Fermi-LAT detection of a GeV flare from the blazar PKS 0130-17
ATel #7393; Stefano Ciprini (ASI Science Data Center, Rome, & INFN Perugia, Italy), on behalf of the Fermi Large Area Telescope Collaboration
on 14 Apr 2015; 17:12 UT
Credential Certification: Stefano Ciprini (stefano.ciprini@asdc.asi.it)
Subjects: Gamma Ray, >GeV, AGN, Blazar, Quasar
The Large Area Telescope (LAT), one of the two instruments on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, has observed increasing gamma-ray flux from a source positionally consistent with the flat spectrum radio quasar PKS 0130-17, also known as OC -150, TXS 0130-171, 3EG J0130-1758 and 3FGL J0132.6-1655, with radio counterpart position R.A.: 23.18120 deg, -16.91348 deg, (J2000.0, Fey et al. 2004, AJ, 127, 3587) and with redshift z=1.02 (Wright et al. 1983, MNRAS, 205, 793).
Preliminary analysis indicates that on 2015 April 12, PKS 0130-17 was in a high state with a daily averaged gamma-ray flux (E>100 MeV) of (1.9+/-0.3) X 10^-6 photons cm^-2 s^-1 (statistical uncertainty only), about 35 times greater than the average flux reported in the third Fermi-LAT source catalog (3FGL, Acero et al. 2015, arXiv:1501.02003). The corresponding daily averaged spectral photon index (E>100 MeV) of 1.9+/-0.1 (statistical uncertainty only) is smaller than the average index of 2.43 +/- 0.04 in the 3FGL catalog. On 2015 April 13, the daily averaged gamma-ray flux (E>100 MeV) decreased to (0.8+/-0.2) X 10^-6 photons cm^-2 s^-1 with a spectral photon index of 1.8+/-0.2.
Because Fermi operates in an all-sky scanning mode, regular gamma-ray monitoring of this source will continue. In consideration of the ongoing activity of this source, we encourage multiwavelength observations. For this source the Fermi LAT contact persons are S. Ciprini (stefano.ciprini@asdc.asi.it) and J. Becerra Gonzalez (josefa.becerra@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.
