TY  - JOUR
A1  - Zhang, Haocheng
A1  - Chen, Xuhui
A1  - Böttcher, Markus
A1  - Guo, Fan
A1  - Li, Hui
T1  - Polarization swings reveal magnetic energy dissipation in blazars
JF  - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics
N2  - The polarization signatures of blazar emissions are known to be highly variable. In addition to small fluctuations of the polarization angle around a mean value, large (greater than or similar to 180 degrees) polarization angle swings are sometimes observed. We suggest that such phenomena can be interpreted as arising from light travel time effects within an underlying axisymmetric emission region. We present the first simultaneous fitting of the multi-wavelength spectrum, variability, and time-dependent polarization features of a correlated optical and gamma-ray flaring event of the prominent blazar 3C279, which was accompanied by a drastic change in its polarization signatures. This unprecedented combination of spectral, variability, and polarization information in a coherent physical model allows us to place stringent constraints on the particle acceleration and magnetic field topology in the relativistic jet of a blazar, strongly favoring a scenario in which magnetic energy dissipation is the primary driver of the flare event.
KW  - galaxies: active
KW  - galaxies: jets
KW  - gamma-rays: galaxies
KW  - radiation mechanisms: nonthermal
KW  - relativistic processes
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/804/1/58
SN  - 0004-637X
SN  - 1538-4357
VL  - 804
IS  - 1
PB  - IOP Publ. Ltd.
CY  - Bristol
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Zhang, Haocheng
A1  - Chen, Xuhui
A1  - Boettcher, Markus
T1  - Synchrotron polarization in blazars
JF  - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics
N2  - We present a detailed analysis of time-and energy-dependent synchrotron polarization signatures in a shock-in-jet model for gamma-ray blazars. Our calculations employ a full three-dimensional radiation transfer code, assuming a helical magnetic field throughout the jet. The code considers synchrotron emission from an ordered magnetic field, and takes into account all light-travel-time and other relevant geometric effects, while the relevant synchrotron self-Compton and external Compton effects are handled with the two-dimensional Monte-Carlo/Fokker-Planck (MCFP) code. We consider several possible mechanisms through which a relativistic shock propagating through the jet may affect the jet plasma to produce a synchrotron and high-energy flare. Most plausibly, the shock is expected to lead to a compression of the magnetic field, increasing the toroidal field component and thereby changing the direction of the magnetic field in the region affected by the shock. We find that such a scenario leads to correlated synchrotron + synchrotron-self-Compton flaring, associated with substantial variability in the synchrotron polarization percentage and position angle. Most importantly, this scenario naturally explains large polarization angle rotations by greater than or similar to 180 degrees, as observed in connection with gamma-ray flares in several blazars, without the need for bent or helical jet trajectories or other nonaxisymmetric jet features.
KW  - galaxies: active
KW  - galaxies: jets
KW  - gamma rays: galaxies
KW  - radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
KW  - relativistic processes
Y1  - 2014
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/789/1/66
SN  - 0004-637X
SN  - 1538-4357
VL  - 789
IS  - 1
PB  - IOP Publ. Ltd.
CY  - Bristol
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Zacharias, Michael
A1  - Chen, Xuhui
A1  - Wagner, Stefan
T1  - Attenuation of TeV gamma-rays by the starlight photon field of the host galaxy
JF  - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
N2  - The absorption of TeV gamma-ray photons produced in relativistic jets by surrounding soft photon fields is a long-standing problem of jet physics. In some cases, the most likely emission site close to the central black hole is ruled out because of the high opacity caused by strong optical and infrared photon sources, such as the broad-line region. Mostly neglected for jet modelling is the absorption of gamma-rays in the starlight photon field of the host galaxy. Analysing the absorption for arbitrary locations and observation angles of the gamma-ray emission site within the host galaxy, we find that the distance to the galaxy centre, the observation angle, and the distribution of starlight in the galaxy are crucial for the amount of absorption. We derive the absorption value for a sample of 20 TeV-detected blazars with a redshift z(r) < 0.2. The absorption value of the gamma-ray emission located in the galaxy centre may be as high as 20 per cent, with an average value of 6 per cent. This is important in order to determine the intrinsic blazar parameters. We see no significant trends in our sample between the degree of absorption and host properties, such as starlight emissivity, galactic size, half-light radius, and redshift. While the uncertainty of the spectral properties of the extragalactic background light exceeds the effect of absorption by stellar light from the host galaxy in distant objects, the latter is a dominant effect in nearby sources. It may also be revealed in a differential comparison of sources with similar redshifts.
