Multiwavelength behaviour of the blazar 3C 279: decade-long study from γ-ray to radio

We report the results of decade-long (2008-2018) γ -ray to 1 GHz radio monitoring of the blazar 3C 279, including GASP/WEBT, Fermi and Swift data, as well as polarimetric and spectroscopic data. The X-ray and γ -ray light curves correlate well, with no delay ≳ 3 h, implying general cospatiality of the emission regions. The γ -ray-optical flux-flux relation changes with activity state, ranging from a linear to amore complex dependence. The behaviour of the Stokes parameters at optical and radio wavelengths, including 43 GHz Very Long Baseline Array images, supports either a predominantly helical magnetic field or motion of the radiating plasma along a spiral path. Apparent speeds of emission knots range from 10 to 37c, with the highest values requiring bulk Lorentz factors close to those needed to explain γ -ray variability on very short time-scales. The MgII emission line flux in the 'blue' and 'red' wings correlates with the optical synchrotron continuum flux density, possibly providing a variable source of seed photons for inverse Compton scattering. In the radio bands, we find progressive delays of the most prominent light-curve maxima with decreasing frequency, as expected from the frequency dependence of the τ= 1 surface of synchrotron self-absorption. The global maximum in the 86 GHz light curve becomes less prominent at lower frequencies, while a local maximum, appearing in 2014, strengthens toward decreasing frequencies, becoming pronounced at ∼5 GHz. These tendencies suggest different Doppler boosting of stratified radio-emitting zones in the jet.

Keywords

methods: observational, techniques: photometric, techniques: polarimetric, techniques: spectroscopic, galaxies: active, quasars: individual: 3C 279, ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI, LINE ARRAY OBSERVATIONS, EGRET-DETECTED QUASARS, BL LACERTAE OBJECTS, WEBT CAMPAIGN, POLARIMETRIC OBSERVATIONS, MILLIMETER WAVELENGTHS, SUPERLUMINAL MOTION, HIGH-FREQUENCIES, XMM-NEWTON

DOI

10.1093/mnras/staa082

Citation

Larionov, V M, Jorstad, S G, Marscher, A P, Villata, M, Raiteri, C M, Smith, P S, Agudo, I, Savchenko, S S, Morozova, D A, Acosta-Pulido, J A, Aller, M F, Aller, H D, Andreeva, T S, Arkharov, A A, Bachev, R, Bonnoli, G, Borman, G A, Bozhilov, V, Calcidese, P, Carnerero, M, Carosati, D, Casadio, C, Chen, W-P, Damljanovic, G, Dementyev, A, Di Paola, A, Frasca, A, Fuentes, A, Gomez, J L, Gonzalez-Morales, P, Giunta, A, Grishina, T S, Gurwell, M A, Hagen-Thorn, V A, Hovatta, T, Ibryamov, S, Joshi, M, Kiehlmann, S, Kim, J-Y, Kimeridze, G N, Kopatskaya, E N, Kovalev, Y A, Kovalev, Y, Kurtanidze, O M, Kurtanidze, S O, Lahteenmaki, A, Lazaro, C, Larionova, L, Larionova, E G, Leto, G, Marchini, A, Matsumoto, K, Mihov, B, Minev, M, Mingaliev, M G, Mirzaqulov, D, Dimitrova, R V M, Myserlis, I, Nikiforova, A A, Nikolashvili, M G, Nizhelsky, N A, Ovcharov, E, Pressburger, L D, Rakhimov, I A, Righini, S, Rizzi, N, Sadakane, K, Sadun, A C, Samal, M R, Sanchez, R Z, Semkov, E, Sergeev, S G, Sigua, L A, Slavcheva-Mihova, L, Sola, P, Sotnikova, Y, Strigachev, A, Thum, C, Traianou, E, Troitskaya, Y, Troitsky, I S, Tsybulev, P G, Vasilyev, A A, Vince, O, Weaver, Z R, Williamson, K E & Zhekanis, G 2020, ' Multiwavelength behaviour of the blazar 3C 279: decade-long study from γ-ray to radio ', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 492, no. 3, pp. 3829-3848 . https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa082

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202004282913

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Multiwavelength behaviour of the blazar 3C 279: decade-long study from γ-ray to radio

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