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Description
We have conducted a detailed investigation of the broadband spectral properties of the {gamma}-ray selected blazars of the Fermi LAT Bright AGN Sample (LBAS, Cat. J/ApJ/700/597). By combining our accurately estimated Fermi {gamma}-ray spectra with Swift, radio, infra-red, optical, and other hard X-ray/{gamma}-ray data, collected within 3 months of the LBAS data taking period, we were able to assemble high-quality and quasi-simultaneous spectral energy distributions (SED) for 48 LBAS blazars. We have used these SED to characterize the peak intensity of both the low- and the high-energy components. The results have been used to derive empirical relationships that estimate the position of the two peaks from the broadband colors (i.e., the radio to optical, {alpha}_ro_, and optical to X-ray, {alpha}_ox_, spectral slopes) and from the {gamma}-ray spectral index. While more than 50% of known radio bright high energy peaked (HBL) BL Lacs are detected in the LBAS sample, only less than 13% of known bright broad-lined flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and LBL BL Lacs are included. This suggests that the latter sources, as a class, may be much fainter {gamma}-ray emitters than LBAS blazars, and could in fact radiate close to the expectations of simple synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) models. We categorized all our sources according to a new physical classification scheme based on the generally accepted paradigm for Active Galactic Nuclei and on the results of this SED study.
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