The structure and emission model of the relativistic jet in the quasar 3C 279 inferred from radio to high-energy gamma-ray observations in 2008-2010
Creators: name: Hayashida, M.
name: Madejski, G. M.
name: Nalewajko, K.
name: Sikora, M.
name: Wehrle, A. E.
name: Ogle, P.
name: Collmar, W.
name: Larsson, S.
name: Fukazawa, Y.
name: Itoh, R.
name: Chiang, J.
name: Stawarz, L.
name: Blandford, R. D.
name: Richards, J. L.
name: Max-Moerbeck, W.
name: Readhead, A.
name: Buehler, R.
name: Cavazzuti, E.
name: Ciprini, S.
name: Gehrels, N.
name: Reimer, A.
name: Szostek, A.
name: Tanaka, T.
name: Tosti, G.
name: Uchiyama, Y.
name: Kawabata, K. S.
name: Kino, M.
name: Sakimoto, K.
name: Sasada, M.
name: Sato, S.
name: Uemura, M.
name: Yamanaka, M.
name: Greiner, J.
name: Kruehler, T.
name: Rossi, A.
name: Macquart, J. P.
name: Bock, D. C. -J.
name: Villata, M.
name: Raiteri, C. M.
name: Agudo, I.
name: Aller, H. D.
name: Aller, M. F.
name: Arkharov, A. A.
name: Bach, U.
name: Benitez, E.
name: Berdyugin, A.
name: Blinov, D. A.
name: Blumenthal, K.
name: Boettcher, M.
name: Buemi, C. S.
name: Carosati, D.
name: Chen, W. P.
name: Di Paola, A.
name: Dolci, M.
name: Efimova, N. V.
name: Forne, E.
name: Gomez, J. L.
name: Gurwell, M. A.
name: Heidt, J.
name: Hiriart, D.
name: Jordan, B.
name: Jorstad, S. G.
name: Joshi, M.
name: Kimeridze, G.
name: Konstantinova, T. S.
name: Kopatskaya, E. N.
name: Koptelova, E.
name: Kurtanidze, O. M.
name: Lahteenmaki, A.
name: Lamerato, A.
name: Larionov, V. M.
name: Larionova, E. G.
name: Larionova, L. V.
name: Leto, P.
name: Lindfors, E.
name: Marscher, A. P.
name: McHardy, I. M.
name: Molina, S. N.
name: Morozova, D. A.
name: Nikolashvili, M. G.
name: Nilsson, K.
name: Reinthal, R.
name: Roustazadeh, P.
name: Sakamoto, T.
name: Sigua, L. A.
name: Sillanpaa, A.
name: Takalo, L.
name: Tammi, J.
name: Taylor, B.
name: Tornikoski, M.
name: Trigilio, C.
name: Troitsky, I. S.
name: Umana, G.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present time-resolved broad-band observations of the quasar 3C 279 obtained from multi-wavelength campaigns conducted during the first two years of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope mission. While investigating the previously reported gamma-ray/optical flare accompanied by a change in optical polarization, we found that the optical emission appears delayed with respect to the gamma-ray emission by about 10 days. X-ray observations reveal a pair of `isolated' flares separated by ~90 days, with only weak gamma-ray/optical counterparts. The spectral structure measured by Spitzer reveals a synchrotron component peaking in the mid-infrared band with a sharp break at the far-infrared band during the gamma-ray flare, while the peak appears in the mm/sub-mm band in the low state. Selected spectral energy distributions are fitted with leptonic models including Comptonization of external radiation produced in a dusty torus or the broad-line region. Adopting the interpretation of the polarization swing involving propagation of the emitting region along a curved trajectory, we can explain the evolution of the broad-band spectra during the gamma-ray flaring event by a shift of its location from ~ 1 pc to ~ 4 pc from the central black hole. On the other hand, if the gamma-ray flare is generated instead at sub-pc distance from the central black hole, the far-infrared break can be explained by synchrotron self-absorption. We also model the low spectral state, dominated by the mm/sub-mm peaking synchrotron component, and suggest that the corresponding inverse-Compton component explains the steady X-ray emission.
description: 23 pages, 18 figures 5 tables, Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal