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Register a new userSpectroscopic monitoring of the Blazar 3C 454.3
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E. Benitez
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We performed an optical spectroscopic monitoring of the blazar 3C 454.3 from September 2003 to July 2008. Sixteen optical spectra were obtained during different runs, which constitute the first spectroscopic monitoring done in the rest-frame UV region (z=0.859). An overall flux variation of the MgII (2800 A) by a factor ~ 3 was observed, while the corresponding UV continuum (F_cont at 3000 A) changed by a factor ~ 14. The MgII emission lines respond proportionally to the continuum variations when the source is in a low-activity state. In contrast, near the optical outbursts detected in 2005 and 2007, the MgII emission lines showed little response to the continuum flux variations. During the monitored period the UV FeII flux changed by a factor ~ 6 and correlated with F_cont (r = 0.92). A negative correlation between EW(Mg II) and F_cont was found, i.e. the so-called Intrinsic Baldwin Effect.
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We report on optical-near-infrared photopolarimetric observations of a blazar 3C 454.3 over 200 d. The object experienced an optical outburst in July 2007. This outburst was followed by a short state fainter than $V=15.2$ mag lasting $sim 25$ d. The object, then, entered an active state during which we observed short flares having a timescale of 3-10 d. The object showed two types of features in the color-magnitude relationship. One is a bluer-when-brighter trend in the outburst state, and the other is a redder-when-brighter trend in the faint state. These two types of features suggest a contribution of a thermal emission to the observed flux, as suspected in previous studies. Our polarimetric observation detected two episodes of the rotation of the polarization vector. The first one was a counterclockwise rotation in the $QU$ plane during the outburst state. After this rotation event of the polarization vector, the object entered a rapidly fading stage. The second one was seen in a series of flares during the active state. Each flare had a specific position angle of polarization, and it apparently rotated clockwise from the first to the last flares. Thus, the object exhibited rotations of the polarization vector in opposite directions. We estimated a decay timescale of the short flares during the active state, and then calculated an upper limit of the strength of the magnetic field, $B$=0.2 G, assuming a typical beaming factor of blazars, $delta=20$. This upper limit of $B$ is smaller than those previously estimated from spectral analysis.
Characterisation of the long-term variations in the broad line region in a luminous blazar, where Comptonisation of broad-line emission within a relativistic jet is the standard scenario for production of gamma-ray emission that dominates the spectral energy distribution. We analysed ten years of optical spectroscopic data from the Steward Observatory for the blazar 3C 454.3, as well as gamma-ray data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). The optical spectra are dominated by a highly variable non-thermal synchrotron continuum with a prominent Mg II broad emission line. The line flux was obtained by spectral decomposition including significant contribution from the Fe II pseudo-continuum. Three methods were used to characterise variations in the line flux: (1) stacking of the continuum-subtracted spectra, (2) subtracting the running mean light curves calculated for different timescales, and (3) evaluating potential time delays via the discrete correlation function (DCF). Despite very large variations in the gamma-ray and optical continua, the line flux changes only moderately (< 0.1 dex). The data suggest that the line flux responds to a dramatic change in the blazar activity from a very high state in 2010 to a deep low state in 2012. Two interpretations are possible: either the line flux is anti-correlated with the continuum or the increase in the line luminosity is delayed by ~600 days. If this time delay results from the reverberation of poorly constrained accretion disc emission in both the broad-line region (BLR) and the synchrotron emitting blazar zone within a relativistic jet, we would obtain natural estimates for the BLR radius [R_{BLR,MgII} >~ 0.28 pc] and for the supermassive black hole mass [M_SMBH ~ 8.5x10^8 M_sun]. We did not identify additional examples of short-term flares of the line flux, in addition to the previously reported case observed in 2010.
