Blazar Flaring Rates Measured with GLAST
arXiv:astro-ph/0312590 · doi:10.1016/j.newar.2003.12.013
Abstract
We derive the minimum observing time scales to detect a blazar at a given flux level with the LAT on GLAST in the scanning and pointing modes. Based upon Phase 1 observations with EGRET, we predict the GLAST detection rate of blazar flares at different flux levels. With some uncertainty given the poor statistics of bright blazars, we predict that a blazar flare with integral flux >~ 200e-8 ph(> 100 MeV) cm^{-2} s^{-1}, which are the best candidates for Target of Opportunity pointings and extensive temporal and spectral studies, should occur every few days.
7 pages, 2 figures, in 2nd VERITAS Symposium on TeV Astrophysiscs, ed. L. Fortson and S. Swordy, in press, New Astronomy Reviews