X-ray Flux and Spectral Variability of the Blazar OJ 287 with Suzaku

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Zhou, Dongtao, Zhang, Zhongli, Gupta, Alok C., Kushwaha, Pankaj, Wiita, Paul J., Gu, Minfeng, Xu, Haiguang
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Zhou, Dongtao
Zhang, Zhongli
Gupta, Alok C.
Kushwaha, Pankaj
Wiita, Paul J.
Gu, Minfeng
Xu, Haiguang
author_facet Zhou, Dongtao
Zhang, Zhongli
Gupta, Alok C.
Kushwaha, Pankaj
Wiita, Paul J.
Gu, Minfeng
Xu, Haiguang
contents We present analyses of Suzaku XIS light curves and spectra of the BL Lac object OJ 287 with observations positioned primarily around proposed recurrent optical outbursts. The first two observations were performed in 2007 April 10 - 13 (epoch 1) and 2007 November 7 - 9 (epoch 2) that respectively correspond to a low and a high optical state and which, within the binary supermassive black hole model for OJ 287, precede and follow the impact flare. The last three observations, made consecutively during 2015 May 3 - 9 (epoch 3), were during the post-impact state of the 2013 disc impact and are the longest continuous X-ray observation of OJ 287 taken before the optical outburst in 2015 December. Intraday variability is found in both the soft (0.5 - 2 keV) and hard (2 - 10 keV) bands. The discrete correction function analysis of the light curves in both bands peaks at zero lag during epochs 2 and 3, indicating that the emission in both bands was cospatial and emitted from the same population of leptons. Power spectral densities of all three light curves are red noise dominated, with a rather wide range of power spectrum slopes. These X-ray spectra are overall consistent with power-laws but with significantly different spectral indices. In the 2015 observations the X-ray spectrum softens during the flare, showing an obvious soft X-ray excess that was not evident in the 2007 observations. We discuss the implications of these observations on the jet, the possible accretion disc, and the binary supermassive black hole model proposed for the nearly periodic optical flaring of OJ 287.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_02371
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle X-ray Flux and Spectral Variability of the Blazar OJ 287 with Suzaku
Zhou, Dongtao
Zhang, Zhongli
Gupta, Alok C.
Kushwaha, Pankaj
Wiita, Paul J.
Gu, Minfeng
Xu, Haiguang
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
We present analyses of Suzaku XIS light curves and spectra of the BL Lac object OJ 287 with observations positioned primarily around proposed recurrent optical outbursts. The first two observations were performed in 2007 April 10 - 13 (epoch 1) and 2007 November 7 - 9 (epoch 2) that respectively correspond to a low and a high optical state and which, within the binary supermassive black hole model for OJ 287, precede and follow the impact flare. The last three observations, made consecutively during 2015 May 3 - 9 (epoch 3), were during the post-impact state of the 2013 disc impact and are the longest continuous X-ray observation of OJ 287 taken before the optical outburst in 2015 December. Intraday variability is found in both the soft (0.5 - 2 keV) and hard (2 - 10 keV) bands. The discrete correction function analysis of the light curves in both bands peaks at zero lag during epochs 2 and 3, indicating that the emission in both bands was cospatial and emitted from the same population of leptons. Power spectral densities of all three light curves are red noise dominated, with a rather wide range of power spectrum slopes. These X-ray spectra are overall consistent with power-laws but with significantly different spectral indices. In the 2015 observations the X-ray spectrum softens during the flare, showing an obvious soft X-ray excess that was not evident in the 2007 observations. We discuss the implications of these observations on the jet, the possible accretion disc, and the binary supermassive black hole model proposed for the nearly periodic optical flaring of OJ 287.
title X-ray Flux and Spectral Variability of the Blazar OJ 287 with Suzaku
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.02371