We present the gamma-ray data of the extraordinary flaring activity above 100 MeV from the flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 454.3 detected by AGILE during the month of December 2009. 3C 454.3, that has been among the most active blazars of the FSRQ type since 2007, was detected in the gamma-ray range with a progressively rising flux since November 10, 2009. The gamma-ray flux reached a value comparable with that of the Vela pulsar on December 2, 2009. Remarkably, between December 2 and 3, 2009 the source more than doubled its gamma-ray emission and became the brightest gamma-ray source in the sky with a peak flux of F_{gamma,p} = (2000 pm 400) x 10^-8 ph cm^-2 s^-1 for a 1-day integration above 100 MeV. The gamma-ray intensity decreased in the following days with the source flux remaining at large values near F simeq (1000 pm 200) x 10^-8 ph cm^-2 s^-1 for more than a week. This exceptional gamma-ray flare dissipated among the largest ever detected intrinsic radiated power in gamma-rays above 100 MeV (L_{gamma, source, peak} simeq 3 x 10^46 erg s^-1, for a relativistic Doppler factor of {delta} simeq 30). The total isotropic irradiated energy of the month-long episode in the range 100 MeV - 3 GeV is E_{gamma,iso} simeq 10^56 erg. We report the intensity and spectral evolution of the gamma-ray emission across the flaring episode. We briefly discuss the important theoretical implications of our detection.
Opacity-driven shifts of the apparent VLBI core position with frequency (the core shift effect) probe physical conditions in the innermost parts of jets in active galactic nuclei. We present the first detailed investigation of this effect in the brightest gamma-ray blazar 3C454.3 using direct measurements from simultaneous 4.6-43 GHz VLBA observations, and a time lag analysis of 4.8-37 GHz lightcurves from the UMRAO, CrAO, and Metsahovi observations in 2007-2009. The results support the standard Konigl model of jet physics in the VLBI core region. The distance of the core from the jet origin r_c(nu), the core size W(nu), and the lightcurve time lag DT(nu) all depend on the observing frequency nu as r_c(nu)~W(nu)~ DT(nu)~nu^-1/k. The obtained range of k=0.6-0.8 is consistent with the synchrotron self-absorption being the dominating opacity mechanism in the jet. The similar frequency dependence of r_c(nu) and W(nu) suggests that the external pressure gradient does not dictate the jet geometry in the cm-band core region. Assuming equipartition, the magnetic field strength scales with distance r as B = 0.4(r/1pc)^-0.8 G. The total kinetic power of electron/positron jet is about 10^44 ergs/s.
We report on the second AGILE multiwavelength campaign of the blazar 3C 454.3 during the first half of December 2007. This campaign involved AGILE, Spitzer, Swift,Suzaku,the WEBT consortium,the REM and MITSuME telescopes,offering a broad band coverage that allowed for a simultaneous sampling of the synchrotron and inverse Compton (IC) emissions.The 2-week AGILE monitoring was accompanied by radio to optical monitoring by WEBT and REM and by sparse observations in mid-Infrared and soft/hard X-ray energy bands performed by means of Target of Opportunity observations by Spitzer, Swift and Suzaku, respectively.The source was detected with an average flux of~250x10^{-8}ph cm^-2s^-1 above 100 MeV,typical of its flaring states.The simultaneous optical and gamma-ray monitoring allowed us to study the time-lag associated with the variability in the two energy bands, resulting in a possible ~1-day delay of the gamma-ray emission with respect to the optical one. From the simultaneous optical and gamma-ray fast flare detected on December 12, we can constrain the delay between the gamma-ray and optical emissions within 12 hours. Moreover, we obtain three Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) with simultaneous data for 2007 December 5, 13, 15, characterized by the widest multifrequency coverage. We found that a model with an external Compton on seed photons by a standard disk and reprocessed by the Broad Line Regions does not describe in a satisfactory way the SEDs of 2007 December 5, 13 and 15. An additional contribution, possibly from the hot corona with T=10^6 K surrounding the jet, is required to account simultaneously for the softness of the synchrotron and the hardness of the inverse Compton emissions during those epochs.
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