Localizing the γ rays from Blazar PKS 1502+106

Vassilis Karamanavis, L. Fuhrmann, T. P. Krichbaum, E. Angelakis, J. Hodgson, I. Myserlis, I. Nestoras, J. A. Zensus, H. Ungerechts, A. Sievers

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Blazars are among the most variable objects in the universe. They feature energetic jets of plasma that launch from the cores of these active galactic nuclei (AGN), triggering activity from radio up to γ-ray energies. Spatial localization of the region of their MeV/GeV emission is a key question in understanding the blazar phenomenon. The flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 1502+106 has exhibited extreme and correlated, radio and high-energy activity that triggered intense monitoring by the Fermi-GST AGN Multifrequency Monitoring Alliance (F-GAMMA) program and the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA) down to λ3 mm (or 86 GHz), enabling the sharpest view to date towards this extreme object. Here, we report on preliminary results of our study of the γ-ray loud blazar PKS 1502+106, combining VLBI and single dish data. We deduce the critical aspect angle towards the source to be θc = 2.6°, calculate the apparent and intrinsic opening angles and constrain the distance of the 86 GHz core from the base of the conical jet, directly from mm-VLBI but also through a single dish relative timing analysis. Finally, we conclude that γ rays from PKS 1502+106 originate from a region between ∼1-16pc away from the base of the hypothesized conical jet, well beyond the bulk of broad-line region (BLR) material of the source.

Original languageEnglish
Article number087
JournalProceedings of Science
StatePublished - 2014
Event12th European VLBI Network Symposium and Users Meeting, EVN 2014 - Cagliari, Italy
Duration: 7 Oct 201410 Oct 2014

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