Related papers: Fast TeV variability in blazars: jets in a jet
Kinematical and luminosity relations for black-hole jet sources are reviewed. If the TeV flares observed from PKS 2155-304 in 2006 July are assumed to originate from a black hole with mass $\approx 10^8 M_8 M_\odot$, then the $\sim 5$…
The origin of extremely fast variability is one of the long-standing questions in the gamma-ray astronomy of blazars. While many models explain the slower, lower energy variability, they cannot easily account for such fast flares reaching…
Both observational and theoretical studies indicate that the central engine of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) is intrinsically time-variable, implying jet inhomogeneity. A jet with an inhomogeneous Lorentz factor distribution develops internal…
We estimate the power of relativistic, extragalactic jets by modelling the spectral energy distribution of a large number of blazars. We adopt a simple one-zone, homogeneous, leptonic synchrotron and inverse Compton model, taking into…
We recently found that Gamma Ray Burst energies and luminosities, in their comoving frame, are remarkably similar. This, coupled with the clustering of energetics once corrected for the collimation factor, suggests the possibility that all…
Blazars are characterized by relativistic jets that are closely aligned with our line of sight. This results in relativistic beaming, making blazars among the most luminous extragalactic sources across the electromagnetic spectrum, from…
Blazars, a highly energetic subclass of jetted active galactic nuclei, show a broad band spectral energy distribution (SED) with two bumps, resulting from non-thermal jet emission. In 1998, an anticorrelation between the SED luminosity and…
Blazars are among the most powerful accelerators and are expected to produce a bright TeV $\gamma$-ray flux. However, TeV $\gamma$-rays are attenuated by interactions with intergalactic radiation before reaching Earth. These interactions…
Gamma-ray observations have established energetic isolated pulsars as outstanding particle accelerators and antimatter factories in the Galaxy. There is, however, no consensus regarding the acceleration mechanisms and the radiative…
Although blazars are thought to emit most of their luminosity in the gamma-ray band, there are subclasses of them very prominent in hard X-rays. These are the best candidates to be studied by Simbol-X. They are at the extremes of the blazar…
Blazar spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are double peaked and follow a self-similar sequence in luminosity. The so-called "blue" blazars, whose first SED component peaks at X-ray energies, are TeV sources, although with a relatively…
Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes have revealed more than 100 TeV sources along the Galactic Plane, around 45% of them remain unidentified. However, radio observations revealed that dense molecular clumps are associated with 67% of…
We discuss a "compact source" model of very high energy (VHE) emission from blazars in which the variability time is determined by the blazar central engine. In this model electron or proton acceleration close to the supermassive black hole…
Gamma-ray binaries are systems composed of a compact object orbiting a massive companion star. The interaction between these two objects can drive relativistic outflows, either jets or winds, in which particles can be accelerated to…
TeV emission from blazars can be used to probe the intergalactic magnetic fields and measure their intensity, coherence length, and helicity. Intergalactic magnetic fields deflect the electron-positron pairs produced by very-high-energy…
The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory recently published the discovery of SS 433 as a TeV source, reporting the observation of multi-TeV gamma-ray emission from the jet interaction regions e1 and w1, suggesting in-situ…
We study the variability properties at radio frequencies of the jets thought to be typical of Active Galactic Nuclei, i.e. bulk Lorentz factor \Gamma ~ 10, and incoherent synchrotron emission. We assume that the radiating electrons are…
We present 23 new VLBA images of the six established TeV blazars Markarian 421, Markarian 501, H 1426+428, 1ES 1959+650, PKS 2155-304, and 1ES 2344+514, obtained from 2005 to 2009. Most images were obtained at 43 GHz, and they reveal the…
1ES 1218+304 is among a group of several TeV blazars that exhibit surprisingly hard energy spectra given their redshifts. The VERITAS collaboration has carried out an intensive observing campaign of 1ES 1218+304 in early 2009 to…
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory revealed the high energy emission of some Active Galactic Nuclei called "Blazars"; few of them have also been observed by ground Cererenkov arrays. Those sources observed with Whipple Observatory emit gamma…