B2 1308+326: a changing-look blazar or not?

Abstract

In our previous study, we identified a shift in the synchrotron peak frequency of the blazar B2 1308$+$326 from 10${}^{12.9}$ Hz to 10${}^{14.8}$ Hz during a flare, suggesting it could be a changing-look blazar (CLB). In this work, we investigate the CL behaviour of B2 1308+326 by analysing a newly acquired optical spectrum and comparing it with an archival spectrum. We find that between the two epochs, the continuum flux increased by a factor of $\sim$4.4, while the Mg II emission line flux decreased by a factor of 1.4$\pm$0.2. Additionally, the equivalent width of the Mg II line reduced from $\sim 20$ Ã \ to $\sim 3$ Ã , indicating an apparent shift from a flat-spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) class to a BL Lacertae (BL Lac) class. Despite this apparent change, the ratio of accretion disk luminosity to Eddington luminosity remains $>$ 10${}^{-2}$ during both epochs, indicating efficient accretion persists in B2 1308$+$326. The measured black hole mass remains consistent with an average $\log M_{\mathrm{BH}}=8.44$ M${}_{\odot }$. Our findings suggest that B2 1308$+$326 is not a genuine CLB, but rather an intrinsic FSRQ that emerges as a BL Lac during high-flux states due to enhanced non-thermal emission.

8 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal