X-ray intraday variability of the TeV blazar Mrk 421 with {\it XMM-Newton}

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Noel, A Priyana, Gaur, Haritma, Gupta, Alok C., Wierzcholska, Alicja, Ostrowski, Michal, Dhiman, Vinit, Bhatta, Gopal
Format: Preprint
Published: 2022
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_version_ 1866917829259821056
author Noel, A Priyana
Gaur, Haritma
Gupta, Alok C.
Wierzcholska, Alicja
Ostrowski, Michal
Dhiman, Vinit
Bhatta, Gopal
author_facet Noel, A Priyana
Gaur, Haritma
Gupta, Alok C.
Wierzcholska, Alicja
Ostrowski, Michal
Dhiman, Vinit
Bhatta, Gopal
contents Highly variable Markarian 421 is a bright high synchrotron energy peaked blazar showing wide featureless non-thermal spectrum making it a good candidate for our study of intraday flux and spectral variations over time. We analyse its X-ray observations of over 17 years taken with the EPIC-PN instrument to probe into the intraday variability properties. The photon energy band of 0.3 - 10.0 keV, and its sub-bands, soft 0.3-2.0 keV and hard 2.0-10.0 keV. To examine flux variability, fractional variability amplitude and the minimum variability timescale have been calculated. We also probed into the spectral variability by studying hardness ratio for each observation and the correlation between the two energy bands using discrete correlation function and inspecting the normalized light curves. The parameters obtained from these methods have been studied for any correlation or non-random trends. From this work, we speculate on the constraints for possible particle acceleration and emission processes in the jet, for better understanding of the processes involving a turbulent behaviour except of shocks. A positive discrete correlation function between the two sub-bands indicates the role of the same electron population in the emission of photons in the two bands. The correlation between the parameters of flux variability and parameters of spectral variation and lags in sub-energy bands provide the constraints to be considered for any modelling of emission processes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2206_02159
institution arXiv
publishDate 2022
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle X-ray intraday variability of the TeV blazar Mrk 421 with {\it XMM-Newton}
Noel, A Priyana
Gaur, Haritma
Gupta, Alok C.
Wierzcholska, Alicja
Ostrowski, Michal
Dhiman, Vinit
Bhatta, Gopal
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Highly variable Markarian 421 is a bright high synchrotron energy peaked blazar showing wide featureless non-thermal spectrum making it a good candidate for our study of intraday flux and spectral variations over time. We analyse its X-ray observations of over 17 years taken with the EPIC-PN instrument to probe into the intraday variability properties. The photon energy band of 0.3 - 10.0 keV, and its sub-bands, soft 0.3-2.0 keV and hard 2.0-10.0 keV. To examine flux variability, fractional variability amplitude and the minimum variability timescale have been calculated. We also probed into the spectral variability by studying hardness ratio for each observation and the correlation between the two energy bands using discrete correlation function and inspecting the normalized light curves. The parameters obtained from these methods have been studied for any correlation or non-random trends. From this work, we speculate on the constraints for possible particle acceleration and emission processes in the jet, for better understanding of the processes involving a turbulent behaviour except of shocks. A positive discrete correlation function between the two sub-bands indicates the role of the same electron population in the emission of photons in the two bands. The correlation between the parameters of flux variability and parameters of spectral variation and lags in sub-energy bands provide the constraints to be considered for any modelling of emission processes.
title X-ray intraday variability of the TeV blazar Mrk 421 with {\it XMM-Newton}
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2206.02159