arXiv subjects

Sandeep Kumar Mondal

Publications and source records attributed to Sandeep Kumar Mondal.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Broad-band temporal and spectral study of TeV blazar TXS 0518+211

We present a long-term broad-band temporal and spectral study of a TeV BL Lac source TXS 0518+211 by analyzing nearly 16 years (MJD 54682 -- 60670) of simultaneous optical, UV and X-ray light curves from \textit{Swift}-XRT/UVOT and gamma-ray light curves from \textit{Fermi}-LAT. Based on the availability of simultaneous multi-wavelength data and considering flux level as the depiction of AGN-jet activity we identified 11 epochs (named as Epoch-A to Epoch-K) and investigated temporal as well as spectral variability during these epochs to understand the emission properties in this source. The fractional variability analysis reveals that, in all epochs, X-ray light curve exhibits relatively high degree of variability in compared to the optical, UV and gamma-ray light curves. The flux-flux plots among different bands, in general, show weak to moderate correlation with Spearman correlation coefficient ranging from 0.29 to 0.58. Notably, during Epoch-I, we detect a possible orphan flare exhibiting increase in the X-ray flux level ($\sim$ 2.4 times of the total average flux) but with no corresponding counterpart seen in the optical, UV bands. In contrast, during Epoch-K, we detect a significant decrease in the X-ray flux but no corresponding decrease in optical, UV and gamma-ray bands. Overall, our study reveals several changes in the flux states and complex nature of jet dominated emission processes. We tested one-zone and two-zone leptonic scenarios and for most of the epochs, the latter one provides a better description of the broad-band emission in this TeV BL Lac source.

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arXiv2025

Explaining the Origin of TeV Gamma Rays from M87 During High and Low States

The detection of very high-energy gamma-rays from M87 can provide crucial insights into particle acceleration and radiation mechanisms in jets. The recent observations by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) detector extend the energy range of TeV gamma-ray astronomy, and also the variability study to the TeV energy domain. We have modelled the low state and flare state multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions of M87 within a time-dependent framework. In our model, the low state gamma-ray flux results from the emissions from the sub-parsec and the kilo-parsec scale jets of M87, whereas the flare state gamma-ray flux is mainly produced in the sub-parsec scale jet. We have shown that the spectral and temporal features of the TeV gamma-ray spectrum of M87 are consistent with this two-zone model, where the contribution from the sub-parsec scale jet significantly increases during the flare state.

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arXiv2025

Possibility of Month-scale Quasi-periodic Oscillations in the Gamma-ray Light Curve of OP 313

In this work, we report evidence suggesting the potential future detection of a month-scale quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in the gamma-ray light curve of OP 313. We analysed almost 16.8 years of Fermi-LAT gamma-ray data and applied the Bayesian block method to the monthly-binned light curve. We identified four high-flux states and investigated the possibility of a QPO in the fourth high-flux state (MJD 59482-60832). Using the Weighted Wavelet Z-transform (WWZ) and Lomb-Scargle Periodogram (LSP) methods, we find tentative evidence for a month-scale QPO; however, its detection significance is limited by the small number of observed cycles. With a sufficiently long data set, the QPO may be detected with higher significance in the future. We further explored possible physical origins of this potential QPO and examined several models. We found that a curved-jet model can explain the observed behaviour.

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arXiv2023

Unraveling the Emission Mechanism of the HBL Source Mrk 180 with Multi-Wavelength Data

Markarian (Mrk) 180 is a High frequency-peaked BL Lacertae object or HBL object, located at a redshift of 0.045 and a potential candidate for high-energy cosmic ray acceleration. In this work, we have done a temporal and spectral study using Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) $γ$-ray data, collected over 12.8 years. In the case of the temporal study, the 12.8 years long, 30-day binned, Fermi-LAT $γ$-ray light curve does not show any significant enhancement of the flux. To understand the underlying physical mechanism, we focused our study on multi-wavelength spectral analysis. We constructed multi-wavelength spectral energy distribution (MWSED) using Swift X-ray, ultraviolet & optical, and X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) data, which have been analysed thoroughly. The SED has been modelled with three different models: (i) pure leptonic scenario and lepto-hadronic scenario where we considered two types of lepto-hadronic interactions (ii) line-of-sight interactions of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECR; $E\gtrsim 10^{17}$ eV) with the cosmic background radiation and (iii) interaction between relativistic protons with the cold proton within the blazar jet. In this literature, we have done a detailed comparative study between all these three models. In an earlier study, Mrk 180 was associated with the Telescope Array (TA) hotspot of UHECRs at $E>57$ EeV which motivates us to check whether Mrk 180 can be a source of UHECRs, contributing to the TA hotspot. From our study, we find, for conservative strengths of the extragalactic magnetic field, Mrk 180 is unlikely to be a source of UHECR events.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Multi-wavelength temporal and spectral study of PKS 0402-362