KW  - opacity
KW  - radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
KW  - galaxies: active
KW  - gamma-rays: galaxies
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw3032
SN  - 0035-8711
SN  - 1365-2966
VL  - 465
IS  - 3
SP  - 3767
EP  - 3774
PB  - Oxford Univ. Press
CY  - Oxford
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Orienti, M.
A1  - Finke, J.
A1  - Raiteri, C. M.
A1  - Hovatta, T.
A1  - Larsson, J.
A1  - Max-Moerbeck, W.
A1  - Perkins, J.
A1  - Readhead, A. C. S.
A1  - Richards, J. L.
A1  - Beilicke, M.
A1  - Benbow, W.
A1  - Berger, K.
A1  - Bird, R.
A1  - Bugaev, V.
A1  - Cardenzana, J. V.
A1  - Cerruti, M.
A1  - Chen, Xuhui
A1  - Ciupik, L.
A1  - Dickinson, H. J.
A1  - Eisch, J. D.
A1  - Errando, M.
A1  - Falcone, A.
A1  - Finley, J. P.
A1  - Fleischhack, H.
A1  - Fortin, P.
A1  - Fortson, L.
A1  - Furniss, A.
A1  - Gerard, L.
A1  - Gillanders, G. H.
A1  - Griffiths, S. T.
A1  - Grube, J.
A1  - Gyuk, G.
A1  - Hakansson, Nils
A1  - Holder, J.
A1  - Humensky, T. B.
A1  - Kar, P.
A1  - Kertzman, M.
A1  - Khassen, Y.
A1  - Kieda, D.
A1  - Krennrich, F.
A1  - Kumar, S.
A1  - Lang, M. J.
A1  - Maier, G.
A1  - McCann, A.
A1  - Meagher, K.
A1  - Moriarty, P.
A1  - Mukherjee, R.
A1  - Nieto, D.
A1  - Ong, R. A.
A1  - Otte, A. N.
A1  - Pohl, Manuela
A1  - Popkow, A.
A1  - Prokoph, H.
A1  - Pueschel, Elisa
A1  - Quinn, J.
A1  - Ragan, K.
A1  - Reynolds, P. T.
A1  - Richards, G. T.
A1  - Roache, E.
A1  - Rousselle, J.
A1  - Santander, M.
A1  - Sembroski, G. H.
A1  - Smith, A. W.
A1  - Staszak, D.
A1  - Telezhinsky, Igor O.
A1  - Tucci, J. V.
A1  - Tyler, J.
A1  - Varlotta, A.
A1  - Vassiliev, V. V.
A1  - Wakely, S. P.
A1  - Weinstein, A.
A1  - Welsing, R.
A1  - Williams, D. A.
A1  - Zitzer, B.
T1  - The most powerful flaring activity from the NLSyl PMN J0948+0022
JF  - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
N2  - We report on multifrequency observations performed during 2012 December-2013 August of the first narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy detected in gamma-rays, PMN J0948+0022 (z = 0.5846). A y -ray flare was observed by the Large Area Telescope on board Fermi during 2012 December-2013 January, reaching a daily peak flux in the 0.1-100 GeV energy range of (155 31) x 10 8 ph cm(-2) S-1 on 2013 January 1, corresponding to an apparent isotropic luminosity of similar to 1.5 x 1048 erg s(-1). The y -ray flaring period triggered Swift and Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) observations in addition to radio and optical monitoring by Owens Valley Radio Observatory, Monitoring Of Jets in Active galactic nuclei with VLBA Experiments, and Catalina Real-time Transient Survey. A strong flare was observed in optical, UV, and X-rays on 2012 December 30, quasi-simultaneously to the y -ray flare, reaching a record flux for this source from optical to y gamma-rays. VERITAS observations at very high energy (E > 100 GeV) during 2013 January 6-17 resulted in an upper limit of F>0.2 Trev < 4.0 x 10(-12) ph cm(-2) s(-1). We compared the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the flaring state in 2013 January with that of an intermediate state observed in 2011. The two SEDs, modelled as synchrotron emission and an external Compton scattering of seed photons from a dust torus, can be modelled by changing both the electron distribution parameters and the magnetic field.
