arXiv subjects

Markus Boettcher

Publications and source records attributed to Markus Boettcher.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Gamma-Gamma Absorption in the Broad Line Region Radiation Fields of Gamma-Ray Blazars

The expected level of gamma-gamma absorption in the Broad Line Region (BLR) radiation field of gamma-ray loud Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs)is evaluated as a function of the location of the gamma-ray emission region. This is done self-consistently with parameters inferred from the shape of the spectral energy distribution (SED) in a single-zone leptonic EC-BLR model scenario. We take into account all geometrical effects both in the calculation of the gamma-gamma opacity and the normalization of the BLR radiation energy density. As specific examples, we study the FSRQs 3C279 and PKS 1510-089, keeping the BLR radiation energy density at the location of the emission region fixed at the values inferred from the SED. We confirm previous findings that the optical depth due to $γγ$ absorption in the BLR radiation field exceeds unity for both 3C279 and PKS 1510-089 for locations of the gamma-ray emission region inside the inner boundary of the BLR. It decreases monotonically, with distance from the central engine and drops below unity for locations within the BLR. For locations outside the BLR, the BLR radiation energy density required for the production of GeV gamma-rays rapidly increases beyond observational constraints, thus making the EC-BLR mechanism implausible. Therefore, in order to avoid significant gamma-gamma absorption by the BLR radiation field, the gamma-ray emission region must therefore be located near the outer boundary of the BLR.

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arXiv2016

The Aid of Optical Studies in Understanding Millisecond Pulsar Binaries

A large number of new "black widow" and "redback" energetic millisecond pulsars with irradiated stellar companions have been discovered through radio and optical searches of unidentified \textit{Fermi} sources. Synchrotron emission, from particles accelerated up to several TeV in the intrabinary shock, exhibits modulation at the binary orbital period. Our simulated double-peaked X-ray light curves modulated at the orbital period, produced by relativistic Doppler-boosting along the intrabinary shock, are found to qualitatively match those observed in many sources. In this model, redbacks and transitional pulsar systems where the double-peaked X-ray light curve is observed at inferior conjunction have intrinsically different shock geometry than other millisecond pulsar binaries where the light curve is centered at superior conjunction. We discuss, and advocate, how current and future optical observations may aid in constraining the emission geometry, intrabinary shock and the unknown physics of pulsar winds.

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arXiv2015

X-Ray Polarimetry with the Polarization Spectroscopic Telescope Array (PolSTAR)

This paper describes the Polarization Spectroscopic Telescope Array (PolSTAR), a mission proposed to NASA's 2014 Small Explorer (SMEX) announcement of opportunity. PolSTAR measures the linear polarization of 3-50 keV (requirement; goal: 2.5-70 keV) X-rays probing the behavior of matter, radiation and the very fabric of spacetime under the extreme conditions close to the event horizons of black holes, as well as in and around magnetars and neutron stars. The PolSTAR design is based on the technology developed for the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission launched in June 2012. In particular, it uses the same X-ray optics, extendable telescope boom, optical bench, and CdZnTe detectors as NuSTAR. The mission has the sensitivity to measure ~1% linear polarization fractions for X-ray sources with fluxes down to ~5 mCrab. This paper describes the PolSTAR design as well as the science drivers and the potential science return.

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arXiv2015

Hadronic models of blazars require a change of the accretion paradigm

We study hadronic models of broad-band emission of jets in radio-loud active galactic nuclei, and their implications for the accretion in those sources. We show that the models that account for broad-band spectra of blazars emitting in the GeV range in the sample of Boettcher et al. have highly super-Eddington jet powers. Furthermore, the ratio of the jet power to the radiative luminosity of the accretion disc is $\sim 3000$ on average and can be as high as $\sim 10^5$. We then show that the measurements of the radio core shift for the sample imply low magnetic fluxes threading the black hole, which rules out the Blandford-Znajek mechanism to produce powerful jets. These results require that the accretion rate necessary to power the modelled jets is extremely high, and the average radiative accretion efficiency is $\sim 4 \times 10^{-5}$. Thus, if the hadronic model is correct, the currently prevailing picture of accretion in AGNs needs to be significantly revised. Also, the obtained accretion mode cannot be dominant during the lifetimes of the sources, as the modelled very high accretion rates would result in too rapid growth of the central supermassive black holes. Finally, the extreme jet powers in the hadronic model are in conflict with the estimates of the jet power by other methods.

