The Outburst of the Blazar S5 0716+71 in 2011 October: Shock in a Helical Jet

Abstract

We present the results of optical (R band) photometric and polarimetric monitoring and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) imaging of the blazar S5 0716+714 along with Fermi gamma-ray data during a multi-waveband outburst in 2011 October. We analyze total and polarized intensity images of the blazar obtained with the VLBA at 43 GHz during and after the outburst. Monotonic rotation of the linear polarization vector at a rate of >50 degrees per night coincided with a sharp maximum in gamma-ray and optical flux. At the same time, within the uncertainties, a new superluminal knot appeared, with an apparent speed of ~21c. The general multi-frequency behavior of the outburst can be explained within the framework of a shock wave propagating along a helical path in the blazar's jet.

7 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal; minor corrections in the Acknowledgments

References in corpus (7)

• Photopolarimetric Monitoring of Blazars in the Optical and Near-Infrared Bands with the Kanata Telescope. I. Correlations between Flux, Color, and Polarization
• Multifrequency monitoring of the blazar 0716+714 during the GASP-WEBT-AGILE campaign of 2007
• Optical Polarization and Spectral Variability in the M87 Jet
• Testing the inverse-Compton catastrophe scenario in the intra-day variable blazar S5 0716+71. I. Simultaneous broadband observations during November 2003
• Periodic structure in the Mpc-scale jet of PKS 0637-752
• Optical Monitoring of BL Lacertae Object OJ 287: a 40-Day Period?
• AGILE detection of variable gamma-ray activity from the blazar S5 0716+714 in September-October 2007

Cited by in corpus (84)

