Published March 20, 2016 | Version v1
Journal article

Contemporaneous broadband observations of three high-redshift BL Lac objects

  • 1. Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, D-12738 Zeuthen (Germany)
  • 2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Kinard Lab of Physics, Clemson, SC 29634-0978 (United States)
  • 3. W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)
  • 4. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste (Italy)
  • 5. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, I-35131 Padova (Italy)
  • 6. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy)
  • 7. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, I-70126 Bari (Italy)
  • 8. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino, I-10125 Torino (Italy)
  • 9. Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier, Université Montpellier, CNRS/IN2P3, Montpellier (France)
  • 10. Department of Physics, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park 2006 (South Africa)
  • 11. Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet, École polytechnique, CNRS/IN2P3, Palaiseau (France)
  • 12. INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, I-20133 Milano (Italy)
  • 13. Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Science Data Center, I-00133 Roma (Italy)
  • 14. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia, I-06123 Perugia (Italy)

Description

We have collected broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of three BL Lac objects 3FGL J0022.1−1855 (z = 0.689), 3FGL J0630.9−2406 ( z 1.239), and 3FGL J0811.2−7529 (z = 0.774), detected by Fermi with relatively flat gigaelectronvolt spectra. By observing simultaneously in the near-infrared to hard X-ray band, we can well characterize the high end of the synchrotron component of the SED. Thus, fitting the SEDs to synchro-Compton models of the dominant emission from the relativistic jet, we can constrain the underlying particle properties and predict the shape of the gigaelectronvolt Compton component. Standard extragalactic background light (EBL) models explain the high-energy absorption well, with poorer fits for high-ultraviolet models. The fits show clear evidence for EBL absorption in the Fermi spectrum of our highest-redshift source 3FGL J0630.9−2406. While synchrotron self-Compton models adequately describe the SEDs, the situation may be complicated by possible external Compton components. For 3FGL J0811.2−7529, we also discover a nearby serendipitous source in the X-ray data, which is almost certainly another lower synchrotron peak frequency ( ν p k s y ) BL Lac, that may contribute flux in the Fermi band. Since our sources are unusual high-luminosity, moderate ν p k s y BL Lacs, we compare these quantities and the Compton dominance, the ratio of peak inverse Compton to peak synchrotron luminosities ( L p k I C / L p k s y ), with those of the full Fermi BL Lac population.

Availability note (English)

Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/820/1/72

Additional details

Identifiers

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Astrophysical Journal
Journal Volume
820
Journal Issue
1
Series
Since 2009, the country of publication for this journal is the UK.
Journal Page Range
[12 p.]
ISSN
0004-637X
CODEN
ASJOAB