-LAT light curve of the high redshift flat spectrum radio quasar B2 1520+31. We identify and confirm that quasi-period by Lomb Scargle periodogram (LSP), and weighted wavelet z-transform (WWZ) analyses. Using this QPO period, and assuming it originates from accretion-disc fluctuations at the innermost stable circular orbit, we estimate the central supermassive black hole mass to range between ~ 5.4 * 10$^{9}$ M$_{\odot}$ for a non-rotating black hole and ~ 6.0 * 10$^{10}$ M$_{\odot}$ for a…
We present a model of blazar variability that can both reproduce smooth large polarization angle swings, and at the same time allow for the seemingly random behaviour of synchrotron fluxes, polarization fraction and, occasionally, $π$/2 polarization jumps. We associate blazar flaring activity with a jet carrying helical magnetic fields and propagating along a variable direction (and possibly with a changing bulk Lorentz factor). The model predicts that for various jet trajectories (i) EVPA can experience large smooth temporal variations while at the same time polarization fraction ($Π$) can be…
We report a nominally high-confidence $γ$-ray quasi-periodic modulation in the blazar PKS 0301$-$243. For this target, we analyze its \emph{Fermi}-LAT Pass 8 data covering from 2008 August to 2017 May. Two techniques, i.e., the maximum likelihood optimization and the exposure-weighted aperture photometry, are used to build the $γ$-ray light curves. Then both the Lomb-Scargle Periodogram and the Weighted Wavelet Z-transform are applied to the light curves to search for period signals. A quasi-periodicity with a period of $2.1\pm0.3$ yr appears at the significance level of $\sim5σ$, although it …
S5 0716+714 is a typical BL Lacertae object. In this paper we present the analysis and results of long term simultaneous observations in the radio, near-infrared, optical, X-ray and $γ$-ray bands, together with our own photometric observations for this source. The light curves show that the variability amplitudes in $γ$-ray and optical bands are larger than those in the hard X-ray and radio bands and that the spectral energy distribution (SED) peaks move to shorter wavelengths when the source becomes brighter, which are similar to other blazars, i.e., more variable at wavelengths shorter than …
Blazars are potential candidates of cosmic-ray acceleration up to ultrahigh energies ($E\gtrsim10^{18}$ eV). For an efficient cosmic-ray injection from blazars, $pγ$ collisions with the extragalactic background light (EBL) and cosmic microwave background (CMB) can produce neutrino spectrum peaks near PeV and EeV energies, respectively. We analyze the contribution of these neutrinos to the diffuse background measured by the IceCube neutrino observatory. The fraction of neutrino luminosity originating from individual redshift ranges is calculated using the distribution of BL Lacs and FSRQs provi…
We present the results of our optical (VRI) observations of the TeV blazar PG 1553+113 over eight nights in 2016 April. We monitored the blazar quasi-simultaneously in V and R bands each night and examined the light curves (LCs) for intraday flux and color variations using two of the most powerful tests; the power-enhanced F-test and the nested ANOVA test. The source was found to be significantly (> 99%) variable in both V and R bands only on April 13, while clear variations only in R band LCs were seen on April 8 and 12. No temporal variation was seen in the color during the observation perio…
We combine the Fermi-LAT light curve of the BL Lacertae type blazar OJ287 with time-dependent multi-waveband flux and linear polarization observations and submilliarcsecond-scale polarimetric images at lambda=7mm to locate the gamma-ray emission in prominent flares in the jet of the source >14pc from the central engine. We demonstrate a highly significant correlation between the strongest gamma-ray and millimeter-wave flares through Monte Carlo simulations. The two reported gamma-ray peaks occurred near the beginning of two major millimeter-wave outbursts, each of which is associated with a li…
Relativistic effects dominate the emission of blazar jets complicating our understanding of their intrinsic properties. Although many methods have been proposed to account for them, the variability Doppler factor method has been shown to describe the blazar populations best. We use a Bayesian hierarchical code called {\it Magnetron} to model the light curves of 1029 sources observed by the Owens Valley Radio Observatory's 40-m telescope as a series of flares with an exponential rise and decay, and estimate their variability brightness temperature. Our analysis allows us to place the most strin…