KW  - galaxies: active-galaxies: individual: PMN J0948+0022
KW  - galaxies: nuclei
KW  - galaxies: Seyfert
KW  - gamma-rays: general
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu2251
SN  - 0035-8711
SN  - 1365-2966
VL  - 446
IS  - 3
SP  - 2456
EP  - 2467
PB  - Oxford Univ. Press
CY  - Oxford
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Furniss, A.
A1  - Noda, K.
A1  - Boggs, S.
A1  - Chiang, J.
A1  - Christensen, F.
A1  - Craig, W.
A1  - Giommi, P.
A1  - Hailey, C.
A1  - Harisson, F.
A1  - Madejski, G.
A1  - Nalewajko, K.
A1  - Perri, M.
A1  - Stern, D.
A1  - Urry, M.
A1  - Verrecchia, F.
A1  - Zhang, W.
A1  - Ahnen, M. L.
A1  - Ansoldi, S.
A1  - Antonelli, L. A.
A1  - Antoranz, P.
A1  - Babic, A.
A1  - Banerjee, B.
A1  - Bangale, P.
A1  - de Almeida, U. Barres
A1  - Barrio, J. A.
A1  - Becerra Gonzalez, J.
A1  - Bednarek, W.
A1  - Bernardini, E.
A1  - Biasuzzi, B.
A1  - Biland, A.
A1  - Blanch Bigas, O.
A1  - Bonnefoy, S.
A1  - Bonnoli, G.
A1  - Borracci, F.
A1  - Bretz, T.
A1  - Carmona, E.
A1  - Carosi, A.
A1  - Chatterjee, A.
A1  - Clavero, R.
A1  - Colin, P.
A1  - Colombo, E.
A1  - Contreras, J. L.
A1  - Cortina, J.
A1  - Covino, S.
A1  - Da Vela, P.
A1  - Dazzi, F.
A1  - De Angelis, A.
A1  - De Caneva, G.
A1  - De Lotto, B.
A1  - de Ona Wilhelmi, E.
A1  - Delgado Mendez, C.
A1  - Di Pierro, F.
A1  - Prester, Dijana Dominis
A1  - Dorner, D.
A1  - Doro, M.
A1  - Einecke, S.
A1  - Eisenacher Glawion, D.
A1  - Elsaesser, D.
A1  - Fernandez-Barral, A.
A1  - Fidalgo, D.
A1  - Fonseca, M. V.
A1  - Font, L.
A1  - Frantzen, K.
A1  - Fruck, C.
A1  - Galindo, D.
A1  - Garcia Lopez, R. J.
A1  - Garczarczyk, M.
A1  - Garrido Terrats, D.
A1  - Gaug, M.
A1  - Giammaria, P.
A1  - Godinovic, N.
A1  - Gonzalez Munoz, A.
A1  - Guberman, D.
A1  - Hanabata, Y.
A1  - Hayashida, M.
A1  - Herrera, J.
A1  - Hose, J.
A1  - Hrupec, D.
A1  - Hughes, G.
A1  - Idec, W.
A1  - Kellermann, H.
A1  - Kodani, K.
A1  - Konno, Y.
A1  - Kubo, H.
A1  - Kushida, J.
A1  - La Barbera, A.
A1  - Lelas, D.
A1  - Lewandowska, N.
A1  - Lindfors, E.
A1  - Lombardi, S.
A1  - Longo, F.
A1  - Lopez, M.
A1  - Lopez-Coto, R.
A1  - Lopez-Oramas, A.
A1  - Lorenz, E.
A1  - Majumdar, P.
A1  - Makariev, M.
A1  - Mallot, K.
A1  - Maneva, G.
A1  - Manganaro, M.
A1  - Mannheim, K.
A1  - Maraschi, L.
