Discovery of variability in the very high energy γ-ray emission of 1es 1218+304 with veritas
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2010-01-14Metadata
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Acciari, V. A. Aliu, E.; Beilicke, M.; Benbow, W.; Boltuch, D.; Böttcher, M.; Bradbury, S. M.; Bugaev, V.; Byrum, K.; Cesarini, A.; Ciupik, L.; Cogan, P.; Cui, W.; Dickherber, R.; Duke, C.; Falcone, A.; Finley, J. P.; Finnegan, G.; Fortson, L.; Furniss, A.; Galante, N.; Gall, D.; Gibbs, K.; Guenette, R.; Gillanders, G. H.; Godambe, S.; Grube, J.; Hanna, D.; Hui, C. M.; Humensky, T. B.; Imran, A.; Kaaret, P.; Karlsson, N.; Kertzman, M.; Kieda, D.; Krawczynski, H.; Krennrich, F.; Lang, M. J.; LeBohec, S.; Maier, G.; McArthur, S.; McCann, A.; Moriarty, P.; Nagai, T.; Ong, R. A.; Otte, A. N.; Pandel, D.; Perkins, J. S.; Pichel, A.; Pohl, M.; Quinn, J.; Ragan, K.; Reyes, L. C.; Reynolds, P. T.; Roache, E.; Rose, H. J.; Schroedter, M.; Sembroski, G. H.; Smith, A. W.; Steele, D.; Swordy, S. P.; Theiling, M.; Thibadeau, S.; Vassiliev, V. V.; Vincent, S.; Wakely, S. P.; Weekes, T. C.; Weinstein, A.; Weisgarber, T.; Williams, D. A. (2010). Discovery of variability in the very high energy γ-ray emission of 1es 1218+304 with veritas. The Astrophysical Journal 709 (2), L163-L167
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Abstract
We present results from an intensive VERITAS monitoring campaign of the high-frequency peaked BL Lac object 1ES 1218+304 in 2008/2009. Although 1ES 1218+304 was detected previously by MAGIC and VERITAS at a persistent level of similar to 6% of the Crab Nebula flux, the new VERITAS data reveal a prominent flare reaching similar to 20% of the Crab. While very high energy (VHE) flares are quite common in many nearby blazars, the case of 1ES 1218+304 (redshift z = 0.182) is particularly interesting since it belongs to a group of blazars that exhibit unusually hard VHE spectra considering their redshifts. When correcting the measured spectra for absorption by the extragalactic background light, 1ES 1218+304 and a number of other blazars are found to have differential photon indices Gamma <= 1.5. The difficulty in modeling these hard spectral energy distributions in blazar jets has led to a range of theoretical gamma-ray emission scenarios, one of which is strongly constrained by these new VERITAS observations. We consider the implications of the observed light curve of 1ES 1218+304, which shows day scale flux variations, for shock acceleration scenarios in relativistic jets, and in particular for the viability of kiloparsec-scale jet emission scenarios.