The swift observations of BL Lacertae object 1ES 2344+514

Astrophysics and Space Science, 2020

In this paper, we present the timing and spectral results for the seven distant and poorly investigated BL Lacertae sources with redshifts z 0.5, using the archival data obtained with the Swift and other multifrequency instruments during 2006 August-2015 July. Our timing study has revealed a number of the 0.3-10 keV flux changes from the fluctuations observed within one day to the variabilities on timescales of a few months. Namely, the relatively densely-sampled observations of BZB J1517+6525 showed a strong X-ray flare by a factor of ∼5 during 2014 September-December. While this instance can be explained by the propagation of shock wave though the blazar jet which causes a strong heat-up of the relativistic plasma, the lower-amplitude flux fluctuations observed in higher X-ray states could be related to the interaction between the shock front and jet inhomogeneities. The curved 0.3-10 keV spectra showed the ranges of the photon index at 1 keV a = 1.27(0.10)-2.30(0.09), curvature parameter b = 0.12(0.08)-1.19(0.27), synchrotron SED peak position E p = 0.49(0.09)-3.39(0.97) keV, while some spectra do not exhibit spectral curvature and fit well with a simple power law model yielding the 0.3-10 keV photon-index = 1.48(0.15)-2.32(0.08). Large spectral curvatures observed for the majority of the log-parabolic spectra hint at the importance of the second-order Fermi mechanism for our targets. Our targets show very high isotropic luminos-B S. Kapanadze

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2016

We present the results based on the monitoring of the high-energy peaked BL Lacertae object 1ES 1959+650 by the Swift satellite during 2005-2014. Our timing study shows that the source was highly variable on longer (weeks-to-months) timescales with the 0.3-10 keV fluxes ranging by a factor of 8. It sometimes showed a significant intra-day variability in the course of ∼1 ks, detected mainly in the epochs of higher brightness states. The flux variability exhibited an erratic character and no signatures of periodic variations are revealed. The X-ray spectra were mainly curved with broad ranges of photon index, curvature parameter, hardness ratio, synchrotron spectral energy distribution (SED) peak location which exhibited a significant variability with the flux at different timescales. Our study of multi-wavelength cross-correlations shows that the one-zone synchrotron self-Compton scenario was not always valid for 1ES 1959+650. The X-ray flares were sometimes not accompanied with an increasing activity in the γ-ray or lower-energy parts of the spectrum and vice versa. Similar to the prominent 'orphan' TeV event in 2002, significant flares in the high-energy and very high energy bands in 2009 May and 2012 May were not accompanied by those in the synchrotron part of the spectrum. Similar to other TeV-detected high-energy peaked BLLs, the stochastic acceleration of the electrons from the magnetic turbulence close to the shock front may be more important for our target compared to other scenarios since it showed mainly broader synchrotron SEDs during the X-ray flares expected when the stochastic mechanism is more efficient.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2014

We present the results of our monitoring of the high-energy peaked BL Lac object PKS 2155−304 by the Swift/X-Ray Telescope (XRT) during 2005-2012. Our timing study shows that the source was highly variable both on longer (weeks-to-months) and intra-day timescales , up to a factor of 7 in flux, and 30 per cent in fractional variability amplitudes, with no periodic variations. The X-ray spectra are mainly curved with broad ranges of photon index, curvature parameter, and hardness ratio which exhibit significant variability with the flux on different timescales. Our study of multi-wavelength cross-correlations has revealed that the one-zone SSC scenario seems to be valid for the most optical-to-gamma-ray flares observed during 2006-2012. An 'orphan' X-ray flare with no counterpart in other spectral bands suggests the existence of different electron populations. Based on the absence of a correlation between photon index and curvature parameter (expected from the energy-dependent acceleration probability scenario), the observed distribution of curvature parameter from the XRT spectra peaking at b = 0.37, and the observed anti-correlation between the curvature parameter and the 0.3-10 keV flux (i.e. lower curvatures in flaring states), we conclude that the most likely mechanism responsible for producing X-ray emission during the flares is the stochastic acceleration of the electrons.