A1  - Marcote, B.
A1  - Mariotti, M.
A1  - Martinez, M.
A1  - Mazin, D.
A1  - Menzel, U.
A1  - Miranda, J. M.
A1  - Mirzoyan, R.
A1  - Moralejo, A.
A1  - Nakajima, D.
A1  - Neustroev, V.
A1  - Niedzwiecki, A.
A1  - Nievas Rosillo, M.
A1  - Nilsson, K.
A1  - Nishijima, K.
A1  - Orito, R.
A1  - Overkemping, A.
A1  - Paiano, S.
A1  - Palacio, J.
A1  - Palatiello, M.
A1  - Paneque, D.
A1  - Paoletti, R.
A1  - Paredes, J. M.
A1  - Paredes-Fortuny, X.
A1  - Persic, M.
A1  - Poutanen, J.
A1  - Moroni, P. G. Prada
A1  - Prandini, E.
A1  - Puljak, I.
A1  - Reinthal, R.
A1  - Rhode, W.
A1  - Ribo, M.
A1  - Rico, J.
A1  - Garcia, J. Rodriguez
A1  - Saito, T.
A1  - Saito, K.
A1  - Satalecka, K.
A1  - Scapin, V.
A1  - Schultz, C.
A1  - Schweizer, T.
A1  - Shore, S. N.
A1  - Sillanpaa, A.
A1  - Sitarek, J.
A1  - Snidaric, I.
A1  - Sobczynska, D.
A1  - Stamerra, A.
A1  - Steinbring, T.
A1  - Strzys, M.
A1  - Takalo, L.
A1  - Takami, H.
A1  - Tavecchio, F.
A1  - Temnikov, P.
A1  - Terzic, T.
A1  - Tescaro, D.
A1  - Teshima, M.
A1  - Thaele, J.
A1  - Torres, D. F.
A1  - Toyama, T.
A1  - Treves, A.
A1  - Verguilov, V.
A1  - Vovk, I.
A1  - Will, M.
A1  - Zanin, R.
A1  - Archer, A.
A1  - Benbow, W.
A1  - Bird, R.
A1  - Biteau, Jonathan
A1  - Bugaev, V.
A1  - Cardenzana, J. V.
A1  - Cerruti, M.
A1  - Chen, Xuhui
A1  - Ciupik, L.
A1  - Connolly, M. P.
A1  - Cui, W.
A1  - Dickinson, H. J.
A1  - Dumm, J.
A1  - Eisch, J. D.
A1  - Falcone, A.
A1  - Feng, Q.
A1  - Finley, J. P.
A1  - Fleischhack, H.
A1  - Fortin, P.
A1  - Fortson, L.
A1  - Gerard, L.
A1  - Gillanders, G. H.
A1  - Griffin, S.
A1  - Griffiths, S. T.
A1  - Grube, J.
A1  - Gyuk, G.
A1  - Hakansson, Nils
A1  - Holder, J.
A1  - Humensky, T. B.
A1  - Johnson, C. A.
A1  - Kaaret, P.
A1  - Kertzman, M.
A1  - Kieda, D.
A1  - Krause, M.
A1  - Krennrich, F.
A1  - Lang, M. J.
A1  - Lin, T. T. Y.
A1  - Maier, G.
A1  - McArthur, S.
A1  - McCann, A.
A1  - Meagher, K.
A1  - Moriarty, P.
A1  - Mukherjee, R.
A1  - Nieto, D.
A1  - Ong, R. A.
A1  - Park, N.
A1  - Petry, D.
A1  - Pohl, Martin
A1  - Popkow, A.
A1  - Ragan, K.
A1  - Ratliff, G.
A1  - Reyes, L. C.
A1  - Reynolds, P. T.
A1  - Richards, G. T.
A1  - Roache, E.
A1  - Santander, M.
A1  - Sembroski, G. H.
A1  - Shahinyan, K.
A1  - Staszak, D.
A1  - Telezhinsky, Igor O.
A1  - Tucci, J. V.
A1  - Tyler, J.
A1  - Vassiliev, V. V.
A1  - Wakely, S. P.
A1  - Weiner, O. M.
A1  - Weinstein, A.
