Blazar Jets Perturbed by Magneto-Gravitational Stresses in Supermassive Binaries

Abstract

We study particle acceleration and radiative processes in Blazar jets under recurring conditions set by gravitational perturbations in supermassive binary systems. We consider the action from a companion orbiting a primary black hole of $\sim 10^8{M}_{\odot }$, and perturbing its relativistic jet. We discuss how such conditions induce repetitive magneto-hydrodynamic stresses along the jet, and affect its inner electron acceleration and radiative processes. Specifically, we study how macroscopic perturbations related to increased jet "magnetization" end up into higher radiative outputs in the optical, X-ray and gamma-ray bands. We find first an increase in magnetic field strength as gauged in the optical band from the Synchrotron emission of electrons accelerated in kinetic processes stimulated by reconnecting magnetic lines. The energetic electrons then proceed to up-scatter the Synchrotron photons to GeV energies after the canonical Synchrotron-Self Compton radiation process. Our model implies a specific, recurring pattern in the optical to gamma-ray emissions, made of high peaks and wide troughs. Progressing accelerations caused by spreading reconnections will produce an additional Synchrotron keV component. Such outbursts provide a diagnostics for enhanced acceleration of electrons which can up-scatter photons into the TeV range. We discuss how our model applies to the BL Lac object PG 1553+113, arguably the best candidate to now for high amplitude, recurring modulations in its gamma-ray emissions. We also consider other BL Lacs showing correlated keV - TeV radiations such as Mrk 421.

20 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication by The Astrophysical Journal on Jan 8, 2017

References in corpus (7)

• The power of blazar jets
• Doppler factors, Lorentz factors and viewing angles for quasars, BL Lacertae objects and radio galaxies
• Massive binary black holes in galactic nuclei and their path to coalescence
• Relativistic magnetic reconnection in pair plasmas and its astrophysical applications
• Relativistic magnetic reconnection in collisionless ion-electron plasmas explored with particle-in-cell simulations
• Coronal Properties of the Seyfert 1.9 Galaxy MCG -05-23-016 Determined from Hard X-ray Spectroscopy with NuSTAR
• MHD simulations of three-dimensional Resistive Reconnection in a cylindrical plasma column

Cited by in corpus (12)

• A search for cyclical sources of gamma-ray emission on the period range from days to years in the Fermi-LAT sky
• Quasi-periodic behaviour in the optical and γ-ray light curves of blazars 3C 66A and B2 1633+38
• Looking at Blazar Light Curve Periodicities with Gaussian Processes
• A parsec-scale wobbling jet in the high-synchrotron peaked blazar PG 1553+113
• Multi-TeV flaring from high energy blazars: An evidence of the photohadronic process
• Quasi-periodic behaviour in the $\gamma$-ray light curve of the blazar PKS 0405-385
• Periodic Gamma-ray Modulation of the blazar PG 1553+113 Confirmed by Fermi-LAT and Multi-wavelength Observations
• The X-ray outburst of PG 1553+113: A precession effect of two jets in the supermassive black hole binary system
• Constraining the PG 1553+113 binary hypothesis: interpreting hints of a new, 22-year period
• Meeting the Challenge from Bright and Fast Gamma-Ray Flares of 3C 279
• Search for periodicities in High Energy AGNs with a time-domain approach
• Prospects for observing supermassive black hole binaries with the space-ground interferometer