The peak frequencies of the two broad humps evident in the spectral energy density of blazars (SED) are time dependent and vary a lot between different blazars. However, their ratio in most blazars, appears to be almost universal and equal to $m_e c^2/4(1+z) ε_p$ to a good approximation, where $m_e$ is the electron mass, $ε_p$ is the peak energy of the cosmic microwave background radiation, and $z$ is the redshift of the blazar. We discuss a possible origin of such a universal ratio in blazars and gamma ray bursts (GRBs). We point out a possible connection between the knee in the energy spectr…
We present optical photopolarimetric observations of the BL Lac object S4 0954+658 obtained with the 70-cm telescope in Crimea, 40-cm telescope in St.Petersburg, and 1.8-m Perkins telescope at Lowell Observatory (Flagstaff, Az). After a faint state with a brightness level R ~17.6 mag registered in the first half of January 2011, the optical brightness of the source started to rise and reached ~14.8 mag during the middle of March, showing flare-like behavior. The most spectacular case of intranight variability was observed during the night of 2011 March 9, when the blazar brightened by ~0.7 mag…
The observed log-normal flux distributions in the high energy emission from blazars have been interpreted as being due to variability stemming from non-linear multiplicative processes generated dynamically from the accretion disc. On the other hand, rapid minute scale variations in the flux point to a compact emitting region inside the jet, probably disconnected from the disc. In this work, we show that linear Gaussian variations of the intrinsic particle acceleration or escape time-scales can produce distinct non-Gaussian flux distributions, including log-normal ones. Moreover, the spectral i…
Blazars are known to emit exceptionally variable non-thermal emission over the wide range (from radio to $γ$-rays) of electromagnetic spectrum. We present here the results of our $γ$-ray flux and spectral variability study of the blazar Ton 599, which has been recently observed in the $γ$-ray flaring state. Using 0.1$-$300 GeV $γ$-ray data from the $\it{Fermi}$ Gamma-ray Space Telescope (hereinafter $\it{Fermi}$), we generated one-day binned light curve of Ton 599 for a period of about one-year from MJD 59,093 to MJD 59,457. During this one year period, the maximum $γ$-ray flux detected was 2.…
We present the results of studying the accretion disk vs jet power for a large fraction of all the blazars detected by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. The disk power is inferred from the emission line luminosities obtained from published results. As indicators of jet power, we use low frequency radio luminosity from the extended jet, maximum speed of radio knots observed in the VLBA monitoring of the pc-scale jets, kinetic energy of electrons in the jet deduced from the best-fit theoretical models of their spectral energy distribution, and gamma-ray luminosity with and without beaming cor…
Context: The nearby (z=0.031) TeV blazar Mrk421 was reported to be in a high state of flux activity since November, 2009. Aims: To investigate possible changes in the physical parameters of Mrk421 during its high state of activity using multiwavelength data. Methods: We have observed this source in bright state using High Altitude GAmma Ray (HAGAR) telescope array at energies above 250 GeV during February 13 - 19, 2010. Optical, X-ray and gamma-ray archival data are also used to obtain the SEDs and light curves. Results: Mrk421 was found to undergo one of its brightest flaring episodes on Febr…
We search for $γ$-ray and optical periodic modulations in a distant flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 0426-380 (the redshift $z=1.1$). Using two techniques (i.e., the maximum likelihood optimization and the exposure-weighted aperture photometry), we obtain $γ$-ray light curves from \emph{Fermi}-LAT Pass 8 data covering from 2008 August to 2016 December. We then analyze the light curves with the Lomb-Scargle Periodogram (LSP) and the Weighted Wavelet Z-transform (WWZ). A $γ$-ray quasi-periodicity with a period of 3.35 $\pm$ 0.68 years is found at the significance-level of $\simeq3.6\ σ$. Th…
