Periodic Gamma-Ray Modulation of the Blazar PG 1553+113 Confirmed by Fermi-LAT and Multiwavelength Observations

Abdollahi S, Baldini L, Barbiellini G, Bellazzini R, Berenji B, Bissaldi E, Blandford RD, Bonino R, Bruel P, Buson S, Cameron RA, Caraveo PA, Casaburo F, Cavazzuti E, Cheung CC, Chiaro G, Ciprini S, Cozzolongo G, Orestano PC, Cutini S, D’Ammando F, Di Lalla N, Dirirsa F, Di Venere L, Domínguez A, Fegan SJ, Ferrara EC, Fiori A, Fukazawa Y, Funk S, Fusco P, Gargano F, Garrappa S, Gasparrini D, Germani S, Giglietto N, Giordano F, Giroletti M, Green D, Grenier IA, Guiriec S, Hays E, Horan D, Kuss M, Larsson S, Laurenti M, Li J, Liodakis I, Longo F, Loparco F, Lott B, Lovellette MN, Lubrano P, Maldera S, Malyshev D, Manfreda A, Marcotulli L, Martí-Devesa G, Mazziotta MN, Mereu I, Michelson PF, Mitthumsiri W, Mizuno T, Monzani ME, Morselli A, Moskalenko IV, Negro M, Omodei N, Orienti M, Orlando E, Ormes JF, Paneque D, Perri M, Persic M, Pesce-Rollins M, Porter TA, Principe G, Rainò S, Rando R, Rani B, Razzano M, Reimer A, Reimer O, Saz Parkinson PM, Scotton L, Serini D, Sesana A, Sgrò C, Siskind EJ, Spandre G, Spinelli P, Suson DJ, Tajima H, Takahashi MN, Tak D, Thayer JB, Thompson DJ, Torres DF, Valverde J, Verrecchia F, Zaharijas G (2024)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Journal

Book Volume: 976

Article Number: 203

Journal Issue: 2

DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad64c5

Abstract

A 2.1 yr periodic oscillation of the gamma-ray flux from the blazar PG 1553+113 has previously been tentatively identified in ∼7 yr of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. After 15 yr of Fermi sky-survey observations, doubling the total time range, we report >7 cycle gamma-ray modulation with an estimated significance of 4σ against stochastic red noise. Independent determinations of oscillation period and phase in the earlier and the new data are in close agreement (chance probability <0.01). Pulse timing over the full light curve is also consistent with a coherent periodicity. Multiwavelength new data from Swift X-Ray Telescope, Burst Alert Telescope, and UVOT, and from KAIT, Catalina Sky Survey, All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae, and Owens Valley Radio Observatory ground-based observatories as well as archival Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer satellite-All Sky Monitor data, published optical data of Tuorla, and optical historical Harvard plates data are included in our work. Optical and radio light curves show clear correlations with the gamma-ray modulation, possibly with a nonconstant time lag for the radio flux. We interpret the gamma-ray periodicity as possibly arising from a pulsational accretion flow in a sub-parsec binary supermassive black hole system of elevated mass ratio, with orbital modulation of the supplied material and energy in the jet. Other astrophysical scenarios introduced include instabilities, disk and jet precession, rotation or nutation, and perturbations by massive stars or intermediate-mass black holes in polar orbit.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP) France (FR) University of Pisa / Università di Pisa (UniPi) Italy (IT) National Institute for Nuclear Physics / Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Italy (IT) California State University, Los Angeles United States (USA) (US) Politecnico di Bari Italy (IT) Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) United States (USA) (US) Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet (LLR) France (FR) Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg Germany (DE) National Institute for Astrophysics / Istituto Nazionale Astrofisica (INAF) Italy (IT) Italian Space Agency / Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Italy (IT) U.S. Naval Research Laboratory United States (USA) (US) University of Padua / Universita degli Studi di Padova Italy (IT) Università degli Studi di Perugia Italy (IT) Space Science and Geospatial Institute Ethiopia (ET) Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) Spain (ES) Max-Planck-Institut für Physik (Werner-Heisenberg-Institut, MPP) / Max Planck Institute for Physics Germany (DE) Seoul National University (SNU) / 서울대학교 Korea, Republic of (KR) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) United States (USA) (US) Institute of Space Sciences (IEEC-CSIC) Spain (ES) University of Nova Gorica / Univerza v Novi Gorici Slovenia (SI) Weizmann Institute of Science Israel (IL) Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) Royal Institute of Technology / Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH) Sweden (SE) University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) China (CN) Université de Bordeaux France (FR) The Aerospace Corporation United States (USA) (US) Yale University United States (USA) (US) Università degli Studi di Trieste Italy (IT) University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) United States (USA) (US) Hiroshima University / 広島大学 Japan (JP) Mahidol University / มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล Thailand (TH) Louisiana State University United States (USA) (US) University of Denver United States (USA) (US) Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck / University of Innsbruck Austria (AT) Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics United States (USA) (US) NYCB Real-Time Computing, Inc. United States (USA) (US) Purdue University Northwest / Purdue University Calumet United States (USA) (US) Nagoya University / 名古屋大学 Japan (JP)

How to cite

APA:

Abdollahi, S., Baldini, L., Barbiellini, G., Bellazzini, R., Berenji, B., Bissaldi, E.,... Zaharijas, G. (2024). Periodic Gamma-Ray Modulation of the Blazar PG 1553+113 Confirmed by Fermi-LAT and Multiwavelength Observations. Astrophysical Journal, 976(2). https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad64c5

MLA:

Abdollahi, S., et al. "Periodic Gamma-Ray Modulation of the Blazar PG 1553+113 Confirmed by Fermi-LAT and Multiwavelength Observations." Astrophysical Journal 976.2 (2024).

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