Fermi-LAT detection of enhanced gamma-ray activity from the BL Lac PKS 0332-403
ATel #18046; S. Wagner (IFAE) on behalf of the Fermi Large Area Telescope Collaboration
on 15 Sep 2026; 19:18 UT
Credential Certification: Sarah Wagner (swagner@ifae.es)
Subjects: Gamma Ray, 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 PKS 0332-403, also known as 4FGL J0334.2-4008 (Abdollahi et al. 2022, ApJS, 260, 53), with coordinates R.A. = 53.55689 deg, Dec. = -40.14038 deg (J2000; Liu et al. 2016, AJ, 151, 79), and redshift z=1.357 (Shaw et al. 2013, ApJ, 764, 135).
Preliminary analysis indicates that this source was in an elevated gamma-ray emission state on September 14, 2026, with a daily averaged gamma-ray flux (E>100MeV) of (0.5 +/- 0.1) X 10^-6 photons cm^-2 s^-1 (statistical uncertainty only). This corresponds to a flux increase of a factor of 10 relative to the average flux reported in the fourth data release of the fourth Fermi-LAT catalog (4FGL-DR4, Ballet et al. 2023, arXiv:2307.12546). This is the highest LAT daily flux ever observed for this source. The corresponding photon index is 2.4+/-0.2, indicating a marginally softer spectrum than the 4FGL-DR4 value of 2.17 +/- 0.01.
Because Fermi normally operates in an all-sky scanning mode, regular gamma-ray monitoring of this source will continue. A preliminary light curve for PKS 0332-403 can be accessed via the Fermi-LAT Light-Curve Repository at 4FGL J0334.2-4008. We encourage multifrequency observations of this source. For this source, the Fermi-LAT contact person is Sarah Wagner (swagner@ifae.es).
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.
