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arXiv · astro-ph/0701633

Automatic quenching of high energy gamma-ray sources by synchrotron photons

L. Stawarz·J. G. Kirk
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Abstract

We investigate a magnetized plasma in which injected high energy gamma-rays annihilate on a soft photon field, that is provided by the synchrotron radiation of the created pairs. For a very wide range of magnetic fields, this process involves gamma-rays between 0.3 GeV and 30 TeV. We derive a simple dynamical system for this process, analyze its stability to runaway production of soft photons and paris, and find conditions for it to automatically quench by reaching a steady state with an optical depth to photon-photon annihilation larger than unity. We discuss applications to broad-band gamma-ray emitters, in particular supermassive black holes. Automatic quenching limits the gamma-ray luminosity of these objects and predicts substantial pair loading of the jets of less active sources.

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L. Stawarz, J. G. Kirk. 2007-03-26. Automatic quenching of high energy gamma-ray sources by synchrotron photons. https://doi.org/10.1086/518417

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