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arXiv2015

Polarization Swings Reveal Magnetic Energy Dissipation in Blazars

The polarization signatures of the blazar emissions are known to be highly variable. In addition to small fluctuations of the polarization angle around a mean value, sometimes large (> 180^o) polarization angle swings are observed. We suggest that such p henomena can be interpreted as arising from light-travel-time effects within an underlying axisymmetric emission region. We present the first simultaneous fitting of the multi-wavelength spectrum, variability and time-dependent polarization features of a correlated optical and gamma-ray flaring event of the prominent blazar 3C279, which was accompanied by a drastic change of its polarization signatures. This unprecedented combination of spectral, variability, and polarization information in a coherent physical model allows us to place stringent constraints on the particle acceleration and magnetic-field topology in the relativistic jet of a blazar, strongly favoring a scenario in which magnetic energy dissipation is the primary driver of the flare event.

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arXiv2015

Time Dependent Hadronic Modeling of Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars

We introduce a new time-dependent lepto-hadronic model for blazar emission that takes into account the radiation emitted by secondary particles, such as pions and muons, from photo hadronic interactions. Starting from a baseline parameter set guided by a fit to the spectral energy distribution of the blazar 3C 279, we perform a parameter study to investigate the effects of perturbations of the input parameters to mimic different flaring events to study the resulting lightcurves in the optical, X-ray, high energy (HE: E > 100 MeV) and very-high-energy (VHE: E > 100 GeV) gamma-rays as well as the neutrino emission associated with charged-pion and muon decay. We find that flaring events from an increase in the efficiency of Fermi II acceleration will produce a positive correlation between all bandpasses and a marked plateau in the HE gamma-ray lightcurve. We also predict a distinctive dip in the HE lightcurve for perturbations caused by a change in the proton injection spectral index. These plateaus / dips could be a tell tale signature of hadronic models for perturbations that lead to more efficient acceleration of high energy protons in parameter regimes where pion and muon synchrotron emission is non-negligible.

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arXiv2015

Studies of Relativistic Jets in Active Galactic Nuclei with SKA

Relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei (AGN) are among the most powerful astrophysical objects discovered to date. Indeed, jetted AGN studies have been considered a prominent science case for SKA, and were included in several different chapters of the previous SKA Science Book (Carilli & Rawlings 2004). Most of the fundamental questions about the physics of relativistic jets still remain unanswered, and await high-sensitivity radio instruments such as SKA to solve them. These questions will be addressed specially through analysis of the massive data sets arising from the deep, all-sky surveys (both total and polarimetric flux) from SKA1. Wide-field very-long-baseline-interferometric survey observations involving SKA1 will serve as a unique tool for distinguishing between extragalactic relativistic jets and star forming galaxies via brightness temperature measurements. Subsequent SKA1 studies of relativistic jets at different resolutions will allow for unprecedented cosmological studies of AGN jets up to the epoch of re-ionization, enabling detailed characterization of the jet composition, magnetic field, particle populations, and plasma properties on all scales. SKA will enable us to study the dependence of jet power and star formation on other properties of the AGN system. SKA1 will enable such studies for large samples of jets, while VLBI observations involving SKA1 will provide the sensitivity for pc-scale imaging, and SKA2 (with its extraordinary sensitivity and dynamic range) will allow us for the first time to resolve and model the weakest radio structures in the most powerful radio-loud AGN.

