Fermi LAT detection of renewed gamma-ray activity from the high redshift FSRQ 4C +01.02
ATel #15213; I. Mereu (INFN Perugia), on behalf of the Fermi-LAT collaboration
on 8 Feb 2022; 09:12 UT
Credential Certification: Isabella Mereu (mereuisabella@gmail.com)
Subjects: Gamma Ray, >GeV, Request for Observations, AGN, Blazar, Quasar
The Large Area Telescope (LAT), one of the two instruments on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, has observed increasing gamma-ray flux from a source positionally consistent with the high redshift flat spectrum radio quasar 4C +01.02, also known as PKS 0106+01 and OC 12 (R.A.: 17.1615 deg, Dec: 1.58342 deg, J2000.0, Johnston et al. 1995, AJ, 110, 880) with redshift z=2.099 (Hewett et al. 1995, AJ, 109, 1498).
Preliminary analysis indicates that on 2022 February 05 and 06, 4C +01.02 was in a high state with a daily averaged gamma-ray flux (E>100 MeV) respectively of (1.5 +/- 0.3) X 10^-6 photons cm^-2 s^-1 and (1.1 +/- 0.2)X 10^-6 photons cm^-2 s^-1 (statistical uncertainty only), about 6 and 5 times greater than the average flux reported in the fourth Fermi-LAT catalog (4FGL J0108.6+0134, The Fermi-LAT collaboration 2020, ApJS, 247, 1). The corresponding photon indices are 2.3 +/- 0.2 and 2.15 +/- 0.15, and are consistent with the 4FGL value of 2.35 +/- 0.01. Previous outbursts were announced in 2013 September (ATel#5394), in 2014 December (ATel#6844) and in 2015 November (ATel #8319).
Because Fermi operates in an all-sky scanning mode, regular gamma-ray monitoring of this source will continue. In consideration of the ongoing activity of this source, we encourage multiwavelength observations. For this source the Fermi LAT contact person is S. Buson (sara.buson@gmail.com)
The Fermi LAT is a pair conversion telescope designed to cover the energy band from 20 MeV to greater than 300 GeV. It is the product of an international collaboration between NASA and DOE in the U.S. and many scientific institutions across France, Italy, Japan and Sweden.
