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Register a new userMulti-Epoch Multiwavelength Spectra and Models for Blazar 3C~279
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Of the blazars detected by EGRET in GeV gamma rays, 3C 279 is not only the best-observed by EGRET, but also one of the best-monitored at lower frequencies. We have assembled eleven spectra, from GHz radio through GeV gamma rays, from the time intervals of EGRET observations. Although some of the data have appeared in previous publications, most are new, including data taken during the high states in early 1999 and early 2000. All of the spectra show substantial gamma-ray contribution to the total luminosity of the object; in a high state, the gamma-ray luminosity dominates over that at all other frequencies by a factor of more than 10. There is no clear pattern of time correlation; different bands do not always rise and fall together, even in the optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray bands. The spectra are modeled using a leptonic jet, with combined synchrotron self-Compton + external Compton gamma-ray production. Spectral variability of 3C 279 is consistent with variations of the bulk Lorentz factor of the jet, accompanied by changes in the spectral shape of the electron distribution. Our modeling results are consistent with the UV spectrum of 3C 279 being dominated by accretion disk radiation during times of low gamma-ray intensity.
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The gamma-ray blazar 3C 279 was monitored on a nearly daily basis with IUE, ROSAT and EGRET for three weeks between December 1992 and January 1993. During this period, the blazar was at a historical minimum at all wavelengths. Here we present the UV data obtained during the above multiwavelength campaign. A maximum UV variation of ~50% is detected, while during the same period the X-ray flux varied by no more than 13%. At the lowest UV flux level the average spectrum in the 1230-2700 A interval is unusually flat for this object (<alpha_UV>~1). The flattening could represent the lowest energy tail of the inverse Compton component responsible for the X-ray emission, or could be due to the presence of a thermal component at ~20000 K possibly associated with an accretion disk. The presence of an accretion disk in this blazar object, likely observable only in very low states and otherwise hidden by the beamed, variable synchrotron component, would be consistent with the scenario in which the seed photons for the inverse Compton mechanism producing the gamma-rays are external to the relativistic jet. We further discuss the long term correlation of the UV flux with the X-ray and gamma-ray fluxes obtained at various epochs. All UV archival data are included in the analysis. Both the X- and gamma-ray fluxes are generally well correlated with the UV flux, approximately with square root and quadratic dependences, respectively.
The long-term optical, X-ray and $gamma$-ray data of blazar 3C 279 have been compiled from $Swift$-XRT, $RXTE$ PCA, $Fermi$-LAT, SMARTS and literature. The source exhibits strong variability on long time scales. Since 1980s to now, the optical $R$ band light curve spans above 32 yr, and a possible 5.6-yr-long quasi-periodic variation component has been found in it. The optical spectral behavior has been investigated. In the optical band, the mean spectral index is -1.71. The source exhibits an obvious special spectral behavior. In the low state, the source shows a clear bluer-when-brighter behavior in a sense that the optical spectrum turns harder (flatter) when the brightness increases. While in the high state, the optical spectrum is stable, that means the source spectral index does not vary with the brightness. The correlation analysis has been performed among optical, X-ray and $gamma$-ray energy bands. The result indicates that the variations of $gamma$-ray and X-ray bands are well correlated without time delay on the time scale of days, and their variations exhibit weak correlations with those of optical band. The variations, especial outbursts, are simultaneous, but the magnitude of variations is disproportionate. The detailed analysis reveals that the main outbursts exhibit strong correlations in different $gamma$-ray, X-ray and optical bands.
We report the results of parsec-scale, multi-frequency VLBA observations of the core region of 3C 279 in Stokes I, linear polarization, and circular polarization. These full polarization spectra are modeled by radiative transfer simulations to constrain the magnetic field and particle properties of the parsec-scale jet in 3C 279. The polarization properties of the core region, including the amount of linear polarization, the amount and sign of Faraday rotation, and the amount and sign of circular polarization can be explained by a consistent physical picture. The base of the jet is modeled as an inhomogeneous Blandford-Konigl style conical jet dominated by a vector-ordered poloidal magnetic field along the jet axis, and we estimate its net magnetic flux. This poloidal field is responsible for the linear and circular polarization from this inhomogeneous component. Farther down the jet the magnetic field in two homogeneous features is dominated by local shocks and a smaller fraction of vector-ordered poloidal field remains along the jet axis. In this picture, we find the jet to be kinetically dominated by protons with the radiating particles being dominated by electrons at an approximate fraction of >~ 75%. Based on the amounts of Faraday conversion deduced for the homogeneous components, we find a plausible range for the lower cutoff in the relativistic particle energy spectrum to be 5 <~ gamma_l <~ 35. The physical picture described here is not unique if the observed Faraday rotation and depolarization occur in screens external to the jet; however, we find the joint explanation of linear and circular polarization observations from a single set of magnetic fields and particle properties internal to the jet to be compelling evidence for this picture. (Abridged)
We present the results of extensive multi-waveband monitoring of the blazar 3C~279 between 1996 and 2007 at X-ray energies (2-10 keV), optical R band, and 14.5 GHz, as well as imaging with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 43 GHz. In all bands the power spectral density corresponds to red noise that can be fit by a single power law over the sampled time scales. Variations in flux at all three wavebands are significantly correlated. The time delay between high and low frequency bands changes substantially on time scales of years. A major multi-frequency flare in 2001 coincided with a swing of the jet toward a more southerly direction, and in general the X-ray flux is modulated by changes in the position angle of the jet near the core. The flux density in the core at 43 GHz--increases in which indicate the appearance of new superluminal knots--is significantly correlated with the X-ray flux. We decompose the X-ray and optical light curves into individual flares, finding that X-ray leads optical variations (XO) in 6 flares, the reverse occurs in 3 flares (OX), and there is essentially zero lag in 4 flares. Upon comparing theoretical expectations with the data, we conclude that (1) XO flares can be explained by gradual acceleration of radiating electrons to the highest energies; (2) OX flares can result from either light-travel delays of the seed photons (synchrotron self-Compton scattering) or gradients in maximum electron energy behind shock fronts; and (3) events with similar X-ray and optical radiative energy output originate well upstream of the 43 GHz core, while those in which the optical radiative output dominates occur at or downstream of the core.
We report first results of a multifrequency campaign from radio to hard X-ray energies of the prominent gamma-ray blazar 3C 279, which was organised around an INTEGRAL ToO observation in January 2006, and triggered on its optical state. The variable blazar was observed at an intermediate optical state, and a well-covered multifrequency spectrum from radio to hard X-ray energies could be derived. The SED shows the typical two-hump shape, the signature of non-thermal synchrotron and inverse-Compton (IC) emission from a relativistic jet. By the significant exposure times of INTEGRAL and Chandra, the IC spectrum (0.3 - 100 keV) was most accurately measured, showing - for the first time - a possible bending. A comparison of this 2006 SED to the one observed in 2003, also centered on an INTEGRAL observation, during an optical low-state, reveals the surprising fact that - despite a significant change at the high-energy synchrotron emission (near-IR/optical/UV) - the rest of the SED remains unchanged. In particular, the low-energy IC emission (X- and hard X-ray energies) remains the same as in 2003, proving that the two emission components do not vary simultaneously, and provides strong constraints on the modelling of the overall emission of 3C 279.
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