A1  - Wilhelm, Alina
A1  - Williams, D. A.
A1  - Zitzer, B.
A1  - Vince, O.
A1  - Fuhrmann, L.
A1  - Angelakis, E.
A1  - Karamanavis, V.
A1  - Myserlis, I.
A1  - Krichbaum, T. P.
A1  - Zensus, J. A.
A1  - Ungerechts, H.
A1  - Sievers, A.
A1  - Bachev, R.
A1  - Boettcher, Markus
A1  - Chen, W. P.
A1  - Damljanovic, G.
A1  - Eswaraiah, C.
A1  - Guver, T.
A1  - Hovatta, T.
A1  - Hughes, Z.
A1  - Ibryamov, S. I.
A1  - Joner, M. D.
A1  - Jordan, B.
A1  - Jorstad, S. G.
A1  - Joshi, M.
A1  - Kataoka, J.
A1  - Kurtanidze, O. M.
A1  - Kurtanidze, S. O.
A1  - Lahteenmaki, A.
A1  - Latev, G.
A1  - Lin, H. C.
A1  - Larionov, V. M.
A1  - Mokrushina, A. A.
A1  - Morozova, D. A.
A1  - Nikolashvili, M. G.
A1  - Raiteri, C. M.
A1  - Ramakrishnan, V.
A1  - Readhead, A. C. R.
A1  - Sadun, A. C.
A1  - Sigua, L. A.
A1  - Semkov, E. H.
A1  - Strigachev, A.
A1  - Tammi, J.
A1  - Tornikoski, M.
A1  - Troitskaya, Y. V.
A1  - Troitsky, I. S.
A1  - Villata, M.
T1  - First NuSTAR observations of MRK 501 within a radio to TeV multi-instrument campaign
JF  - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics
N2  - We report on simultaneous broadband observations of the TeV-emitting blazar Markarian 501 between 2013 April 1 and August 10, including the first detailed characterization of the synchrotron peak with Swift and NuSTAR. During the campaign, the nearby BL Lac object was observed in both a quiescent and an elevated state. The broadband campaign includes observations with NuSTAR, MAGIC, VERITAS, the Fermi Large Area Telescope, Swift X-ray Telescope and UV Optical Telescope, various ground-based optical instruments, including the GASP-WEBT program, as well as radio observations by OVRO, Metsahovi, and the F-Gamma consortium. Some of the MAGIC observations were affected by a sand layer from the Saharan desert, and had to be corrected using event-by-event corrections derived with a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) facility. This is the first time that LIDAR information is used to produce a physics result with Cherenkov Telescope data taken during adverse atmospheric conditions, and hence sets a precedent for the current and future ground-based gamma-ray instruments. The NuSTAR instrument provides unprecedented sensitivity in hard X-rays, showing the source to display a spectral energy distribution (SED) between 3 and 79 keV consistent with a log-parabolic spectrum and hard X-ray variability on hour timescales. None (of the four extended NuSTAR observations) show evidence of the onset of inverse-Compton emission at hard X-ray energies. We apply a single-zone equilibrium synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model to five simultaneous broadband SEDs. We find that the SSC model can reproduce the observed broadband states through a decrease in the magnetic field strength coinciding with an increase in the luminosity and hardness of the relativistic leptons responsible for the high-energy emission.
KW  - BL Lacertae objects: general
KW  - galaxies: individual (Markarian 501)
KW  - X-rays: galaxies
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/812/1/65
SN  - 0004-637X
SN  - 1538-4357
VL  - 812
IS  - 1
PB  - IOP Publ. Ltd.
