Fermi-LAT detection of highest gamma-ray daily flux from the BL Lac S5 1803+78
ATel #15292; M. Giroletti (INAF/IRA), S. Ciprini (INFN & ASI), G. La Mura (LIP) on behalf of the Fermi Large Area Telescope Collaboration
on 23 Mar 2022; 09:01 UT
Credential Certification: Marcello Giroletti (giroletti@ira.inaf.it)
Subjects: Gamma Ray, Request for Observations, AGN, Blazar
The Large Area Telescope (LAT), one of the two instruments on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, has observed enhanced gamma-ray activity from a source positionally consistent with the BL Lac S5 1803+78, also known as 4FGL J1800.6+7828 (The Fermi-LAT collaboration 2020, ApJS, 247, 33), with coordinates R.A. = 270.1903 deg, Decl. = +78.4678 deg (J2000; Johnston et al. 1995, AJ, 110, 880), and redshift z=0.684 (Stickel et al. 1993, A&AS, 98, 393).
Preliminary analysis indicates that this source was in an elevated gamma-ray emission state on 2022 March 21, with a daily averaged gamma-ray flux (E>100MeV) of (4.2+/-0.2) X 10^-6 photons cm^-2 s^-1 (statistical uncertainty only). This corresponds to a flux increase of a factor of 50 relative to the average flux reported in the fourth Fermi-LAT catalog (4FGL). This is the highest daily flux ever observed for this source by the LAT. The corresponding photon index is 1.97+/-0.04, and is significantly smaller than the 4FGL value of 2.23+/-0.01. For comparison, Fermi-LAT observations for this source during previous gamma-ray flaring activity are reported in ATels #2386, #3322, and #13633, and in Nesci et al. (2021, MNRAS, 502, 6177).
Because Fermi normally operates in an all-sky scanning mode, regular gamma-ray monitoring of this source will continue. This source is one of the "LAT Monitored Sources" and consequently a preliminary estimation of the daily gamma-ray flux observed by Fermi-LAT is publicly available at https://fermi.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssc/data/access/lat/msl_lc/source/S5_1803p78. A preliminary light curve can be accessed via the Fermi-LAT Light-Curve Repository at https://fermi.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssc/data/access/lat/LightCurveRepository/source.html?source_name=4FGL_J1800.6+7828. We encourage multifrequency observations of this source. For this source, the Fermi-LAT contact person is Tonia Venters (tonia.m.venters@nasa.gov).
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.
