# EXTREME SYNCHROTRON BLAZARS IN OUTBURST: THE POTENTIALITY OF INTEGRAL IMAGING AND SPECTROSCOPY

## Abstract

ABSTRACT 

Only $``$10 blazars have been detected in soft gamma-rays by OSSE and the PDS, often in flaring state. We investigate the impact of the imaging and spectral capabilities of the IBIS instrument on board INTEGRAL on the study of blazars. The objectives are: 1) to remove ambiguities in the identification of some blazars as soft gamma-ray emitters; 2) to determine the spectral shape of “extreme synchrotron” blazars, namely sources with high $`\mathrm{F}_\mathrm{X}/\mathrm{F}_{\mathrm{r}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{d}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{o}}`$ ratios, for which the synchrotron component peaks at far UV-soft X-ray frequencies. We expect that in these sources the synchrotron peak shifts to higher energies during outbursts, making them strong soft gamma-ray emitters, and therefore possible targets for INTEGRAL wide band X- and gamma-ray spectroscopy.

<sup>1</sup> ITESRE-CNR, Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy

<sup>2</sup> Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, V. Brera 28, 20121 Milano, Italy

<sup>3</sup> Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, V. Bianchi 46, 22055 Merate (Lecco), Italy

<sup>4</sup> Dipartimento di Astronomia di Bologna, V. Zamboni 33, 40126 Bologna, Italy

KEYWORDS: gamma-ray observations, blazars, multiwavelength variability

1. THE SOFT GAMMA-RAY EMISSION OF BLAZARS

Blazars are radio-loud active galactic nuclei with highly luminous and highly variable multiwavelength continua. Their spectral energy distributions from the radio to the gamma-ray band can be described in a general way as composed of two broad peaks in the power per decade, corresponding to the synchrotron and inverse Compton emission, respectively (see e.g., ). Blazars of different luminosities appear to lie along a spectral sequence  whereby both peaks fall at higher frequencies for lower luminosity objects. Thus highly luminous objects are “red”, meaning that the first peak falls at frequencies smaller than the optical range, while low luminosity objects are “blue”, having peak frequency beyond the UV range. For red blazars the second spectral component peaks within or below the EGRET (0.1-10 GeV) range, while for blue blazars it peaks beyond the EGRET range. The OSSE and PDS instruments on board CGRO and BeppoSAX, respectively, have detected $``$10 blazars in the soft gamma-rays ($``$15–200 keV). Among these, most have rather flat spectra ($`\alpha <1`$, with $`F_\nu \nu ^\alpha `$), indicating the inverse Compton origin of radiation in this band \[3-5\].

For Mkn 501, during the X-ray outburst observed in April 1997 by BeppoSAX and RXTE , both OSSE and the PDS measured a nearly horizontal slope of the energy spectrum ($`\alpha 1`$), identified with the peak of the synchrotron emission (Fig. 1). This means that in this blue blazar, the maximum of the synchrotron component had shifted during the outburst by nearly three decades in energy, reaching the soft gamma-ray frequencies, and its high energy tail might have extended to $``$1 MeV. This suggests that for some blazars in outburst, the soft gamma-ray radiation might be produced via the synchrotron mechanism, instead of inverse Compton, thus implying the presence of extremely energetic electrons. A contribution from the inverse Compton component might still be present toward higher energies ($`>\text{ }1`$ MeV).

2. PLANNED IBIS OBSERVATIONS AND EXPECTED RESULTS

These sources, which have been also named “Extreme Synchrotron Blazars” (ESB, ), will have the characteristics of blue blazars in quiescent state. Their synchrotron peak is usually in the extreme UV/soft X-ray band, but it could shift to higher energies during outbursts, namely when fresh, higher energy electrons are injected, allowing their detection in hard X-rays and soft gamma-rays. The ratio of their X-ray to radio output is high, if compared with that of red blazars. We have explored the possibility of doing spectroscopy of ESB in the soft gamma-ray range with the IBIS instrument to be operating on board INTEGRAL.

Fig. 2 reports the PDS spectra of three blazars compared with the IBIS sensitivity curves at 3$`\sigma `$. Detection of the spectrum of an ESB of brightness and spectrum comparable with those of Mkn 501, and assuming some downward curvature of $`\mathrm{\Delta }\alpha 1`$ beyond 200 keV, will be possible up to $``$500 keV with a significance $`3\sigma `$. We expect to observe with IBIS one or two ESBs in outburst, as part of a Target-of-Opportunity program triggered by optical monitoring. Determining with IBIS the soft gamma-ray spectrum of an ESB in the range 15-1000 keV will allow us to explore the highest energy end of the synchrotron spectrum, and, due to the wide energy range, to possibly disentangle the synchrotron and inverse Compton components, and thus determine with high precision the maximum electron energies reached during these powerful outbursts. This will ultimately improve our understanding of the acceleration mechanisms which produce these events.

3. THE PROBLEM OF THE CONTAMINATION 

The fine angular resolution of IBIS ($`12^{}`$) will allow us to disentangle the soft gamma-ray flux of some sources which might be contaminated by nearby objects in OSSE detections, and possibly also in the PDS observations. For instance, the BL Lac object PKS 2155–304, one of the best studied blazars at all frequencies, lies at $`1.8^{}`$ from the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 7172, of comparable average brightness. OSSE (field of view $`4^{}\times 11^{}`$) observations could not distinguish the flux from either source , while the PDS has a sufficiently small field of view ($`1.3^{}`$ at FWHM) to exclude NGC 7172 when pointing at PKS 2155–304. Another source, the quasar PKS 2149–306, which has a hard X-ray spectrum  and an extrapolated soft gamma-ray brightness similar to, or larger than that of PKS 2155–304, lies at$`1.5^{}`$, and might therefore marginally contaminate the PDS response. Although in the case of PKS 2155–304 contamination of both flux and background PDS measurements is not severe (not exceeding $``$5%), it might be a concern for other sources. The imaging capabilities of IBIS will completely avoid this problem.

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