We study the long-term behavior of the bright gamma-ray blazar PKS 0402-362. Over a span of approximately 12.5 years, from August 2008 to January 2021, we gathered Fermi-LAT temporal data and identified three distinct periods of intense $γ$-ray activity. Notably, the second period exhibited the highest brightness ever observed in this particular source. We observed most of the $γ$-ray flare peaks to be asymmetric in profile suggesting a slow cooling time of particles or the varying Doppler factor as the main cause of these flares. The $γ$-ray spectrum is fitted with power-law and log-parabola models, and in both cases, the spectral index is very steep. The lack of time lags between optical-IR and $γ$-ray emissions indicates the presence of a single-zone emission model. Using this information, we modeled the broadband SEDs with a simple one-zone leptonic model using the publicly available code `GAMERA'. The particle distribution index is found to be the same as expected in diffusive shock acceleration suggesting it as the main mechanism of particle acceleration to very high energy up to 4 - 6 GeV. During the different flux phases, we observed that the thermal disk dominates the optical emission, indicating that this source presents a valuable opportunity to investigate the connection between the disk and the jet.

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arXiv2023

Exploring the Emission Mechanisms of Mrk 180 with long term X-ray and $γ$-ray data

Markarian (Mrk) 180 is a BL Lacertae (BL Lac) object located at a redshift of 0.045 and a potential candidate for high-energy cosmic ray acceleration. We have analyzed the Fermi Large Area Telescope (\textit{Fermi}-LAT) $γ$-ray data of Mrk 180 collected over a period of 12.8 years and found no significant enhancement in the flux from the long-term $γ$-ray light curve. We have also analyzed Swift X-ray, ultraviolet \& optical, and X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) data to construct the multi-wavelength spectral energy distribution (SED). The SED has been modeled with one-zone pure leptonic and lepto-hadronic scenarios to explain the underlying physics of multi-wavelength emission. The pure leptonic model and the two lepto-hadronic models, viz., (i) line-of-sight interactions of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECR; $E\gtrsim 10^{17}$ eV) with the cosmic background radiation and (ii) the interactions of relativistic protons with the cold protons in the jet, have been compared in our work. Moreover, an earlier study has associated Mrk 180 with the Telescope Array (TA) hotspot of UHECRs at $E>57$ EeV. This speculation motivates us to check whether ultrahigh energy protons and iron nuclei can reach the earth from Mrk 180. After comparing the results of our simulation with the current observational data, we find that Mrk 180 is unlikely to be a source of the UHECR events contributing to the TA hotspot for conservative strengths of extragalactic magnetic fields.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Gamma-ray flares and broadband spectral study of PKS 0402-362

We study the long-term behavior of the bright gamma-ray blazar PKS 0402-362. We collected approximately 13 years of Fermi-LAT data between Aug 2008 to Jan 2021 and identified three bright $γ$-ray activity epochs. The second was found to be the brightest epoch ever seen in this source. We observed most of the $γ$-ray flare peaks to be asymmetric in profile suggesting a slow cooling time of particles or the varying Doppler factor as the main cause of these flares. The $γ$-ray spectrum is fitted with PL and LP spectral models, and in both cases, the spectral index is very steep. The $γ$-ray spectrum does not extend beyond 10 GeV energy suggesting the emission is produced within the BLR. The absence of time lags between optical-IR and $γ$-ray suggest one zone emission model. Using the above information, we have modeled the broadband SED with a simple one-zone emission model using the publicly available code `GAMERA'. The particle distribution index is found to be the same as expected in diffusive shock acceleration suggesting it as the main mechanism of particle acceleration to very high energy up to 4 - 6 GeV. Throughout the various flux phases, we noticed that the optical emission is dominated by the thermal disk, suggesting it to be a good source to examine the disk-jet coupling. We postulate that the observed broadband flares could be linked with perturbation produced in the disk, which propagates to the jet and interacts with the standing shock. However, a more detailed examination is required.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Spectral Modeling of Flares in Long Term Gamma-Ray Light Curve of PKS 0903-57

A detailed study of the BL Lacertae PKS 0903-57 has been done for the first time with 12 years of Fermi Large Area Telescope data. We have identified two bright gamma-ray flares in 2018 and 2020. Many sub-structures were observed during multiple time binning of these flares. We have performed detailed temporal and spectral study on all the sub-structures separately. A single-zone emission model is used for time-dependent leptonic modeling of the multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions. Our estimated values of variability time scale, magnetic field in the emission region, jet power obtained from leptonic modeling of PKS 0903-57 are presented in this work. Currently, we have a minimal number of observations in X-rays and other bands. Hence, more simultaneous multi-wavelength monitoring of this source is required to have a better understanding of the physical processes happening in the jet of the blazar PKS 0903-57.

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