Fermi LAT detection of a New Gamma-ray Source in the Vicinity of TXS 0536+145
ATel #3999; M. Orienti (Univ. Bologna, INAF-IRA Bologna), F. D'Ammando (Dip. Physics, Univ. Perugia) on behalf of the Fermi Large Area Telescope Collaboration
on 24 Mar 2012; 21:42 UT
Credential Certification: Monica Orienti (orienti@ira.inaf.it)
Subjects: Gamma Ray, Request for Observations, AGN, Blazar, Quasar
The Large Area Telescope (LAT), on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space
Telescope, has observed an increasing gamma-ray flux from a new gamma-ray
source. The preliminary best-fit location of the gamma-ray source (R.A. =
84.90 deg, Dec. = 14.54 deg, J2000) has a 95% containment radius of 0.14
deg (statistical errors only) for observations from 20 to 22 March 2012.
This source is positionally consistent with the flat spectrum radio quasar
TXS 0536+145 (R.A. = 84.9265246 deg, Dec. = 14.5626564 deg, J2000;
Johnston et al. 1995, AJ, 110, 880) at redshift z = 2.69 (Sowards-Emmerd,
et al. 2005, ApJ, 626, 95).
Preliminary analysis indicates that the source brightened in gamma-rays
with daily fluxes (E > 100MeV) of (0.8+/-0.2) x10^-6 ph cm^-2 s^-1 (errors
are statistical only) on 22 March. The source is not present in any of the
Fermi LAT catalogs, and there is no reported EGRET gamma-ray detection at
this location.
Because Fermi operates in all-sky survey mode, gamma-ray monitoring of
this source will continue. In consideration of the activity of this source
we encourage multiwavelength observations. The Fermi LAT contact person
for this source is M. Orienti (orienti@ira.inaf.it).
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.