Galaxies, 2018

The study of multi-wavelength flux variability in BL Lacertae objects is very important to discern unstable processes and emission mechanisms underlying their extreme observational features. While the innermost regions of these objects are not accessible from direct observations, we may draw conclusions about their internal structure via the detection of flux variations on various timescales, based on the light-travel argument. In this paper, we review the sub-hour X-ray variability in high-energy peaked BL Lacertae sources (HBLs) that are bright at X-rays and provide us with an effective tool to study the details related to the physics of the emitting particles. The X-ray emission of these sources is widely accepted to be a synchrotron radiation from the highest-energy electrons, and the complex spectral variability observed in this band reflects the injection and radiative evolution of freshly-accelerated particles. The detection of sub-hour X-ray flux variability is very important since it can be related to the small-scale jet turbulent structures or triggered by unstable processes occurring in the vicinity of a central supermassive black hole. We summarize the fastest X-ray variability instances detected in bright HBLs and discuss their physical implications.

The Astrophysical Journal, 2002

This paper reports X-ray spectral observations of a relatively nearby (z = 0.048) BL Lacertae (BL Lac) object 1ES1959+65, which is a potential TeV emitter. The observations include 31 short pointings made by the Unconventional Stellar Aspect (USA) Experiment on board the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS), and 17 pointings by the PCA on board the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). Most of these observations were spaced by less than 1 day. 1ES1959+65 was detected by the ARGOS USA detector in the range 1-16 keV, and by the PCA in the 2-16 keV range but at different times. During the closely spaced RXTE observations beginning on 2000 July 28 , an ending of one flare and a start of another are visible, associated with spectral changes, where the photon index Γ ranges between ∼ 1.4 and 1.7, and the spectrum is harder when the source is brighter. This implies that 1ES1959+65 is an

Universe

BL Lac objects are active galactic nuclei notable for a beamed nonthermal radiation, which is generated in one of the relativistic jets forming a small angle to the observer’s line-of-sight. The broadband spectra of BL Lacs show a two-component spectral energy distribution (SED). High-energy-peaked BL Lacs (HBLs) exhibit their lower-energy (synchrotron) peaks at UV to X-ray frequencies. The origin of the higher-energy SED component, representing the γ-ray range in HBLs, is still controversial and different emission scenarios (one- and multi-zone synchrotron self-Compton, hadronic etc.) are proposed. In γ-rays, HBLs show a complex flaring behavior with rapid and large-amplitude TeV-band variations on timescales down to a few minutes. This review presents a detailed characterization of the hypothetical emission mechanisms which could contribute to the γ-ray emission, their application to the nearby TeV-detected HBLs, successes in the broadband SED modeling and difficulties in the inte...

Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2007

Aims. We observed the high-energy peaked BL Lac object PKS 0548−322 (BZB J0550−3216) with Swift to study the temporal and spectral properties of its synchrotron emission simultaneously in the optical, ultraviolet, and X-ray energy bands. Methods. We carried out a spectral analysis of 5 Swift XRT and UVOT observations of PKS 0548−322 taken over the period April-June 2005.

Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2012

Context. 1ES 0414+009 (z = 0.287) is a distant high-frequency-peaked BL Lac object, and has long been considered a likely emitter of very-highenergy (VHE, E > 100 GeV) γ-rays due to its high X-ray and radio flux. Aims. Observations in the VHE γ-ray band and across the electromagnetic spectrum can provide insights into the origin of highly energetic particles present in the source and the radiation processes at work. Because of the distance of the source, the γ-ray spectrum might provide further limits on the level of the Extragalactic Background Light (EBL). Methods. We report observations made between October 2005 and December 2009 with H.E.S.S., an array of four imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. Observations at high energies (HE, 100 MeV -100 GeV) with the Fermi-LAT instrument in the first 20 months of its operation are also reported. To complete the multi-wavelength picture, archival UV and X-ray observations with the Swift satellite and optical observations with the ATOM telescope are also used. Results. Based on the observations with H.E.S.S., 1ES 0414+009 is detected for the first time in the VHE band. An excess of 224 events is measured, corresponding to a significance of 7.8σ. The photon spectrum of the source is well described by a power law, with photon index of Γ VHE = 3.45 ± 0.25 stat ± 0.20 syst . The integral flux above 200 GeV is (1.88 ± 0.20 stat ± 0.38 syst ) ×10 −12 cm −2 s −1 . Observations with the Fermi-LAT in the first 20 months of operation show a flux between 200 MeV and 100 GeV of (2.3 ± 0.2 stat ) × 10 −9 erg cm −2 s −1 , and a spectrum well described by a power-law function with a photon index Γ HE = 1.85 ± 0.18. Swift/XRT observations show an X-ray flux between 2 and 10 keV of (0.8 − 1) × 10 −11 erg cm −2 s −1 , and a steep spectrum Γ X = (2.2 − 2.3). Combining X-ray with optical-UV data, a fit with a log-parabolic function locates the synchrotron peak around 0.1 keV. Conclusions. Although the GeV-TeV observations do not provide better constraints on the EBL than previously obtained, they confirm a low density of the EBL, close to the lower limits from galaxy counts. The absorption-corrected HE and VHE γ-ray spectra are both hard and have similar spectral indices (≈ 1.86), indicating no significant change of slope between the HE and VHE γ-ray bands, and locating the γ-ray peak in the SED above 1-2 TeV. As for other TeV BL Lac objects with the γ-ray peak at such high energies and a large separation between the two SED humps, this average broad-band SED represents a challenge for simple one-zone synchrotron self-Compton models, requiring a high Doppler factor and very low B-field.

Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2013

Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2012

1RXS J101015.9−311909 is a galaxy located at a redshift of z = 0.14 hosting an active nucleus (called AGN) belonging to the class of bright BL Lac objects. Observations at high (HE, E > 100 MeV) and very high (VHE, E > 100 GeV) energies provide insights into the origin of very energetic particles present in such sources and the radiation processes at work. We report on results from VHE observations performed between 2006 and 2010 with the H.E.S.S. instrument, an array of four imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. H.E.S.S. data have been analysed with enhanced analysis methods, making the detection of faint sources more significant. VHE emission at a position coincident with 1RXS J101015.9−311909 is detected with H.E.S.S. for the first time. In a total good-quality livetime of about 49 hours, we measure 263 excess counts, corresponding to a significance of 7.1 standard deviations. The photon spectrum above 0.2 TeV can be described by a power-law with a photon index of Γ = 3.08 ± 0.42 stat ± 0.20 sys . The integral flux above 0.2 TeV is about 0.8% of the flux of the Crab nebula and shows no significant variability over the time reported. In addition, public Fermi/LAT data are analysed to search for high energy emission from the source. The Fermi/LAT HE emission in the 100 MeV to 200 GeV energy range is significant at 8.3 standard deviations in the chosen 25-month dataset. UV and X-ray contemporaneous observations with the Swift satellite in May 2007 are also reported, together with optical observations performed with the ATOM telescope located at the H.E.S.S. site. Swift observations reveal an absorbed X-ray flux of F (0.3−7)keV = 1.04 +0.04 −0.05 × 10 −11 erg cm −2 s −1 in the 0.3 − 7 keV range. Finally, all the available data are used to study the multi-wavelength properties of the source. The spectral energy distribution (SED) can be reproduced using a simple one-zone Synchrotron Self Compton (SSC) model with emission from a region with a Doppler factor of 30 and a magnetic field between 0.025 and 0.16 G. These parameters are similar to those obtained for other sources of this type.