AGILE detection of prolonged gamma-ray activity from the blazar PKS 1830-211

ATel #2950; I. Donnarumma (INAF/IASF-Rm), S. Vercellone (INAF/IASF-Pa), M. Tavani (INAF/IASF-Rm, and Univ. Tor Vergata), C. Pittori, F. Lucarelli, F. Verrecchia (ASDC), A. Chen (INAF/IASF-Mi), A. Bulgarelli, F. Gianotti, M. Trifoglio (INAF/IASF-Bo), A. Giuliani, S. Mereghetti, P. Caraveo, F. Perotti (INAF/IASF-Mi), F. D'Ammando (INAF/IASF-Pa), E. Del Monte, Y. Evangelista, M. Feroci, F. Lazzarotto, L. Pacciani, P. Soffitta, E. Costa, I. Lapshov, M. Rapisarda, A. Argan, G. Piano, G. Pucella, S. Sabatini, A. Trois, V. Vittorini (INAF/IASF-Rm), F. Fuschino, M. Galli, C. Labanti, M. Marisaldi, G. Di Cocco (INAF/IASF-Bo), A. Pellizzoni, M. Pilia (INAF/OA-Cagliari), G. Barbiellini, F. Longo, E. Moretti, E. Vallazza (INFN Trieste), A. Morselli, P. Picozza, E. Striani (INFN and Univ. Roma Tor Vergata), M. Prest (Universita` dell'Insubria), P. Lipari, D. Zanello (INFN and Univ. Roma Sapienza), P. W. Cattaneo, A. Rappoldi (INFN Pavia), P. Santolamazza, S. Colafrancesco, P. Giommi (ASDC), L. Salotti (ASI)
on 17 Oct 2010; 18:59 UT
Credential Certification: Donnarumma Immacolata (immacolata.donnarumma@iasf-roma.inaf.it)

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The AGILE Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) has been detecting prolonged gamma-ray emission above 100 MeV from a source at (l,b)=(12.17,-6.25) [RA(J2000)=18h 35m 44.07s, DEC(J2000)=-21h 18m 00.7s] positionally consistent with the high z blazar (z=2.507) PKS 1830-211.

Integrating from 2010-10-15 00:00UT to 2010-10-17 00:00UT, a quick-look maximum likelihood analysis yields a source flux of about (5.7+-1.8)E-6 ph/cm2/sec (E > 100 MeV). This flux value is, within the statistical errors, comparable to the daily flux value detected by Fermi/LAT on 2010-10-14, and reported in ATel #2943.

It is worth noting that an enhancement in the gamma-ray activity of this blazar was detected by AGILE on 2009-10-12 (see ATel #2242), when it was detected at a flux level about 3.5 times lower than the current one.

The AGILE-GRID detection was obtained while AGILE is observing in spinning mode, surveying a large fraction of the sky each day.

Multi-frequency observations of PKS 1830-211 are strongly encouraged.