- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/467/4565
- Title:
- Bimodal radio variability in OVRO blazars
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/467/4565
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Blazars are known to show periods of quiescence followed by outbursts visible throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. We present a novel maximum likelihood approach to capturing this bimodal behavior by examining blazar radio variability in the flux-density domain. We separate quiescent and flaring components of a source's light curve by modeling its flux-density distribution as a series of "off" and "on" states. Our modeling allows us to extract information regarding the flaring ratio, duty cycle, and the modulation index in the "off"-state, in the "on"-state, as well as throughout the monitoring period of each blazar. We apply our method to a flux-density-limited subsample from the Owens Valley Radio observatory's 15 GHz blazar monitoring program, and explore differences in the variability characteristics between BL Lacs and FSRQs as well as between {gamma}-ray detected and non-detected sources. We find that: (1) BL Lacs are more variable and have relatively larger outbursts than the FSRQs; (2) unclassified blazar candidates in our sample show similar variability characteristics as the FSRQs; and (3) {gamma}-ray detected differ from the {gamma}-ray non-detected sources in all their variability properties, suggesting a link between the production of {gamma}-rays and the mechanism responsible for the radio variability. Finally, we fit distributions for blazar flaring ratios, duty cycles, and on- and off- modulation indices that can be used in population studies of variability-dependent blazar properties.
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- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/602/A86
- Title:
- Blazar candidates among Fermi/LAT 3FGL catalog
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/602/A86
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a study to search for, and characterise blazar candidates among the Fermi/LAT 3FGL catalogue using machine-learning classification methods. Classifiers are based on the exploitation of statistical differences imprinted in the 3FGL Fermi/LAT catalogue, such as variability and spectral shape, between different populations of sources.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/609/564
- Title:
- Blazar counterparts for 3EG sources
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/609/564
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Supplementing existing survey data with Very Large Array (VLA) observations, we have extended {gamma}-ray counterpart identifications down to decl.=-40{deg} using our "figure-of-merit" approach. We find blazar counterparts for 70% of EGRET sources above decl.=-40{deg} away from the Galaxy. Spectroscopic confirmation is in progress, and spectra for 24 sources are presented here. We find evidence that increased exposure in the bulge region allowed EGRET to detect relatively faint blazars; a clear excess of nonblazar objects in this region, however, argues for an additional (new) source class.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/MNRAS/451/2750
- Title:
- Blazar sequence
- Short Name:
- J/MNRAS/451/2750
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Based on a large Fermi blazar sample, the blazar sequence (synchrotron peak frequency {nu}_peak_ versus synchrotron peak luminosity L_peak_) is revisited. It is found that there is significant anticorrelation between {nu}_peak_ and L_peak_ for blazars. However, after Doppler correction the anticorrelation disappears. The jet cavity power (P_jet_) is estimated from the extended radio luminosity so that it is free of beaming effects. We find that there are significant anticorrelations between P_jet_ and the beam-corrected {nu}_peak_' for both blazars and radio galaxies, which supports the blazar sequence and the unification of blazars and radio galaxies (an alternative relationship is the correlation between jet power and {gamma}-ray photon index).
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/752/61
- Title:
- Blazars in unidentified {gamma}-ray sources
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/752/61
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- One of the main scientific objectives of the ongoing Fermi mission is unveiling the nature of unidentified {gamma}-ray sources (UGSs). Despite the major improvements of Fermi in the localization of {gamma}-ray sources with respect to the past {gamma}-ray missions, about one-third of the Fermi-detected objects are still not associated with low-energy counterparts. Recently, using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer survey, we discovered that blazars, the rarest class of active galactic nuclei and the largest population of {gamma}-ray sources, can be recognized and separated from other extragalactic sources on the basis of their infrared (IR) colors. Based on this result, we designed an association method for the {gamma}-ray sources to recognize if there is a blazar candidate within the positional uncertainty region of a generic {gamma}-ray source. With this new IR diagnostic tool, we searched for {gamma}-ray blazar candidates associated with the UGS sample of the second Fermi {gamma}-ray LAT catalog (2FGL). We found that our method associates at least one {gamma}-ray blazar candidate as a counterpart to each of 156 out of 313 UGSs analyzed. These new low-energy candidates have the same IR properties as the blazars associated with {gamma}-ray sources in the 2FGL catalog.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/206/12
- Title:
- Blazars with {gamma}-ray counterparts. I.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/206/12
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a new method for identifying blazar candidates by examining the locus, i.e., the region occupied by the Fermi {gamma}-ray blazars in the three-dimensional color space defined by the WISE infrared colors. This method is a refinement of our previous approach that made use of the two-dimensional projection of the distribution of WISE {gamma}-ray-emitting blazars (the Strip) in the three WISE color-color planes. In this paper, we define the three-dimensional locus by means of a principal component analysis of the color distribution of a large sample of blazars composed of all the ROMA-BZCAT sources with counterparts in the WISE All-Sky Catalog associated with {gamma}-ray sources in the second Fermi-LAT catalog (2FGL; the WISE Fermi blazars sample, WFB). Our new procedure yields a total completeness of c_tot_~81% and a total efficiency of e_tot_~97%. We also obtain local estimates of the efficiency and completeness as functions of the WISE colors and galactic coordinates of the candidate blazars. The catalog of all WISE candidate blazars associated with the WFB sample is also presented, complemented by archival multi-frequency information for the alternative associations. Finally, we apply the new association procedure to all {gamma}-ray blazars in the 2FGL and provide a catalog containing all the {gamma}-ray candidate blazars selected according to our procedure.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/206/13