CY  - Bristol
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Chen, Xuhui
A1  - Pohl, Martin
A1  - Böttcher, Markus
T1  - Particle diffusion and localized acceleration in inhomogeneous AGN jets - I. Steady-state spectra
JF  - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
N2  - We study the acceleration, transport, and emission of particles in relativistic jets. Localized stochastic particle acceleration, spatial diffusion, and synchrotron as well as synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) emission are considered in a leptonic model. To account for inhomogeneity, we use a 2D axisymmetric cylindrical geometry for both relativistic electrons and magnetic field. In this first phase of our work, we focus on steady-state spectra that develop from a time-dependent model. We demonstrate that small isolated acceleration region in a much larger emission volume are sufficient to accelerate particles to high energy. Diffusive escape from these small regions provides a natural explanation for the spectral form of the jet emission. The location of the acceleration regions within the jet is found to affect the cooling break of the spectrum in this diffusive model. Diffusion-caused energy-dependent inhomogeneity in the jets predicts that the SSC spectrum is harder than the synchrotron spectrum. There can also be a spectral hardening towards the high-energy section of the synchrotron spectrum, if particle escape is relatively slow. These two spectral hardening effects indicate that the jet inhomogeneity might be a natural explanation for the unexpected hard. gamma-ray spectra observed in some blazars.
KW  - acceleration of particles
KW  - diffusion
KW  - radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
KW  - galaxies:active
KW  - galaxies: jets
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu2438
SN  - 0035-8711
SN  - 1365-2966
VL  - 447
IS  - 1
SP  - 530
EP  - 544
PB  - Oxford Univ. Press
CY  - Oxford
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Chen, Xuhui
A1  - Pohl, Martin
A1  - Bottcher, Markus
A1  - Gao, Shan
T1  - Particle diffusion and localized acceleration in inhomogeneous AGN jets - II. Stochastic variation
JF  - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
N2  - We study the stochastic variation of blazar emission under a 2D spatially resolved leptonic jet model we previously developed. Random events of particle acceleration and injection in small zones within the emission region are assumed to be responsible for flux variations. In addition to producing spectral energy distributions that describe the observed flux of Mrk 421, we further analyse the timing properties of the simulated light curves, such as the power spectral density (PSD) at different bands, flux-flux correlations, aswell as the cross-correlation function between X-rays and TeV gamma-rays. We find spectral breaks in the PSD at a time-scale comparable to the dominant characteristic time-scale in the system, which is usually the predefined decay time-scale of an acceleration event. Cooling imposes a delay, and so PSDs taken at lower energy bands in each emission component (synchrotron or inverse Compton) generally break at longer time-scales. The flux-flux correlation between X-rays and TeV gamma-rays can be either quadratic or linear, depending on whether or not there are large variation of the injection into the particle acceleration process. When the relationship is quadratic, the TeV flares lag the X-ray flares, and the optical and GeV flares are large enough to be comparable to the ones in X-ray. When the relationship is linear, the lags are insignificant, and the optical and GeV flares are small.
KW  - acceleration of particles
KW  - diffusion
KW  - radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
KW  - galaxies: active
KW  - BL Lacertae objects: individual: Mrk 421
KW  - galaxies: jets
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw528
SN  - 0035-8711
SN  - 1365-2966
VL  - 458
SP  - 3260
EP  - 3271
PB  - Oxford Univ. Press
CY  - Oxford
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Chen, Xuhui
A1  - Chatterjee, Ritaban
A1  - Zhang, Haocheng
A1  - Pohl, Martin
A1  - Fossati, Giovanni
A1  - Boettcher, Markus
A1  - Bailyn, Charles D.
A1  - Bonning, Erin W.
A1  - Buxton, Michelle
A1  - Coppi, Paolo
A1  - Isler, Jedidah
A1  - Maraschi, Laura
A1  - Urry, Meg
T1  - Magnetic field amplification and flat spectrum radio quasars
JF  - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
N2  - We perform time-dependent, spatially resolved simulations of blazar emission to evaluate several flaring scenarios related to magnetic-field amplification and enhanced particle acceleration. The code explicitly accounts for light-travel-time effects and is applied to flares observed in the flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 0208-512, which show optical/gamma-ray correlation at some times, but orphan optical flares at other times. Changes in both the magnetic field and the particle acceleration efficiency are explored as causes of flares. Generally, external Compton (EC) emission appears to describe the available data better than a synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) scenario, and in particular orphan optical flares are difficult to produce in the SSC framework. X-ray soft-excesses, gamma-ray spectral hardening, and the detections at very high energies of certain FSRQs during flares find natural explanations in the EC scenario with particle acceleration change. Likewise, optical flares with/without gamma-ray counterparts can be explained by different allocations of energy between the magnetization and particle acceleration, which may be related to the orientation of the magnetic field relative to the jet flow. We also calculate the degree of linear polarization and polarization angle as a function of time for a jet with helical magnetic field. Tightening of the magnetic helix immediately downstream of the jet perturbations, where flares occur, can be sufficient to explain the increases in the degree of polarization and a rotation by a parts per thousand yen180A degrees of the observed polarization angle, if light-travel-time effects are properly considered.
