Broadband spectral analysis of the most extreme gamma-ray blazars

by Maria Lainez Lezaun (UCM Madrid)

Thursday 3 Apr 2025, 10:00 → 11:00 Europe/Rome

1/3-13 - Sala 313 (Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia - Edificio Paolotti)

Extreme high-synchrotron peaked blazars (EHSPs) are rare high-energy sources characterised by synchrotron peaks beyond 10¹⁷ Hz in their spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Their extreme properties challenge conventional blazar emission models and provide a unique opportunity to test the limits of particle acceleration and emission mechanisms in relativistic jets. However, the number of identified EHSPs is still small, limiting comprehensive studies of their population and characteristics. This study aims to identify new EHSP candidates and characterise their emission properties. A sample of 124 gamma-ray blazars is analysed, selected for their high synchrotron peak frequencies and gamma-ray emission properties, with a focus on sources showing low variability and good broadband data coverage. Their SEDs are constructed using archival multi-wavelength data from the SSDC SED Builder service, supplemented with recent Swift-UVOT, Swift-XRT, and Fermi-LAT observations. The SEDs are modelled with a one-zone synchrotron/synchrotron-self-Compton framework, classifying sources by synchrotron peak frequency. We identify 66 new EHSP candidates, significantly expanding the known population. Their synchrotron peak frequencies are statistically higher than in previous studies, and they exhibit low Compton dominance, consistent with environments lacking strong external photon fields. A clear correlation between synchrotron peak frequency and the magnetic-to-kinetic energy density ratio is found, with the most extreme EHSPs nearing equipartition. Our analysis suggests that 9 high-synchrotron peaked/EHSPs could be observed by the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) at >5 sigma in 20-hour exposures, highlighting their potential to improve studies of extreme jet physics and cosmology.

In presence and also Zoom Meeting: https://unipd.zoom.us/j/83567909534?pwd=tQrT6126RfObhi3RBa9ioFTVU3M9dn.1

 

Slides.pdf