The Identification of EGRET Sources with Flat-Spectrum Radio Sources

Abstract

We present a method to assess the reliability of the identification of EGRET sources with extragalactic radio sources. We verify that EGRET is detecting the blazar class of AGN. However, many published identifications are found to be questionable. We provide a table of 42 blazars which we expect to be robust identifications of EGRET sources. This includes one previously unidentified EGRET source, the lensed AGN PKS 1830-210 near the direction of the Galactic center. We provide the best available positions for 16 more radio sources which are also potential identifications for previously unidentified EGRET sources. All high Galactic latitude EGRET sources (b>3 degrees) which demonstrate significant variability can be identified with flat spectrum radio sources. This suggests that EGRET is not detecting any type of AGN other than blazars. This identification method has been used to establish with 99.998% confidence that the peak gamma-ray flux of a blazar is correlated with its average 5 GHz radio flux. An even better correlation is seen between gamma-ray flux and the 2.29 GHz flux density measured with VLBI at the base of the radio jet. Also, using high confidence identifications, we find that the radio sources identified with EGRET sources have larger correlated VLBI flux densities than the parent population of flat radio spectrum sources.