Here we present a new approach for constraining luminous blazars, incorporating fully time-dependent and self-consistent modeling of bright gamma-ray flares of PKS1510-089 resolved with Fermi-LAT, in the framework of the internal shock scenario. The results of our modeling imply the location of the gamma-ray flaring zone outside of the broad-line region, namely around 0.3pc from the core for a free-expanding jet with the opening angle Gamma, θ_\mathrm{jet} \simeq 1 (where Gamma is the jet bulk Lorentz factor), up to \simeq 3pc for a collimated outflow with Gamma, θ_\mathrm{jet} \simeq 0.1. Mor…
Context. Observations of the effect of microlensing in gravitationally lensed quasars could potentially be used to study the structure of the source on distance scales down to the size of the supermassive black hole powering the quasar activity. Aims. We search for the microlensing effect in the gamma-ray band using the signal from a gravitationally lensed blazar B0218+357. Methonds. We develop a method of deconvolution of contributions of two images of the source into the gamma-ray band flaring lightcurve. We use this method to study the evolution of the magnification factor ratio between the…
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…
Blazars are strongly variable sources that occasionally show spectacular flares visible in various energy bands. These flares are often, but not always, correlated. In a number of cases the peaks of optical flares are found to be somewhat delayed with respect to the gamma-ray peaks. One notable example of such a delay was found in 3C 279 by Hayashida et al. and interpreted as a result of steeper drop with distance of the energy density of external radiation field than of the magnetic energy density. In this paper we demonstrate that in general, depending on the respective energy density profil…
Detectability of Polarized Gamma-ray Emission from Blazar Flares with COSI
Louisiana State University(路易斯安那州立大学);Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova(意大利国家核物理研究所帕多瓦分部);Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY(德国电子同步加速器);Clemson University(克莱姆森大学);Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz(美因茨约翰内斯古腾堡大学);University of Maryland, College Park(马里兰大学帕克分校);NASA Goddard Space Flight Center(美国宇航局戈达德太空飞行中心);NASA Marshall Space Flight Center(美国宇航局马歇尔太空飞行中心);Foundation for Research(研究基金会)
We report the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) detection of two very-high-energy (VHE, E>100 GeV) gamma-ray photons from the directional vicinity of the distant (redshift, z = 1.1) blazar PKS 0426-380. The null hypothesis that both the 134 and 122 GeV photons originate from unrelated sources can be rejected at the 5.5 sigma confidence level. We therefore claim that at least one of the two VHE photons is securely associated with the blazar, making PKS 0426-380 the most distant VHE emitter known to date. The results are in agreement with the most recent Fermi-LAT constraints on the Extragalactic…
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 …
We present the results of optical (R band) photometric and polarimetric monitoring and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) imaging of the blazar S5 0716+714 along with Fermi gamma-ray data during a multi-waveband outburst in 2011 October. We analyze total and polarized intensity images of the blazar obtained with the VLBA at 43 GHz during and after the outburst. Monotonic rotation of the linear polarization vector at a rate of >50 degrees per night coincided with a sharp maximum in gamma-ray and optical flux. At the same time, within the uncertainties, a new superluminal knot appeared, with an app…
We present a strong hint of a connection between high energy $γ$-ray emitting blazars, very high energy neutrinos, and ultra high energy cosmic rays. We first identify potential hadronic sources by filtering $γ$-ray emitters %from existing catalogs that are in spatial coincidence with the high energy neutrinos detected by IceCube. The neutrino filtered $γ$-ray emitters are then correlated with the ultra high energy cosmic rays from the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array by scanning in $γ$-ray flux ($F_γ$) and angular separation ($θ$) between sources and cosmic rays. A maximal exc…
Chasing the neutrino blazar candidates II: SED modeling with hadronic model
Shanghai Normal University(上海师范大学);Sun Yat-sen University(中山大学);Wuhu Vocational Technical University(芜湖职业技术学院);Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院上海天文台);Guangzhou University(广州大学)
