A blazar candidate counterpart of the new gamma-ray flare in the region of PKS 1451-375

ATel #4536; F. Massaro (Stanford University), P. C. Cowperthwaite (University of Maryland), R. D'Abrusco (SAO), A. Paggi (SAO)
on 2 Nov 2012; 16:02 UT
Credential Certification: Francesco Massaro (francesco_mss@yahoo.it)

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Following the Fermi LAT detection of a new gamma-ray flare from a region near the flat spectrum radio quasar: PKS 1451-375 (ATEL #4534), we searched in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE; Wright et al. 2010 AJ, 140, 1868) catalog at the position of the Fermi source for a gamma-ray blazar candidate using the association method outlined in Massaro, F. et al. (2012 ApJ, 752, 61) and Massaro et al. (2012 ApJ, 750, 138). Our association procedure is based on infrared color analyses using WISE data.

Our search found a single source with IR colors typical of gamma-ray blazars within the Fermi positional uncertainty. The source is WISE J145427.41-374733.0 and its coordinates are:
R.A.(J2000) = 14h54m27.41s
Dec. (J2000) = -37d47m33.1s.

According to the WISE All-sky catalog (available at http://wise2.ipac.caltech.edu/docs/release/allsky/ ), WISE J145427.41-374733.0 is detected in all four energy bands with the following magnitudes:
m(3.4 micron) = 12.206 +/- 0.024
m(4.6 micron) = 11.165 +/- 0.022
m(12 micron) = 8.580 +/- 0.023
m(22 micron) = 6.247 +/- 0.056

The WISE gamma-ray blazar candidate (WISE J145427.41-374733.0) is positionally consistent (0.18 arcsec offset) with the radio position of the PKS 1451-375 (R.A. (J2000): 14h54m27.4s, Dec. (J2000): -37d47m33s, Healey S.E. et al. 2007, ApJS 171, 61), as indicated in (ATel# 4534). We conclude that the new gamma-ray flare is most probably associated to the blazar PKS 1451-375 alias BZQ J1454-3747 as reported in the ROMA-BZCAT (Massaro et al. 2009 A&A, 495, 691).

This analysis makes use of data products from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, which is a joint project of the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Additional details concerning the association procedure and the infrared colors of gamma-ray emitting blazars can be found also in Massaro, F. et al. (2011 ApJ, 740L, 48) and D'Abrusco, R. et al. (2012 ApJ, 748, 68)