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arXiv2014

Particle diffusion and localized acceleration in inhomogeneous AGN jets - Part I: Steady-state spectra

We study the acceleration, transport, and emission of particles in relativistic jets. Localized stochastic particle acceleration, spatial diffusion, and synchrotron as well as synchrotron self-Compton emission are considered in a leptonic model. To account for inhomogeneity, we use a 2D axi-symmetric cylindrical geometry for both relativistic electrons and magnetic field. In this first phase of our work, we focus on steady-state spectra that develop from a time-dependent model. We demonstrate that small isolated acceleration region in a much larger emission volume are sufficient to accelerate particles to high energy. Diffusive escape from these small regions provides a natural explanation for the spectral form of the jet emission. The location of the acceleration regions within the jet is found to affect the cooling break of the spectrum in this diffusive model. Diffusion-caused energy-dependent inhomogeneity in the jets predicts that the SSC spectrum is harder than the synchrotron spectrum. There can also be a spectral hardening towards the high-energy section of the synchrotron spectrum, if particle escape is relatively slow. These two spectral hardening effects indicate that the jet inhomogeneity might be a natural explanation for the unexpected hard γ-ray spectra observed in some blazars.

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arXiv2014

The Polarization Dependence of Gamma-Gamma Absorption - Implications for Gamma-Ray Bursts and Blazars

This paper presents an analysis of the dependence of the opacity for high-energy gamma-rays to gamma-gamma absorption by low-energy photons, on the polarization of the gamma-ray and target photons. This process has so far only been considered using the polarization-averaged gamma-gamma absorption cross section. It is demonstrated that in the case of polarized gamma-ray emission, subject to source-intrinsic gamma-gamma absorption by polarized target photons, this may lead to a slight over-estimation of the gamma-gamma opacity by up to ~ 10 % in the case of a perfectly ordered magnetic field. Thus, for realistic astrophysical scenarios with partially ordered magnetic fields, the use of the polarization-averaged gamma-gamma cross section is justified for practical purposes, such as estimates of minimum Doppler factors inferred for gamma-ray bursts and blazars, based on gamma-gamma transparency arguments, and this paper quantifies the small error incurred by the unpolarized-radiation approximation. Furthermore, it is shown that polarization-dependent gamma-gamma absorption of initially polarized gamma-rays can lead to a slight increase in the polarization beyond the spectral break caused by gamma-gamma absorption, to an amount distinctly different from the change in polarization expected if the same spectral break was produced by a break in the underlying electron distribution. This may serve as a diagnostic of whether gamma-gamma absorption is relevant in sources such as gamma-ray bursts and blazars where the gamma-ray emission may be intrinsically highly polarized.

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arXiv2014

Time Dependent Leptonic Modeling of Fermi II Processes in the Jets of Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars

In this paper, we discuss the light-curve features of various flaring scenarios in a time-dependent leptonic model for low-frequency-peaked blazars. The quasar 3C273 is used as an illustrative example. Our code takes into account Fermi-II acceleration and all relevant electron cooling terms, including the external radiation fields generally found to be important in the modeling of the SEDs of FSRQs, as well as synchrotron self absorption and gamma-gamma pair-production. General parameters are constrained through a fit to the average spectral energy distribution (SED) of the blazar by numerically solving the time-dependent Fokker-Planck equation for the electron evolution in a steady-state situation. We then apply perturbations to several input parameters (magnetic field, particle injection luminosity, acceleration time scale) to simulate flaring events and compute time-dependent SEDs and light curves in representative energy bands (radio, optical, X-rays, gamma-rays). Time lags between different bands are evaluated using a discrete cross correlation analysis. We find that Fermi-II acceleration has a significant effect on the distributions and that flaring events caused by increased acceleration efficiency of the Fermi II process will produce a correlation between the radio, optical and gamma-ray bandpasses, but an anti-correlation between these three bandpasses and the X-ray band, with the X-rays lagging behind the variations in other bands by up to several hours.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

Magnetic Field Amplification and Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars

We perform time-dependent, spatially-resolved simulations of blazar emission to evaluate several flaring scenarios related to magnetic-field amplification and enhanced particle acceleration. The code explicitly accounts for light-travel-time effects and is applied to flares observed in the flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 0208-512, which show optical/γ-ray correlation at some times, but orphan optical flares at other times. Changes in both the magnetic field and the particle acceleration efficiency are explored as causes of flares. Generally, external Compton emission appears to describe the available data better than a synchrotron self-Compton scenario, and in particular orphan optical flares are difficult to produce in the SSC framework. X-ray soft-excesses, γ-ray spectral hardening, and the detections at very high energies of certain FSRQs during flares find natural explanations in the EC scenario with particle acceleration change. Likewise, optical flares with/without γ-ray counterparts can be explained by different allocations of energy between the magnetization and particle acceleration, which may be related to the orientation of the magnetic field relative to the jet flow. We also calculate the degree of linear polarization and polarization angle as a function of time for a jet with helical magnetic field. Tightening of the magnetic helix immediately downstream of the jet perturbations, where flares occur, can be sufficient to explain the increases in the degree of polarization and a rotation by >= 180 degree of the observed polarization angle, if light-travel-time effects are properly considered.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

Seed Photon Fields of Blazars in the Internal Shock Scenario

We extend our approach of modeling spectral energy distribution (SED) and lightcurves of blazars to include external Compton (EC) emission due to inverse Compton scattering of an external anisotropic target radiation field. We describe the time-dependent impact of such seed photon fields on the evolution of multifrequency emission and spectral variability of blazars using a multi-zone time-dependent leptonic jet model, with radiation feedback, in the internal shock model scenario. We calculate accurate EC-scattered high-energy spectra produced by relativistic electrons throughout the Thomson and Klein-Nishina regimes. We explore the effects of varying the contribution of (1) a thermal Shakura-Sunyaev accretion disk, (2) a spherically symmetric shell of broad-line clouds, the broad line region (BLR), and (3) a hot infrared emitting dusty torus (DT), on the resultant seed photon fields. We let the system evolve to beyond the BLR and within the DT and study the manifestation of the varying target photon fields on the simulated SED and lightcurves of a typical blazar. The calculations of broadband spectra include effects of gamma-gamma absorption as gamma-rays propagate through the photon pool present inside the jet due to synchrotron and inverse Compton processes, but neglect gamma-gamma absorption by the BLR and DT photon fields outside the jet. Thus, our account of gamma-gamma absorption is a lower limit to this effect. Here, we focus on studying the impact of parameters relevant for EC processes on high-energy (HE) emission of blazars.

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arXiv2014

Synchrotron Polarization in Blazars

We present a detailed analysis of time- and energy-dependent synchrotron polarization signatures in a shock-in-jet model for gamma-ray blazars. Our calculations employ a full 3D radiation transfer code, assuming a helical magnetic field throughout the jet. The code considers synchrotron emission from an ordered magnetic field, and takes into account all light-travel-time and other relevant geometric effects, while the relevant synchrotron self-Compton and external Compton effects are taken care of with the 2D MCFP code. We consider several possible mechanisms through which a relativistic shock propagating through the jet may affect the jet plasma to produce a synchrotron and high-energy flare. Most plausibly, the shock is expected to lead to a compression of the magnetic field, increasing the toroidal field component and thereby changing the direction of the magnetic field in the region affected by the shock. We find that such a scenario leads to correlated synchrotron + SSC flaring, associated with substantial variability in the synchrotron polarization percentage and position angle. Most importantly, this scenario naturally explains large PA rotations by > 180 deg., as observed in connection with gamma-ray flares in several blazars, without the need for bent or helical jet trajectories or other non-axisymmetric jet features.