• Turbulent, Extreme Multi-Zone Model for Simulating Flux and Polarization Variability in Blazars
• MOJAVE. X. Parsec-Scale Jet Orientation Variations and Superluminal Motion in AGN
• Kinematics of Parsec-Scale Jets of Gamma-Ray Blazars at 43~GHz within the VLBA-BU-BLAZAR Program
• The awakening of BL Lacertae: observations by Fermi, Swift, and the GASP-WEBT
• An Optical View of BL Lacertae Objects
• Kinematics of Parsec-Scale Jets of Gamma-Ray Bright Blazars at 43 GHz during Ten Years of the VLBA-BU-BLAZAR Program
• Quasi-periodicities at year-like timescales in Blazars
• RoboPol: First season rotations of optical polarization plane in blazars
• RoboPol: optical polarization-plane rotations and flaring activity in blazars
• RoboPol: Connection between optical polarization plane rotations and gamma-ray flares in blazars
• Polarization Swings Reveal Magnetic Energy Dissipation in Blazars
• Multi-wavelength variability properties of Fermi blazar S5 0716+714
• A multi-wavelength polarimetric study of the blazar CTA 102 during a Gamma-ray flare in 2012
• Multifrequency Photo-polarimetric WEBT Observation Campaign on the Blazar S5 0716+714: Source Microvariability and Search for Characteristic Timescales
• RoboPol: Do optical polarization rotations occur in all blazars?
• Gamma-ray and optical oscillations in the blazar PKS 0537-441
• Exceptional outburst of the blazar CTA 102 in 2012: The GASP-WEBT campaign and its extension
• Kink-driven magnetic reconnection in relativistic jets: consequences for X-ray polarimetry of BL Lacs
• Multi-wavelength characterization of the blazar S5~0716+714 during an unprecedented outburst phase
• Probing dissipation mechanisms in BL Lac jets through X-ray polarimetry
• Quasi-periodic behaviour in the optical and γ-ray light curves of blazars 3C 66A and B2 1633+38
• The dual nature of blazar fast variability. Space and ground observations of S5 0716+714
• Multiwavelength behaviour of the blazar 3C279: decade-long study from $\gamma$-ray to radio
• Optical EVPA rotations in blazars: testing a stochastic variability model with RoboPol data
• Jet outflow and gamma-ray emission correlations in S5 0716+714
• Polarization Signatures of Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic Shocks in the Blazar Emission Region - I. Force-free Helical Magnetic Fields
• Two Flares with One Shock: the Interesting Case of 3C 454.3
• The Outburst of the Blazar S40954+658 in March-April 2011
• Connection between inner jet kinematics and broadband flux variability in the BL Lac object S5 0716+714
• A peculiar multi-wavelength flare in the Blazar 3C 454.3
• Polarization swings in blazars
• Radiation and Polarization Signatures from Magnetic Reconnection in Relativistic Jets--I. A Systematic Study
• Multiwavelength behaviour of the blazar OJ 248 from radio to γ-rays
• The complex variability of blazars: Time-scales and periodicity analysis in S4 0954+65
• Polarization Signatures of Kink Instabilities in the Blazar Emission Region from Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations
• Multi-wavelength variability study of the classical BL Lac object PKS 0735+178 on timescales ranging from decades to minutes
• Characterizing optical variability of OJ 287 in 2016 - 2017
• Long term variability and correlation study of the blazar 3C 454.3 in radio, NIR and optical wavebands
• Radiation and Polarization Signatures of 3D Multi-zone Time-dependent Hadronic Blazar Model
• Synchrotron emission from the blazar PG 1553+113. An analysis of its flux and polarization variability
• Multicolor Optical Monitoring of the Blazar S5 0716+714 from 2017 to 2019
• Anti-correlated Optical Flux and Polarization Variability in BL Lac
• Locating the gamma-ray emission site in Fermi/LAT blazars. II Multifrequency correlations
• Multi-frequency variability study of Ton 599 during high activity of 2017
• Short Timescale Photometric and Polarimetric Behavior of two BL Lacertae Type Objects
• Radiation Signatures From Striped Blazar Jet
• Exploring the origin of multiwavelength activities of high-redshift FSRQ PKS 1502+106 during 2014-2018
• The Polarization Behavior of Relativistic Synchrotron Jets
• Constraints on Lorentz Invariance and CPT Violation using Optical Photometry and Polarimetry of Active Galaxies BL Lacertae and S5 B0716+714
• Probing shock acceleration in BL Lac jets through X-ray polarimetry: the time-dependent view
• Long term optical and infrared variability characteristics of Fermi Blazars
• The optical behaviour of BL Lacertae at its maximum brightness levels: a blend of geometry and energetics
• Discovery of a Highly Polarized Optical Microflare in the Blazar S5 0716+714 During 2014 WEBT Campaign
• Intra-night optical flux and polarization variability of BL~Lacertae during its 2020 $-$ 2021 high state
• Optical and Radio Variability of BL Lacertae
• Imaging and variability studies of CTA~102 during the 2016 January $\gamma$-ray flare
• Detection of a gamma-ray flare from the high-redshift blazar DA 193
• Multi-color optical monitoring of the BL Lacertae object S5 0716+714 during the 2012 outburst
• The gamma-ray and Optical Variability Analysis of the BL Lac Object 3FGL J0449.4-4350
• Optical polarization variations in the blazar PKS 1749+096
• The intraday variations of polarization vector direction in radio source S5 0716+714
• The RoboPol Program: Optical Polarimetric Monitoring of Blazars
• Multiband optical flux density and polarization microvariability study of optically bright blazars
• A 31.3 day Transient Quasiperiodic Oscillation in Gamma-ray Emission from Blazar S5 0716+714
• The variability of blazars throughout the electromagnetic spectrum
• Blazar variability with the Vera C. Rubin Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST)
• Variability and evolution of the optical polarization of a sample of gamma-ray blazars
• Analyzing polarization swings in 3C 279
• Geometrical and Kinematic Parameters of the Jet of the Blazar S5 0716+71 in a Helical-Jet Model
• Polarimetric Properties of Blazars Caught by the WEBT
• Exploring Short-Term Optical Variability of Blazars Using $\text{TESS}$
• Interferometric Monitoring of Gamma-ray Bright AGNs: S5 0716+714
• Optical variability in IBL S5 0716+714 during the 2013-2015 outburst
• Circular polarization of cosmic photons due to their interactions with Sterile neutrino dark matter
• Multifrequency polarimetry of High-Synchrotron Peaked blazars probes the shape of their jets
• Periods of the Long-Term Variability of the Blazar 0716+714 and Their Inter-Correlations in a Helical Jet Model
• Signature of stochastic acceleration and cooling processes in an outburst phase of the TeV blazar ON 231
• A QPO in Mkn 421 from Archival RXTE Data
• Long-term multiband optical variability of S5 0716+714 blazar
• Time-Variable Linear Polarization as a Probe of the Physical Conditions in the Compact Jets of Blazars
• Possible Gravitational Microlensing Events in the Optical Lightcurve of Active Galaxy S5 0716+714
• A numerical study on the role of instabilities on multi-wavelength emission signatures of blazar jets
• Optical Monitoring and Long-term Optical Spectral Variability of BL Lacertae Object S5 0716+714
• Object S5 0716+71: Flux - linear polarization coupling