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arXiv · 1308.0594

Blazars spectral properties at 74 MHz

F. Massaro·M. Giroletti·A. Paggi·R. D'Abrusco·G. Tosti·S. Funk
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Abstract

Blazars are the most extreme class of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Despite a previous investigation at 102 MHz for a small sample of BL Lacs and our recent analysis of blazars detected in the Westerbork Northern Sky Survey (WENSS), a systematic study of the blazar spectral properties at frequencies below 100 MHz has been never carried out. In this paper, we present the first analysis of the radio spectral behavior of blazars based on the recent Very Large Array Low-Frequency Sky Survey (VLSS) at 74 MHz. We search for blazar counterparts in the VLSS catalog confirming that they are detected at 74 MHz. We then show that blazars present radio flat spectra {(i.e., radio spectral indices ~0.5)} when evaluated also about an order of magnitude in frequency lower than previous analyses. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings in the context of the blazars - radio galaxies connection since the low frequency radio data provide a new diagnostic tool to verify the expectations of the unification scenario for radio-loud active galaxies.

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F. Massaro, M. Giroletti, A. Paggi, R. D'Abrusco, G. Tosti, S. Funk. 2013-08-02. Blazars spectral properties at 74 MHz. https://doi.org/10.1088/0067-0049%2F208%2F2%2F15

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