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arXiv2013

Multiwavelength Probes of the Environs of Relativistic Shocks in Blazar Jets

Diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) at relativistic shocks is likely to be an important acceleration mechanism in various astrophysical jet sources, including radio-loud AGN. An important recent development for blazar science is the ability of Fermi-LAT data to pin down the power-law index of the high energy portion of emission in these sources, and therefore also the index of the underlying non-thermal particle population. This diagnostic potential was not possible prior to Fermi launch, when gamma-ray information was dominated by the highly-absorbed TeV band. This paper highlights how multiwavelength spectra including X-ray band and Fermi data can be used to probe diffusive acceleration in relativistic, oblique, MHD shocks in blazar jets. The spectral index of the non-thermal particle distributions resulting from Monte Carlo simulations of DSA, and the fraction of thermal particles accelerated to non-thermal energies, depend sensitively on the particles' mean free path scale, and also on the magnetic field obliquity to the shock normal. We investigate self-consistently the radiative synchrotron/Compton signatures of the resulting thermal and non-thermal particle distributions. Important constraints on the frequency of particle scattering and the level of field turbulence are identified for the blazar AO 0235+164. The possible interpretation that turbulence levels decline with remoteness from jet shocks, and a significant role for non-gyroresonant diffusion, are discussed.

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arXiv2013

Relativistic Positron-Electron-Ion Shear Flows and Application to Gamma-Ray Bursts

We present Particle-in-Cell simulation results of relativistic shear flows for hybrid positron-electron-ion plasmas and compare to those for pure e+e- and pure e-ion plasmas. Among the three types of relativistic shear flows, we find that only hybrid shear flow is able to energize the electrons to form a high-energy spectral peak plus a hard power-law tail. Such electron spectra are needed to model the observational properties of gamma-ray bursts.

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arXiv2013

X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Polarization in Leptonic and Hadronic Jet Models of Blazars

We present a theoretical analysis of the expected X-ray and gamma-ray polarization signatures resulting from synchrotron self-Compton emission in leptonic models, compared to the polarization signatures from proton synchrotron and cascade synchrotron emission in hadronic models for blazars. Source parameters resulting from detailed spectral-energy-distribution modeling are used to calculate photon-energy-dependent upper limits on the degree of polarization, assuming a perfectly organized, mono-directional magnetic field. In low-synchrotron-peaked blazars, hadronic models exhibit substantially higher maximum degrees of X-ray and gamma-ray polarization than leptonic models, which may be within reach for existing X-ray and gamma-ray polarimeters. In high-synchrotron-peaked blazars (with electron-synchrotron-dominated X-ray emission), leptonic and hadronic models predict the same degree of X-ray polarization, but substantially higher maximum gamma-ray polarization in hadronic models than leptonic ones. These predictions are particularly relevant in view of the new generation of balloon-borne X-ray polarimeters (and possibly GEMS, if revived), and the ability of Fermi-LAT to measure gamma-ray polarization at < 200 MeV. We suggest observational strategies combining optical, X-ray, gamma-ray polarimetry to determine the degree of ordering of the magnetic field and to distinguish between leptonic and hadronic high-energy emission.

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arXiv2013

Magnetic Field Generation and Particle Energization at Relativistic Shear Boundaries in Collisionless Electron-Positron Plasmas

Using 2.5-dimensional Particle-in-Cell simulations, we study the kinetic physics of relativistic shear flow boundary in collisionless electron-positron (e+e-) plasmas. We find efficient magnetic field generation and particle energization at the shear boundary, driven by streaming instabilities across the shear interface and sustained by the shear flow. Nonthermal, anisotropic high-energy particles are accelerated across field lines to produce a power-law tail, truncated at energies below the shear Lorentz factor. These results have important implications for the dissipation and radiation of jets in blazars, gamma-ray bursts and other relativistic outflows.

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arXiv2012

An Angle Dependent SSC Model for Relativistic Jet Sources

We report on the development of a numerical code to calculate the angle-dependent synchrotron + synchrotron self-Compton radiation from relativistic jet sources with partially ordered magnetic fields and anisotropic particle distributions. Using a multi-zone radiation transfer approach, we can simulate magnetic-field configurations ranging from perfectly ordered (unidirectional) to randomly oriented (tangled). We demonstrate that synchrotron self-Compton model fits to the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of extragalactic jet sources may be possible with a wide range of magnetic-field values, depending on their orientation with respect to the jet axis and the observer. This is illustrated with the example of a spectral fit to the SED of Mrk~421 from multi-wavelength observations in 2006, where acceptable fits are possible with magnetic-field values varying within a range of an order of magnitude for different degrees of B-field alignment and orientation.

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