- Title:
- Blazars with {gamma}-ray counterparts. II.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/206/13
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- A significant fraction (~30%) of the high-energy gamma-ray sources listed in the second Fermi Large Area Telescope catalog (2FGL) are still of unknown origin, being not yet associated with counterparts at low energies. We recently developed a new association method to identify if there is a {gamma}-ray blazar candidate within the positional uncertainty region of a generic 2FGL source. This method is entirely based on the discovery that blazars have distinct infrared colors with respect to other extragalactic sources found, thanks to the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) all-sky observations. Several improvements have also been performed to increase the efficiency of our method in recognizing {gamma}-ray blazar candidates. In this paper we applied our method to two different samples, the first constituted by unidentified {gamma}-ray sources (UGSs), and the second by active galaxies of uncertain type, both listed in the 2FGL. We present a catalog of IR counterparts for ~20% of the UGSs investigated. Then, we also compare our results for the associated sources with those present in the literature. In addition, we illustrate the extensive archival research carried out to identify the radio, infrared, optical, and X-ray counterparts of the WISE-selected, {gamma}-ray blazar candidates. Finally, we discuss the future developments of our method based on ground-based follow-up observations.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/207/16
- Title:
- BL Lac candidates for TeV observations
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/207/16
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- BL Lac objects are the most numerous class of extragalactic TeV-detected sources. One of the biggest difficulties in investigating their TeV emission is due to their limited number, since only 47 BL Lac objects are known to be TeV emitters. In this paper, we propose new criteria to select TeV BL Lac candidates based on infrared and X-ray observations. We apply our selection criteria to the BL Lac objects listed in the ROMA-BZCAT catalog (Cat. J/A+A/495/691), thereby identifying 41 potential TeV emitters. We then perform a search over a more extended sample combining the ROSAT bright source catalog (Cat. IX/10) and the WISE all-sky survey (Cat. II/311), revealing 54 additional candidates for TeV observations. Our investigation also led to a tentative classification of 16 unidentified X-ray sources as BL Lac candidates. This analysis provides new interesting BL Lac targets for future observations with ground-based Cherenkov telescopes.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/623/A175
- Title:
- 2015 BL Lac VHE gamma-ray flare
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/623/A175
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The mechanisms producing fast variability of the {gamma}-ray emission in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are under debate. The MAGIC telescopes detected a fast, very-high-energy (VHE, E>100GeV) {gamma}-ray flare from BL Lacertae on 2015 June 15. The flare had a maximum flux of (1.5+/-0.3)x10^-10^photons/cm^2^/s and halving time of 26+/-8min. The MAGIC observations were triggered by a high state in the optical and high-energy (HE, E>100MeV) {gamma}-ray bands. In this paper we present the MAGIC VHE {gamma}-ray data together with multi-wavelength data from radio, optical, X-rays, and HE {gamma} rays from 2015 May 1 to July 31. Well-sampled multi-wavelength data allow us to study the variability in detail and compare it to the other epochs when fast, VHE {gamma}-ray flares have been detected from this source. Interestingly, we find that the behaviour in radio, optical, X-rays, and HE {gamma}-rays is very similar to two other observed VHE {gamma}-ray flares. In particular, also during this flare there was an indication of rotation of the optical polarization angle and of activity at the 43GHz core. These repeating patterns indicate a connection between the three events. We also test modelling of the spectral energy distribution based on constraints from the light curves and VLBA observations, with two different geometrical setups of two-zone inverse Compton models. In addition we model the {gamma}-ray data with the star-jet interaction model. We find that all of the tested emission models are compatible with the fast VHE {gamma}-ray flare, but all have some tension with the multi-wavelength observations.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/887/134
- Title:
- Classification of Fermi blazar cand. from the 4FGL
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/887/134
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- The recently published fourth Fermi Large Area Telescope source catalog (4FGL) reports 5065 gamma-ray sources in terms of direct observational gamma-ray properties. Among the sources, the largest population is the active galactic nuclei (AGNs), which consists of 3137 blazars, 42 radio galaxies, and 28 other AGNs. The blazar sample comprises 694 flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), 1131 BL Lac-type objects (BL Lacs), and 1312 blazar candidates of an unknown type (BCUs). The classification of blazars is difficult using optical spectroscopy given the limited knowledge with respect to their intrinsic properties, and the limited availability of astronomical observations. To overcome these challenges, machine-learning algorithms are being investigated as alternative approaches. Using the 4FGL catalog, a sample of 3137 Fermi blazars with 23 parameters is systematically selected. Three established supervised machine-learning algorithms (random forests (RFs), support vector machines (SVMs), artificial neural networks (ANNs)) are employed to general predictive models to classify the BCUs. We analyze the results for all of the different combinations of parameters. Interestingly, a previously reported trend the use of more parameters leading to higher accuracy is not found. Considering the least number of parameters used, combinations of eight, 12 or 10 parameters in the SVM, ANN, or RF generated models achieve the highest accuracy (Accuracy ~91.8%, or ~92.9%). Using the combined classification results from the optimal combinations of parameters, 724 BL Lac type candidates and 332 FSRQ type candidates are predicted; however, 256 remain without a clear prediction.
