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arXiv · 0705.1534

The redshift-dependence of gamma-ray absorption in the environments of strong-line AGN

Abstract

The case of gamma-ray absorption due to photon-photon pair production of jet photons in the external photon environment like accretion disk and broad-line region radiation field of gamma-ray loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) that exhibit strong emission lines is considered. I demonstrate that this ''local opacity'', if detected, will almost unavoidably be redshift-dependent in the sub-TeV range. This introduces non-negligible biases, and complicates approaches for studying the evolution of the extragalactic background light with contemporary GeV instruments like e.g. the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), etc., where the gamma-ray horizon is probed by means of statistical analysis of absorption features (e.g. Fazio-Stecker relation, etc.) in AGN spectra at various redshifts. It particularly applies to strong-line quasars where external photon fields are potentially involved in gamma-ray production.

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BibTeXRIS

A. Reimer. 2007-05-10. The redshift-dependence of gamma-ray absorption in the environments of strong-line AGN. https://doi.org/10.1086/519766

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