Abdo AA, Ackermann M, Ajello M, Atwood WB, Axelsson M, Baldini L, Ballet J, Barbiellini G, Bastieri D, Baughman BM, Bechtol K, Bellazzini R, Berenji B, Bloom ED, Bogaert G, Bonamente E, Borgland AW, Bregeon J, Brez A, Brigida M, Bruel P, Burnett TH, Caliandro GA, Cameron RA, Caraveo PA, Casandjian JM, Cavazzuti E, Cecchi C, Celik O, Chekhtman A, Cheung CC, Chiang J, Ciprini S, Claus R, Cohen-Tanugi J, Conrad J, Cutini S, Dermer CD, De Angelis A, De Palma F, Digel SW, Do Couto E Silva E, Drell PS, Dubois R, Dumora D, Farnier C, Favuzzi C, Fegan SJ, Ferrara EC, Focke WB, Frailis M, Fuhrmann L, Fukazawa Y, Funk S, Fusco P, Gargano F, Gasparrini D, Gehrels N, Germani S, Giebels B, Giglietto N, Giordano F, Giroletti M, Glanzman T, Godfrey G, Grenier IA, Grondin MH, Grove JE, Guillemot L, Guiriec S, Hanabata Y, Harding AK, Hayashida M, Hays E, Hughes RE, Johannesson G, Johnson AS, Johnson RP, Johnson WN, Kadler M, Kamae T, Katagiri H, Kataoka J, Kerr M, Knoedlseder J, Kocian ML, Kuehn F, Kuss MW, Lande J, Latronico L, Lemoine-Goumard M, Longo F, Loparco F, Lott B, Lovellette MN, Lubrano P, Madejski GM, Makeev A, Marelli M, Massaro E, Max-Moerbeck W, Mazziotta MN, Mcconville W, Mcenery JE, Meurer C, Michelson PF, Mitthumsiri W, Mizuno T, Moiseev AA, Monte C, Monzani ME, Morselli A, Moskalenko IV, Murgia S, Nolan PL, Norris JP, Nuss E, Ohsugi T, Omodei N, Orlando E, Ormes JF, Ozaki M, Paneque D, Panetta JH, Parent D, Pavlidou V, Pearson TJ, Pelassa V, Pepe M, Pesce-Rollins M, Piron F, Porter TA, Raino S, Rando R, Razzano M, Razzaque S, Readhead A, Reimer A, Reimer O, Reposeur T, Richards JL, Ritz S, Rochester LS, Rodriguez AY, Romani RW, Roth M, Ryde F, Sadrozinski HFW, Sanchez D, Sander A, Parkinson PMS, Scargle JD, Sgro C, Shaw MS, Siskind EJ, Smith DA, Smith PD, Spandre G, Spinelli P, Stevenson M, Strickman MS, Suson DJ, Tajima H, Takahashi HH, Tanaka T, Thayer JB, Thayer JG, Thompson DJ, Tibaldo L, Tibolla O, Torres DF, Tosti G, Tramacere A, Ubertini P, Uchiyama Y, Usher TL, Vasileiou V, Vilchez N, Vitale V, Waite AP, Wang P, Winer BL, Wood KS, Yasuda H, Ylinen T, Zensus JA, Ziegler M, Angelakis E, Hovatta T, Hoversten E, Ikejiri Y, Kawabata KS, Kovalev YY, Kovalev YA, Krichbaum TP, Lister ML, Lahteenmaki A, Marchili N, Ogle P, Pagani C, Pushkarev AB, Sakimoto K, Sasada M, Tornikoski M, Uemura M, Yamanaka M, Yamashita T (2010)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2010
Book Volume: 710
Pages Range: 810-827
Journal Issue: 1
DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/710/1/810
The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope discovered a rapid (similar to 5 days duration), high-energy (E > 100 MeV) gamma-ray outburst from a source identified with the blazar PKS 1502+106 (OR 103, S3 1502+10, z = 1.839) starting on 2008 August 5 (similar to 23 UTC, MJD 54683.95), and followed by bright and variable flux over the next few months. Results on the gamma-ray localization and identification, as well as spectral and temporal behavior during the first months of the Fermi all-sky survey, are reported here in conjunction with a multiwaveband characterization as a result of one of the first Fermi multifrequency campaigns. The campaign included a Swift ToO (followed up by a 16 day observation on August 7-22, MJD 54685-54700), VLBA (within the MOJAVE program), Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) 40 m, Effelsberg-100 m, Metsahovi-14 m, RATAN-600, and Kanata-Hiroshima radio/optical observations. Results from the analysis of archival observations by INTEGRAL, XMM-Newton, and Spitzer space telescopes are reported for a more complete picture of this new gamma-ray blazar. PKS 1502+106 is a sub-GeV peaked, powerful flat spectrum radio quasar (luminosity at E > 100 MeV, L-gamma, is about 1.1 x 10(49) erg s(-1), and black hole mass likely close to 10(9) M-circle dot), exhibiting marked gamma-ray bolometric dominance, in particular during the asymmetric outburst (L-gamma/L-opt similar to 100, and 5 day averaged flux F-E > 100MeV = 2.91 +/- 1.4 x 10(-6) ph cm(-2) s(-1)), which was characterized by a factor greater than 3 of flux increase in less than 12 hr. The outburst was observed simultaneously from optical to X-ray bands (F0.3-10keV = 2.18(-0.12)(+0.15) x 10(-12) erg cm(-2) s(-1), and hard photon index similar to 1.5, similar to past values) with a flux increase of less than 1 order of magnitude with respect to past observations, and was likely controlled by Comptonization of external-jet photons produced in the broad-line region (BLR) in the gamma-ray band. No evidence of a possible blue bump signature was observed in the optical-UV continuum spectrum, while some hints for a possible 4 day time lag with respect to the gamma-ray flare were found. Nonetheless, the properties of PKS 1502+106 and the strict optical/UV, X-, and gamma-ray cross-correlations suggest the contribution of the synchrotron self-Compton (SSC), in-jet, process should dominate from radio to X- rays. This mechanism may also be responsible for the consistent gamma-ray variability observed by the LAT on longer timescales, after the ignition of activity at these energies provided by the BLR-dissipated outburst. Modulations and subsequent minor, rapid flare events were detected, with a general fluctuation mode between pink-noise and a random-walk. The averaged gamma-ray spectrum showed a deviation from a simple power law, and can be described by a log-parabola curved model peaking around 0.4-0.5 GeV. The maximum energy of photons detected from the source in the first four months of LAT observations was 15.8 GeV, with no significant consequences on extragalactic background light predictions. A possible radio counterpart of the gamma-ray outburst can be assumed only if a delay of more than three months is considered on the basis of opacity effects at cm and longer wavelengths.
APA:
Abdo, A.A., Ackermann, M., Ajello, M., Atwood, W.B., Axelsson, M., Baldini, L.,... Yamashita, T. (2010). PKS 1502+106: A NEW AND DISTANT GAMMA-RAY BLAZAR IN OUTBURST DISCOVERED BY THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE. Astrophysical Journal, 710(1), 810-827. https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/710/1/810
MLA:
Abdo, A. A., et al. "PKS 1502+106: A NEW AND DISTANT GAMMA-RAY BLAZAR IN OUTBURST DISCOVERED BY THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE." Astrophysical Journal 710.1 (2010): 810-827.
BibTeX: Download