In this paper we investigate the properties of a sample of six BL Lacs by fitting their spectra using our inhomogeneous jet model with an accelerating, magnetically dominated, parabolic base, which transitions to a slowly decelerating conical jet with a geometry based on observations of M87. Our model is able to fit very well to the simultaneous multiwavelength spectra of all the BL Lacs including radio observations. We find that the BL Lacs have lower jet powers and bulk Lorentz factors than the sample of Compton-dominant blazars investigated in Paper III, consistent with the blazar sequence.…
We present the results of multiband observations of the blazar S5 0716+714 intra-night variability performed during 23 nights in the period from 04.2014 through 04.2015. The bluer-when-brighter trend is detected in both intra- and inter-night data. We assume that the jet component crossing the region where the medium becomes transparent to the optical radiation forms almost all optical emission of S5 0716+714. Deviations of some parts of the component from the general trajectory of the component can cause the Doppler factor of these parts to increase. Various maximum Doppler factors achieved b…
The IceCube report of a $\sim 3.5σ$ excess of $13\pm5$ neutrino events in the direction of the blazar TXS 05056+056 in 2014-2015 and the 2017 detection of a high-energy neutrino, IceCube-170922A, during a gamma-ray flare from the same blazar, have revived the interest in scenarios for neutrino production in blazars. We perform comprehensive analyses on the long-term electromagnetic emission of TXS 05056+056 using optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray data from the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN), the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI), a…
We combined multi-wavelength data for blazars from the Roma-BZCAT catalog and analyzed hundreds of X-ray spectra. We present the fluxes and Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs), in 12 frequency bands from radio to $γ$-rays, for a final sample of 2214 blazars. Using a model-independent statistical approach, we looked for systematic trends in the SEDs; the most significant trends involved the radio luminosities and X-ray spectral indices of the blazars. We used a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), to determine the basis vectors of the blazar SEDs and, in order to maximize the size of the sample…
Blazar spectra are one of the most important windows into the physical processes occurring along jets. The spectrum, composed from the different emitting regions along the jet, allows us to constrain the physical conditions in the jet. I present my work modelling blazar spectra using an extended inhomogeneous jet model with an accelerating, magnetically dominated, parabolic base transitioning to a slowly decelerating, conical section motivated by observations, simulations and theory. We set the inner geometry of our multi-zone model using observations of the jet in M87 which transitions from p…
We present a detailed spectral and temporal study of the intermediate-type blazar ON 231 during the TeV outburst phase in 2008 June with observations performed by Swift and XMM-Newton. The X-ray flux of the source, which was significantly dominated by the soft photons (below $3-4$ keV), varies between 27$\%$ and 38$\%$ on day timescales, while mild variations were observed in the optical/UV emissions. We found a maximum soft lag of $\sim 1$ hr between the UV and soft X-ray bands, which can be understood if the magnetic field of the emitting region is $\sim 5.6~ δ^{-1/3}$ G. The $0.6-10$ keV sp…
We conducted a detailed long-term spectral and temporal study of flat spectrum radio quasar 4C +01.02, by using the multi-wavelength observations from Fermi-LAT, Swift-XRT, and Swift-UVOT. The $2$-day bin $γ$-ray lightcurve in the 2014-2017 active state displays $14$ peak structures with a maximum integral flux $(\rm E > 100 \ MeV)$ of $\rm (2.5 \pm 0.2) \times 10^{-6}\ ph\ cm^{-2}\ s^{-1}$ at MJD 57579.1, which is approximately $61$ times higher than the base flux of $\rm (4.1 \pm 0.3) \times 10^{-8}\ ph\ cm^{-2}\ s^{-1}$, calculated by averaging the flux points when the source was in quiesce…
We analyze the parsec-scale jet kinematics from 2007 June to 2018 December of a sample of $γ$-ray bright blazars monitored roughly monthly with the Very Long Baseline Array at 43 GHz under the VLBA-BU-BLAZAR program. We implement a novel piece-wise linear fitting method to derive the kinematics of 521 distinct emission knots from a total of 3705 total intensity images in 22 quasars, 13 BL Lacertae objects, and 3 radio galaxies. Apparent speeds of these components range from $0.01c$ to $78c$, and 18.6\% of knots (other than the "core") are quasi-stationary. One-fifth of moving knots exhibit non…