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arXiv · 0912.3766

Interpretation of blazar SEDs based on broad band quasi-simultaneous observations

S. Raino'·E. Cavazzuti·S. Colafrancesco·P. Giommi·A. Tramacere·the Fermi-LAT Collaboration
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Abstract

We study the quasi-simultaneous Spectral Energy Distributions (SED) of 48 LBAS blazars, collected within three months of the Fermi LAT Bright AGN Sample (LBAS) data taking period, combining Fermi and Swift data with radio NIR-Optical and hard-X/gamma-ray data. We have used these SEDs to characterize the peak position and intensity of both the low and the high-energy features of blazar spectra. The results have been used to derive empirical relationships that estimate the position of the two peaks from the broad-band colors (i.e. the radio to optical, alpha_ro, and optical to X-ray, alpha_ox, spectral slopes) and from the gamma-ray spectral index. Our data show that the synchrotron peak frequency is positioned between 10^(12.5) and 10^(14.5) Hz in broad-lined FSRQs and between 10^(13) and 10^(17) Hz in featureless BL Lacertae objects. We find that the gamma-ray spectral slope is strongly correlated with the synchrotron peak energy and with the X-ray spectral index, as expected at first order in synchrotron - inverse Compton scenarios. However, simple homogeneous, one-zone, Synchrotron Self Compton (SSC) models cannot explain most of our SEDs, especially in the case of FSRQs and low energy peaked (LBL) BL Lacs. More complex models involving External Compton Radiation or multiple SSC components are required to reproduce the overall SEDs and the observed spectral variability.

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S. Raino', E. Cavazzuti, S. Colafrancesco, P. Giommi, A. Tramacere, the Fermi-LAT Collaboration. 2009-12-18. Interpretation of blazar SEDs based on broad band quasi-simultaneous observations. https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.3766

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