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Register a new userPKS 1502+106: A high-redshift Fermi blazar at extreme angular resolution. Structural dynamics with VLBI imaging up to 86 GHz
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Vassilis Karamanavis
Publication date
2015
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
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Context. Blazars are among the most energetic objects in the Universe. In 2008 August, Fermi/LAT detected the blazar PKS 1502+106 showing a rapid and strong gamma-ray outburst followed by high and variable flux over the next months. This activity at high energies triggered an intensive multi-wavelength campaign covering also the radio, optical, UV, and X-ray bands indicating that the flare was accompanied by a simultaneous outburst at optical/UV/X-rays and a delayed outburst at radio bands. Aims: In the current work we explore the phenomenology and physical conditions within the ultra-relativistic jet of the gamma-ray blazar PKS 1502+106. Additionally, we address the question of the spatial localization of the MeV/GeV-emitting region of the source. Methods: We utilize ultra-high angular resolution mm-VLBI observations at 43 and 86 GHz complemented by VLBI observations at 15 GHz. We also employ single-dish radio data from the F-GAMMA program at frequencies matching the VLBI monitoring. Results: PKS 1502+106 shows a compact core-jet morphology and fast superluminal motion with apparent speeds in the range 5--22 c. Estimation of Doppler factors along the jet yield values between ~7 up to ~50. This Doppler factor gradient implies an accelerating jet. The viewing angle towards the source differs between the inner and outer jet, with the former at ~3 degrees and the latter at ~1 degree, after the jet bends towards the observer beyond 1 mas. The de-projected opening angle of the ultra-fast, magnetically-dominated jet is found to be (3.8 +/- 0.5) degrees. A single jet component can be associated with the pronounced flare both at high-energies and in radio bands. Finally, the gamma-ray emission region is localized at less than 5.9 pc away from the jet base.
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Blazars are among the most variable objects in the universe. They feature energetic jets of plasma that launch from the cores of these active galactic nuclei (AGN), triggering activity from radio up to gamma-ray energies. Spatial localization of the region of their MeV/GeV emission is a key question in understanding the blazar phenomenon. The flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 1502+106 has exhibited extreme and correlated, radio and high-energy activity that triggered intense monitoring by the Fermi-GST AGN Multi-frequency Monitoring Alliance (F-GAMMA) program and the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA) down to $lambda$3 mm (or 86 GHz), enabling the sharpest view to date towards this extreme object. Here, we report on preliminary results of our study of the gamma-ray loud blazar PKS 1502+106, combining VLBI and single dish data. We deduce the critical aspect angle towards the source to be $theta_{rm c} = 2.6^{circ}$, calculate the apparent and intrinsic opening angles and constrain the distance of the 86 GHz core from the base of the conical jet, directly from mm-VLBI but also through a single dish relative timing analysis. Finally, we conclude that gamma rays from PKS 1502+106 originate from a region between ~1-16 pc away from the base of the hypothesized conical jet, well beyond the bulk of broad-line region (BLR) material of the source.
The flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 2123-463 was associated in the First Fermi-LAT source catalog with the gamma-ray source 1FGL J2126.1-4603, but when considering the full first two years of Fermi observations, no gamma-ray source at a position consistent with this FSRQ was detected, and thus PKS 2123-463 was not reported in the Second Fermi-LAT source catalog. On 2011 December 14 a gamma-ray source positionally consistent with PKS 2123-463 was detected in flaring activity by Fermi-LAT. This activity triggered radio-to-X-ray observations by the Swift, GROND, ATCA, Ceduna, and KAT-7 observatories. Results of the localization of the gamma-ray source over 41 months of Fermi-LAT operation are reported here in conjunction with the results of the analysis of radio, optical, UV and X-ray data collected soon after the gamma-ray flare. The strict spatial association with the lower energy counterpart together with a simultaneous increase of the activity in optical, UV, X-ray and gamma-ray bands led to a firm identification of the gamma-ray source with PKS 2123-463. A new photometric redshift has been estimated as z = 1.46+/-0.05 using GROND and Swift/UVOT observations, in rough agreement with the disputed spectroscopic redshift of z = 1.67. We fit the broadband spectral energy distribution with a synchrotron/external Compton model. We find that a thermal disk component is necessary to explain the optical/UV emission detected by Swift/UVOT. This disk has a luminosity of about 1.8x10^46 erg/s, and a fit to the disk emission assuming a Schwarzschild (i.e., nonrotating) black hole gives a mass of about 2x10^9 solar masses. This is the first black hole mass estimate for this source.
