Oblique Shocks As The Origin Of Radio To Gamma-ray Variability In AGN

Abstract

The `shock in jet' model for cm-waveband blazar variability is revisited, allowing for arbitrary shock orientation with respect to the jet flow direction, and both random and ordered magnetic field. It is shown that oblique shocks can explain events with swings in polarization position angle much less than the 90 deg. associated with transverse structures, while retaining the general characteristics of outbursts, including spectral behavior and level of peak percentage polarization. Models dominated by a force-free, minimum energy magnetic field configuration (essentially helical) display a shallow rise in percentage polarization and frequency dependent swing in polarization position angle not in agreement with the results of single-dish monitoring observations, implying that the field is predominantly random in the quiescent state. Outbursts well-explained by the `shock in jet' model are present during gamma-ray flaring in several sources, supporting the idea that shock events are responsible for activity from the radio to gamma-ray bands.

19 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

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Cited by in corpus (29)

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• Radio and gamma-ray follow-up of the exceptionally high activity state of PKS 1510-089 in 2011
• Multi-wavelength observations of blazar AO 0235+164 in the 2008-2009 flaring state
• Multi-band optical variability of three TeV Blazars on Diverse Timescales
• Frequency and Time Dependence of Linear Polarization in Turbulent Jets of Blazars
• Multi-band optical variability of the Blazar S5 0716+714 in outburst state during 2014-2015
• Constraining the Physical Conditions in the Jets of Gamma-Ray Flaring Blazars using Centimeter-Band Polarimetry and Radiative Transfer Simulations. I. Data and Models for 0420-014, OJ 287, and 1156+295
• Blazar variability power spectra from radio up to TeV photon energies: Mrk 421 and PKS 2155-304
• 3C273 variability at 7 mm: Evidences of shocks and precession in the jet
• Ejection of Double knots from the radio core of PKS 1510--089 during the strong gamma-ray flares in 2015
• The first IRAM/PdBI polarimetric millimeter survey of active galactic nuclei. II. Activity and properties of individual sources
• Multiband optical flux density and polarization microvariability study of optically bright blazars
• The University of Michigan Centimeter-Band All Stokes Blazar Monitoring Program: Single-Dish Polarimetry as a Probe of Parsec-Scale Magnetic Fields
• Multiwavelength analysis and the difference in the behavior of the spectral features during the 2010 and 2014 flaring periods of the blazar 3C 454.3
• The variability of blazars throughout the electromagnetic spectrum
• Exploring the Nature of the 2016 γ-ray Emission in the Blazar 1749+096
• Temporal variability and estimation of jet parameters for Ton 599
• The radiative transfer of synchrotron radiation through a compressed random magnetic field
• Constraining the Physical Conditions in the Jets of Gamma-ray Flaring Blazars using Centimeter-Band Polarimetry and Radiative Transfer Simulations. II. Exploring Parameter Space and Implications
• On the Injection of Relativistic Electrons in the Jet of 3C 279
• Physical Properties of Jets in AGN
• The optical polarization of the blazar PKS 2155$-$304 during an optical flare in 2010
• The importance of jet bending in gamma-ray AGN - revisited
• Probing Jet Conditions with Multi-frequency, Centimeter-band Linear Polarization: PKS 0420-01
• Constraints on Blazar Jet Conditions During Gamma-Ray Flaring from Radiative Transfer Modeling
• Radiative Transfer Modeling of Radio-band Linear Polarization Observations as a Probe of the Physical Conditions in the Jets of Gamma-ray Flaring Blazars
• Observational View of Magnetic Fields in Active Galactic Nuclei Jets
• Where within the 3C 84 jet are $\gamma$-rays produced?
• Intrinsic electromagnetic variability in celestial objects containing rapidly spinning black holes