KW  - radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
KW  - galaxies: active
KW  - galaxies: jets
KW  - quasars: individual: PKS 0208-512
Y1  - 2014
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu713
SN  - 0035-8711
SN  - 1365-2966
VL  - 441
IS  - 3
SP  - 2188
EP  - 2199
PB  - Oxford Univ. Press
CY  - Oxford
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Archer, A.
A1  - Benbow, W.
A1  - Bird, R.
A1  - Buchovecky, M.
A1  - Buckley, J. H.
A1  - Bugaev, V.
A1  - Byrum, K.
A1  - Cardenzana, J. V.
A1  - Cerruti, M.
A1  - Chen, Xuhui
A1  - Ciupik, L.
A1  - Collins-Hughes, E.
A1  - Connolly, M. P.
A1  - Eisch, J. D.
A1  - Falcone, A.
A1  - Feng, Q.
A1  - Finley, J. P.
A1  - Fleischhack, H.
A1  - Flinders, A.
A1  - Fortson, L.
A1  - Furniss, A.
A1  - Gillanders, G. H.
A1  - Griffin, S.
A1  - Grube, J.
A1  - Gyuk, G.
A1  - Hakansson, Nils
A1  - Hanna, D.
A1  - Holder, J.
A1  - Humensky, T. B.
A1  - Huetten, M.
A1  - Johnson, C. A.
A1  - Kaaret, P.
A1  - Kar, P.
A1  - Kelley-Hoskins, N.
A1  - Kertzman, M.
A1  - Kieda, D.
A1  - Krause, M.
A1  - Krennrich, F.
A1  - Kumar, S.
A1  - Lang, M. J.
A1  - McArthur, S.
A1  - McCann, A.
A1  - Meagher, K.
A1  - Millis, J.
A1  - Moriarty, P.
A1  - Mukherjee, R.
A1  - Nieto, D.
A1  - Ong, R. A.
A1  - Park, N.
A1  - Pelassa, V.
A1  - Pohl, Martin
A1  - Popkow, A.
A1  - Pueschel, Elisa
A1  - Quinn, J.
A1  - Ragan, K.
A1  - Ratliff, G.
A1  - Reynolds, P. T.
A1  - Richards, G. T.
A1  - Roache, E.
A1  - Rousselle, J.
A1  - Santander, M.
A1  - Sembroski, G. H.
A1  - Shahinyan, K.
A1  - Smith, A. W.
A1  - Staszak, D.
A1  - Telezhinsky, Igor O.
A1  - Tucci, J. V.
A1  - Tyler, J.
A1  - Vassiliev, V. V.
A1  - Wakely, S. P.
A1  - Weiner, O. M.
A1  - Weinstein, A.
A1  - Wilhelm, Alina
A1  - Williams, D. A.
A1  - Zitzer, B.
A1  - Yusef-Zadeh, F.
T1  - TEV GAMMA-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF THE GALACTIC CENTER RIDGE BY VERITAS
JF  - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics
N2  - The Galactic Center ridge has been observed extensively in the past by both GeV and TeV gamma-ray instruments revealing a wealth of structure, including a diffuse component and the point sources G0.9+0.1 (a composite supernova remnant) and Sgr A* (believed to be associated with the supermassive black hole located at the center of our Galaxy). Previous very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray observations with the H.E.S.S.. experiment have also detected an extended TeV gamma-ray component along the Galactic plane in the >300 GeV gamma-ray regime. Here we report on observations of the Galactic Center ridge from 2010 to 2014 by the VERITAS telescope array in the >2 TeV energy range. From these observations we (1) provide improved measurements of the differential energy spectrum for Sgr A* in the >2 TeV gamma-ray regime, (2) provide a detection in the >2 TeV gamma-ray emission from the composite SNR G0.9+0.1 and an improved determination of its multi-TeV gamma-ray energy spectrum, and. (3) report on the detection of VER J1746-289, a localized enhancement of >2 TeV gamma-ray emission along the Galactic plane.