The origin of the multi-band activities (outbursts/flares) of blazars is still a heavily debated topic. Shock and magnetic reconnection have long been considered as possible triggers for the multi-band activities. In this paper, we present an exploration of the origin of multi-band activities for a high-redshift (z =1.8385) FSRQ PKS 1502+106. Utilizing multi-band data from radio to $gamma$-ray and optical polarization observations, we investigate two dramatic activities in detail: a $gamma$-ray dominated outburst in 2015 and an optical dominated outburst in 2017. Our main results are as follows. (I) A fast $gamma$-ray flare with a flux-doubling time-scale as short as 1-hr in 2015 is discovered. Based on the variability time-scale, the physical parameters of the flaring region (e.g, minimum Doppler factor, emission region size, etc.) are constrained. At the peak of the flare, the $gamma$-ray spectrum hardens to $Gamma_{gamma} = 1.82pm0.04$ and exhibits an obvious curvature/break characteristic that is caused by the typical cooling break. Modelings of multi-band SEDs reveal a very hard electronic energy spectrum with the electronic spectral index of $1.07pm0.53$. This result suggests that this fast $gamma$-ray flare may be triggered by magnetic reconnection. (II) During the outburst in 2017, the optical polarization degree and optical fluxes show a very tight correlation. By analyzing Stokes parameters of polarization observations, our results show that this outburst could be triggered by a transverse shock with a compression ratio of $eta> 2.2$, and the magnetic field intensity of the shock emission region is about $0.032$ G.
We present a high resolution 1.6 GHz VSOP image of the southern blazar PKS 1921-293. The image shows a typical core-jet morphology, consistent with ground-based VLBI images. However, the addition of data from the space antenna has greatly improved the angular resolution (especially along the north-south direction for this source), and thus allowed us to clearly identify the core. Model fitting reveals an inner jet component ~1.5 mas north of the core. This jet feature may be moving on a common curved path connecting the jet within a few parsecs to the 10-parsec-scale jet. The compact core has a brightness temperature of 2.6*10**12 K (in the rest frame of the quasar), an indication of relativistic beaming. We analyzed the source in terms of three models, involving the inverse Compton catastrophe, an inhomogeneous relativistic jet, and the equipartition of energy between the radiating particles and the magnetic field. Our analysis of this gamma-ray-quiet blazar shows no preference to any particular one of these models.
We carried out a multifrequency and multiepoch study of the highly polarized quasar, PKS 1502+106 at radio frequencies. The analysis is based on an EVN dataset at 5 GHz, archive VLBA datasets at 2.3, 8.3, 24.4 and 43.1 GHz and an archive MERLIN dataset at 5 GHz. The various datasets span over a period of 10 years. The source is characterized by a multi-component one-sided jet at all epochs. The VLBI images show that a complex curved jet is located to the southeast and east of the core, with the position angle (PA) of the jet axis wiggling between 80 deg and 130 deg. The MERLIN image reveals that the jet extends to 0.6 arcsec at a PA 135+-12 degr. The radio core in the VLBI images has a brightness temperature approaching the equipartition limit, indicating highly relativistic plasma beamed towards us. Delta PA in the source, the misalignment of the kpc- and pc-scale radio structure, is estimated about 32 degr, suggesting that PKS 1502+106 belongs to the aligned population. Four superluminal components are detected in the parsec scale jet, whose velocities are 24.2 h{-1}c, 14.3 h{-1}c, 6.8 h{-1}c and 18.1 h{-1}c. Our analysis supports the idea that the relativistic jet in PKS 1502+106 is characterised by extreme beaming and that its radio properties are similar to those of gamma-ray loud sources.
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