Related papers: The blazar sequence revised
The most extreme active galactic nuclei (AGN) are the radio active ones whose relativistic jet propagates close to our line of sight. These objects were first classified according to their emission line features into flat-spectrum radio…
Blazar spectra are one of the most important windows into the physical processes occurring along jets. The spectrum, composed from the different emitting regions along the jet, allows us to constrain the physical conditions in the jet. I…
We have not identified for sure what is the mechanism launching, accelerating and collimating relativistic jets. The two most likely possibilities are the gravitational energy of the accreting matter or the rotational energy of a spinning…
We have recently proposed a new simplified scenario where blazars are classified as flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) or BL Lacs according to the prescriptions of unified schemes, and to a varying combination of Doppler boosted radiation…
We propose a scenario where blazars are classified as flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), BL Lacs, low synchrotron, or high synchrotron peaked objects according to a varying mix of the Doppler boosted radiation from the jet, the emission…
Blazars radiate from relativistic jets launched by a supermassive black hole along our line of sight; the subclass of FSRQs exhibits broad emission lines, a telltale sign of a gas-rich environment and high accretion rate, contrary to the…
The spectra of blazars form a sequence which can be parametrized in term of their observed bolometric luminosity. At the most powerful extreme of the sequence we find objects whose jet power can rival the power extracted by accretion, while…
The "blazar sequence" posits that the most powerful BL Lacertae objects and flat-spectrum radio quasars should have relatively small synchrotron peak frequencies, nu_peak, and that the least powerful such objects should have the highest…
Blazars are a rare class of active galactic nuclei (AGN) with relativistic jets pointing towards the observer. Jets are thought to be launched as Poynting-flux dominated outflows that accelerate to relativistic speeds at the expense of the…
Using public \fermi LAT and \swift BAT observations, we constructed the first sample of blazars selected at both hard X-rays and gamma-rays. Studying its spectral properties, we find a luminosity dependence of the spectral slopes at both…
We propose a sequence (the Blazar main sequence, BMS) that links the two main components of the Blazar class, namely, the Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars and the BL Lacertae objects, and yields all their distinctive features in a correlated…
We use statistical results from a large sample of about 500 blazars, based on two surveys, the Deep X-ray Radio Blazar Survey (DXRBS), nearly complete, and the RASS-Green Bank survey (RGB), to provide new constraints on the spectral energy…
We have recently proposed a new scenario where blazars are classified as flat-spectrum radio quasars or BL Lacs according to the prescriptions of unified schemes, and to a varying combination of Doppler boosted radiation from the jet,…
We present statistical analyses of a large homogenous data sample of Fermi-detected blazars thoroughly studied in order to reassess the relationship between flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and subclasses of BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs)…
In this work I review the observational constraints imposed on the energetics and magnetisation of quasar jets, in the context of theoretical expectations. The discussion is focused on issues regarding the jet production efficiency, matter…
The power of blazar jets rivals the power that gravity can extract from accreting matter. The mechanism launching and accelerating jets can be considered as the most efficient engine operating in radio--loud sources. It is still a matter of…
Blazars display strong variability on multiple timescales and in multiple radiation bands. Their variability is often characterized by power spectral densities (PSDs) and time lags plotted as functions of the Fourier frequency. We develop a…
We have recently proposed a simplified scenario for blazars in which these sources are classified as flat-spectrum radio quasars or BL Lacs according to the prescriptions of unified schemes, and to a varying combination of Doppler boosted…
We put forward a scenario where blazars are classified as flat-spectrum radio quasars, BL Lacs, low synchrotron, or high synchrotron peaked objects according to a varying combination of Doppler boosted radiation from the jet, emission from…
Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) can power relativistic jets, which are called blazars when pointed close to our line of sight. Depending on the presence or absence of emission lines in their optical spectra, blazars are categorized into flat…