KW  - Galaxy: center
KW  - gamma rays: general
KW  - supernovae: individual (G0.9+0.1)
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/821/2/129
SN  - 0004-637X
SN  - 1538-4357
VL  - 821
SP  - 162
EP  - 167
PB  - IOP Publ. Ltd.
CY  - Bristol
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Archambault, S.
A1  - Beilicke, M.
A1  - Benbow, W.
A1  - Berger, K.
A1  - Bird, R.
A1  - Bouvier, A.
A1  - Buckley, J. H.
A1  - Bugaev, V.
A1  - Byrum, K.
A1  - Cerruti, M.
A1  - Chen, Xuhui
A1  - Ciupik, L.
A1  - Connolly, M. P.
A1  - Cui, W.
A1  - Duke, C.
A1  - Dumm, J.
A1  - Errando, M.
A1  - Falcone, A.
A1  - Federici, Simone
A1  - Feng, Q.
A1  - Finley, J. P.
A1  - Fortson, L.
A1  - Furniss, A.
A1  - Galante, N.
A1  - Gillanders, G. H.
A1  - Griffin, S.
A1  - Griffiths, S. T.
A1  - Grube, J.
A1  - Gyuk, G.
A1  - Hanna, D.
A1  - Holder, J.
A1  - Hughes, G.
A1  - Humensky, T. B.
A1  - Kaaret, P.
A1  - Kertzman, M.
A1  - Khassen, Y.
A1  - Kieda, D.
A1  - Krawczynski, H.
A1  - Lang, M. J.
A1  - Madhavan, A. S.
A1  - Maier, G.
A1  - Majumdar, P.
A1  - McArthur, S.
A1  - McCann, A.
A1  - Moriarty, P.
A1  - Mukherjee, R.
A1  - Nieto, D.
A1  - de Bhroithe, A. O'Faolain
A1  - Ong, R. A.
A1  - Otte, A. N.
A1  - Pandel, D.
A1  - Park, N.
A1  - Perkins, J. S.
A1  - Pohl, Martin
A1  - Popkow, A.
A1  - Prokoph, H.
A1  - Quinn, J.
A1  - Ragan, K.
A1  - Rajotte, J.
A1  - Reyes, L. C.
A1  - Reynolds, P. T.
A1  - Richards, G. T.
A1  - Roache, E.
A1  - Sembroski, G. H.
A1  - Sheidaei, F.
A1  - Smith, A. W.
A1  - Staszak, D.
A1  - Telezhinsky, Igor O.
A1  - Theiling, M.
A1  - Tucci, J. V.
A1  - Tyler, J.
A1  - Varlotta, A.
A1  - Vincent, S.
A1  - Wakely, S. P.
A1  - Weekes, T. C.
A1  - Weinstein, A.
A1  - Williams, D. A.
A1  - Zitzer, B.
A1  - McCollough, M. L.
T1  - Veritas observatons of the microquasar cygnus  X-3
JF  - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics
N2  - We report results from TeV gamma-ray observations of the microquasar Cygnus X-3. The observations were made with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) over a time period from 2007 June 11 to 2011 November 28. VERITAS is most sensitive to gamma rays at energies between 85 GeV and 30 TeV. The effective exposure time amounts to a total of about 44 hr, with the observations covering six distinct radio/X-ray states of the object. No significant TeV gamma-ray emission was detected in any of the states, nor with all observations combined. The lack of a positive signal, especially in the states where GeV gamma rays were detected, places constraints on TeV gamma-ray production in Cygnus X-3. We discuss the implications of the results.
KW  - acceleration of particles
KW  - binaries: close
KW  - gamma rays: stars
KW  - X-rays: individual (Cygnus X-3)
Y1  - 2013
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/779/2/150
SN  - 0004-637X
SN  - 1538-4357
VL  - 779
IS  - 2
PB  - IOP Publ. Ltd.
CY  - Bristol
ER  -