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X-Ray Spectral Variability Signatures of Flares in BL Lac ObjectsWe are presenting a detailed parameter study of the time-dependent electron injection and kinematics and the self-consistent radiation transport in jets of intermediate and low-frequency peaked BL Lac objects. Using a time-dependent, combined synchrotron-self-Compton and external-Compton jet model, we study the influence of variations of several essential model parameters, such as the electron injection compactness, the relative contribution of synchrotron to external soft photons to the soft photon compactness, the electron- injection spectral index, and the details of the time profiles of the electron injection episodes giving rise to flaring activity. In the analysis of our results, we focus on the expected X-ray spectral variability signatures in a region of parameter space particularly well suited to reproduce the broadband spectral energy distributions of intermediate and low-frequency peaked BL Lac objects. We demonstrate that SSC- and external-Compton dominated models for the gamma-ray emission from blazars are producing significantly different signatures in the X-ray variability, in particular in the soft X-ray light curves and the spectral hysteresis at soft X-ray energies, which can be used as a powerful diagnostic to unveil the nature of the high-energy emission from BL Lac objects.
Document ID
20020066526
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Boettcher, Markus
(Rice Univ. Houston, TX United States)
Chiang, James
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
White, Nicholas E.
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2002
Subject Category
Space Radiation
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS9-10007
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS8-39073
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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