No Arabic abstract
We report Fermi-LAT observations of the radio-loud AGN SBS 0846+513 (z=0.5835), optically classified as a Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy, together with new and archival radio-to-X-ray data. The source was not active at gamma-ray energies during the first two years of Fermi operation. A significant increase in activity was observed during 2010 October-2011 August. In particular a strong gamma-ray flare was observed in 2011 June reaching an isotropic gamma-ray luminosity (0.1-300 GeV) of 1.0x10^48 erg/s, comparable to that of the brightest flat spectrum radio quasars, and showing spectral evolution in gamma rays. An apparent superluminal velocity of (8.2+/-1.5)c in the jet was inferred from 2011-2012 VLBA images, suggesting the presence of a highly relativistic jet. Both the power released by this object during the flaring activity and the apparent superluminal velocity are strong indications of the presence of a relativistic jet as powerful as those of blazars. In addition, variability and spectral properties in radio and gamma-ray bands indicate blazar-like behaviour, suggesting that, except for some distinct optical characteristics, SBS 0846+513 could be considered as a young blazar at the low end of the blazars black hole mass distribution.
The narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy SBS 0846+513 was first detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on-board Fermi in 2011 June-July when it underwent a period of flaring activity. Since then, as Fermi continues to accumulate data on this source, its flux has been monitored on a daily basis. Two further gamma-ray flaring episodes from SBS 0846+513 were observed in 2012 May and August, reaching a daily peak flux integrated above 100 MeV of (50+/-12)x10^-8 ph/cm^2/s, and (73+/-14)x10^-8 ph/cm^2/s on May 24 and August 7, respectively. Three outbursts were detected at 15 GHz by the Owens Valley Radio Observatory 40-m telescope in 2012 May, 2012 October, and 2013 January, suggesting a complex connection with the gamma-ray activity. The most likely scenario suggests that the 2012 May gamma-ray flare may not be directly related to the radio activity observed over the same period, while the two gamma-ray flaring episodes may be related to the radio activity observed at 15 GHz in 2012 October and 2013 January. The gamma-ray flare in 2012 May triggered Swift observations that confirmed that SBS 0846+513 was also exhibiting high activity in the optical, UV and X-ray bands, thus providing a firm identification between the gamma-ray source and the lower-energy counterpart. We compared the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the flaring state in 2012 May with that of a quiescent state. The two SEDs, modelled as an external Compton component of seed photons from a dust torus, could be fitted by changing the electron distribution parameters as well as the magnetic field. No significant evidence of thermal emission from the accretion disc has been observed. Interestingly, in the 5 GHz radio luminosity vs. synchrotron peak frequency plot SBS 0846+513 seems to lie in the flat spectrum radio quasar part of the so-called `blazar sequence.
The gamma-ray emitting galaxy SBS 0846+513 has been classified as a Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 from its spectroscopy, and on that basis it was thought likely to have a small central black hole hosted in a spiral galaxy. But very few of the gamma-ray Narrow-Line Seyfert 1s have high-resolution imaging of their hosts, so it is unknown how those expectations hold up for the gamma-emitting class. We have observed this galaxy in the J-band with the Large Binocular Telescopes LUCI1 camera and the ARGOS adaptive optics system. We estimate its black hole mass to lie between $7.70 leq log frac{text{M}}{text{M}_odot} leq 8.19$, using the correlation with bulge luminosity, or $7.96 leq log frac{text{M}}{text{M}_odot} leq 8.16$ using the correlation with S{e}rsic index, putting its mass at the high end of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 range. These estimates are independent of the Broad Line Region viewing geometry and avoid underestimates due to looking down the jet axis. Its host shows evidence of a bulge + disc structure, both from two-dimensional modeling and isophote shape, in keeping with the expectations. Mergers and interactions appear to be common among the gamma-ray Narrow-Line Seyfert 1s, and we see some circumstantial evidence for companion galaxies or disturbed features in the host.
The discovery of gamma-ray emission from 5 radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies revealed the presence of a possible emerging third class of AGNs with relativistic jets, in addition to blazars and radio galaxies. The existence of relativistic jets also in this subclass of Seyfert galaxies opened an unexplored research space for our knowledge of the radio-loud AGNs. Here, we discuss the radio-to-gamma-rays properties of the gamma-ray emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, also in comparison with the blazar scenario.
We report on the identification of a new $gamma$-ray-emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy, SDSS J122222.55+041315.7, which increases the number of known objects of this remarkable but rare type of active galactic nuclei (AGN) to seven. Its optical spectrum, obtained in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, reveals a broad H $beta$ emission line with a width (FWHM) of 1734$pm$104 km s$^{-1}$. This, along with strong optical Fe II multiplets [$R_{4570}=0.9$] and a weak [O III] $lambda 5007$ emission line, makes the object a typical NLS1. On the other hand, the source exhibits a high radio brightness temperature, rapid infrared variability, and a flat X-ray spectrum extending up to $sim$200 keV. It is associated with a luminous $gamma$-ray source detected significantly with {it Fermi}/LAT. Correlated variability with other wavebands has not yet been tested. The spectral energy distribution can be well modelled by a one-zone leptonic jet model. This new member is by far the most distant $gamma$-ray-emitting NLS1, at a redshift of $z=0.966$.
We report on multifrequency observations of the gamma-ray emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy PKS 1502+036 performed from radio to gamma-rays during 2008 August-2012 November by Fermi-LAT, Swift (XRT and UVOT), OVRO, VLBA, and VLA. No significant variability has been observed in gamma-rays, with 0.1-100 GeV flux that ranged between (3-7)x10^-8 ph/cm^2/s using 3-month time bins. The photon index of the LAT spectrum (Gamma=2.60+/-0.06) and the apparent isotropic gamma-ray luminosity, L(0.1-100 GeV)= 7.8x10^45 erg/s, over 51 months are typical of a flat spectrum radio quasar. The radio spectral variability and the one-sided structure, in addition to the observed gamma-ray luminosity, suggest a relativistic jet with a high Doppler factor. In contrast to SBS 0846+513, the VLBA at 15 GHz did not observe superluminal motion for PKS 1502+036. Despite having the optical characteristics typical of a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy, radio and gamma-ray properties of PKS 1502+036 are found to be similar to those of a blazar at the low end of the black hole mass distribution for blazars. This is in agreement with what has been found in the case of the other gamma-ray emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 SBS 0846+513.