DAMPE detection of enhanced gamma-ray activity from blazar TXS 0646-176
ATel #14993; Zun-Lei Xu (PMO), Kai-Kai Duan (PMO), Wei Jiang(PMO), Shi-Jun Lei (PMO), Xiang Li (PMO), Peng-Xiong Ma(PMO), Maria Munoz Salinas(UNIGE), Zhao-Qiang Shen (PMO), Meng Su (HKU/PMO), Qiang Yuan (PMO), Chuan Yue(PMO), Yi-Zhong Fan (PMO), Jin Chang (PMO), on behalf of the DAMPE collaboration
on 22 Oct 2021; 11:12 UT
Distributed as an Instant Email Notice Transients
Credential Certification: Zun-Lei Xu (xuzl@pmo.ac.cn)
Subjects: Gamma Ray, >GeV, AGN, Blazar
The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) has detected variable GeV gamma-ray emission from the blazar TXS 0646-176(J2000 coordinate R.A. = 102.11 deg, Dec. = -17.73 deg; Petrov et al. 2006, AJ, 131, 1872), also known as 4FGL J0648.4-1743.
The DAMPE has recorded a significant increase in the number of photons positionally consistent with the source on 2021 October 17, and the daily averaged gamma-ray flux reached ~( 3.3+/-1.8) x10^-7 photons cm^-2 s^-1 above 2 GeV. Few photons were detected in the days before October 17, and the flux on October 15 is only half of the 17th, and no photons were detected after the 17th. The daily light curve shows significant variabilities. Enhanced activities of TXS 0646-176 was also reported at the gamma-ray bands by Fermi-LAT(ATel#14980) and X-ray bands by Swift(ATel#149807).
DAMPE is a space-borne calorimeter detector of high energy cosmic rays and gamma-rays. The detectable energy range is ~2 GeV to 10 TeV for gamma-rays. More information about DAMPE can be found at http://www.space.pmo.cas.cn/.
