[en] High synchrotron peak (HSP; ${\mathrm{\nu <!--\; ??\; -->}}_{\mathrm{s}\mathrm{y}}^{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{k}}><!--\; >\; -->{10}^{15}$ Hz) BL Lac objects are some of the most extreme accelerators in the universe. Those found at high redshifts (z > 1) challenge our understanding of blazar evolution models and are crucial for cosmological measurements of the extragalactic background light. In this paper, we study a high-z BL Lac object, 4FGL J2146.5-1344, detected to be at z = 1.34 using the photometric dropout technique. We collected multiwavelength data for this source from optical up to γ-rays, in order to study its spectral energy distribution (SED). In particular, this source was observed for the first time with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, which accurately measures the synchrotron emission of this blazar up to 50 keV. Despite being classified as an HSP BL Lac object, the modeling of the SED reveals that this source likely belongs to the “masquerading BL Lac” class, which comprises flat spectrum radio quasars appearing as disguised BL Lac objects.

[en] Determining redshifts for BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects using the traditional spectroscopic method is challenging due to the absence of strong emission lines in their optical spectra. We employ the photometric dropout technique to determine redshifts for this class of blazars using the combined 13 broadband filters from Swift -UVOT and the multi-channel imager GROND at the MPG 2.2 m telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory. The wavelength range covered by these 13 filters extends from far-ultraviolet to the near-infrared. We report results on 40 new Fermi- detected BL Lacs with the photometric redshift determinations for five sources, with 3FGL J1918.2–4110 being the most distant in our sample at z  = 2.16. Reliable upper limits are provided for 20 sources in this sample. Using the highest energy photons for these Fermi -LAT sources, we evaluate the consistency with the gamma-ray horizon due to the extragalactic background light.

[en] A majority of the γ-ray emission from star-forming galaxies is generated by the interaction of high-energy cosmic rays with the interstellar gas and radiation fields. Star-forming galaxies are expected to contribute to both the extragalactic γ-ray background and the IceCube astrophysical neutrino flux. Using roughly 10 yr of γ-ray data taken by the Fermi Large Area Telescope, in this study we constrain the γ-ray properties of star-forming galaxies. We report the detection of 11 bona fide γ-ray-emitting galaxies and 2 candidates. Moreover, we show that the cumulative γ-ray emission of below-threshold galaxies is also significantly detected at ∼5σ confidence. The γ-ray luminosity of resolved and unresolved galaxies is found to correlate with the total (8–1000 μm) infrared luminosity as previously determined. Above 1 GeV, the spectral energy distribution of resolved and unresolved galaxies is found to be compatible with a power law with a photon index of ≈2.2–2.3. Finally, we find that star-forming galaxies account for roughly 5% and 3% of the extragalactic γ-ray background and the IceCube neutrino flux, respectively.

[en] Motivated by the identification of the blazar TXS 0506+056 as the first promising high-energy neutrino counterpart candidate, we search for additional neutrino blazar candidates among the Fermi–Large Area Telescope detected blazars. We investigate the multiwavelength behavior from radio to GeV gamma-rays of blazars found to be in spatial coincidence with single high-energy neutrinos and lower-energy neutrino flare candidates. In addition, we compare the average gamma-ray emission of the potential neutrino-emitting sources to the entire sample of gamma-ray blazars. We find that neutrino-emitting blazar candidates are statistically compatible with hypotheses of both a linear correlation and no correlation between neutrino and gamma-ray energy flux.

[en] The detection of periodicity in the broadband non-thermal emission of blazars has so far been proven to be elusive. However, there are a number of scenarios that could lead to quasi-periodic variations in blazar light curves. For example, an orbital or thermal/viscous period of accreting matter around central supermassive black holes could, in principle, be imprinted in the multi-wavelength emission of small-scale blazar jets, carrying such crucial information about plasma conditions within the jet launching regions. In this paper, we present the results of our time series analysis of the ∼9.2 yr long, and exceptionally well-sampled, optical light curve of the BL Lac object OJ 287. The study primarily used the data from our own observations performed at the Mt. Suhora and Kraków Observatories in Poland, and at the Athens Observatory in Greece. Additionally, SMARTS observations were used to fill some of the gaps in the data. The Lomb–Scargle periodogram and the weighted wavelet Z-transform methods were employed to search for possible quasi-periodic oscillations in the resulting optical light curve of the source. Both methods consistently yielded a possible quasi-periodic signal around the periods of ∼400 and ∼800 days, the former with a significance (over the underlying colored noise) of $⩾<!--\; ???\; -->99\mathrm{\%<!--\; \%\; -->}$. A number of likely explanations for this are discussed, with preference given to a modulation of the jet production efficiency by highly magnetized accretion disks. This supports previous findings and the interpretation reported recently in the literature for OJ 287 and other blazar sources.

[en] The most powerful sources among the blazar family are MeV blazars. Often detected at z > 2, they usually display high X- and γ -ray luminosities, larger-than-average jet powers, and black hole masses ≳10⁹ M _☉. In the present work, we perform a multiwavelength study of three high-redshift blazars: 3FGL J0325.5+2223 ( z = 2.06), 3FGL J0449.0+1121 ( z = 2.15), and 3FGL J0453.2−2808 ( z = 2.56), analyzing quasi-simultaneous data from GROND, Swift -UVOT and XRT, Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array ( NuSTAR ), and Fermi -LAT. Our main focus is on the hard X-ray band recently unveiled by NuSTAR (3–79 keV) where these objects show a hard spectrum that enables us to constrain the inverse Compton (IC) peak and the jet power. We found that all three targets resemble the most powerful blazars, with the synchrotron peak located in the submillimeter range and the IC peak in the MeV range, and therefore belong to the MeV blazar class. Using a simple one-zone leptonic emission model to reproduce the spectral energy distributions, we conclude that a simple combination of synchrotron and accretion disk emission reproduces the infrared–optical spectra, while the X-ray to γ -ray part is well reproduced by the IC scattering of low-energy photons supplied by the broad-line region. The black hole masses for each of the three sources are calculated to be ≳4 × 10⁸ M _☉. The three studied sources have jet power at the level of, or beyond, the accretion luminosity.

[en] With bolometric luminosities exceeding 10⁴⁸ erg s⁻¹, powerful jets, and supermassive black holes at their center, MeV blazars are some of the most extreme sources in the universe. Recently, the Fermi-Large Area Telescope detected five new γ-ray emitting MeV blazars beyond redshift z = 3.1. With the goal of precisely characterizing the jet properties of these extreme sources, we started a multiwavelength campaign to follow them up with joint Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, Swift, and the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy’s optical telescopes. We observe six high-redshift quasars, four of them belonging to the new γ-ray emitting MeV blazars. Thorough X-ray analysis reveals spectral flattening at soft X-ray for three of these objects. The source NVSS J151002+570243 also shows a peculiar rehardening of the X-ray spectrum at energies E > 6 keV. Adopting a one-zone leptonic emission model, this combination of hard X-rays and γ-rays enables us to determine the location of the Inverse Compton peak and to accurately constrain the jet characteristics. In the context of the jet-accretion disk connection, we find that all six sources have jet powers exceeding accretion disk luminosity, seemingly validating this positive correlation even beyond z > 3. Our six sources are found to have ${10}^9{M}_{\odot <!--\; ???\; -->}$ black holes, further raising the space density of supermassive black holes in the redshift bin z = [3, 4].

[en] MeV blazars are a sub-population of the blazar family, exhibiting larger-than-average jet powers, accretion luminosities, and black hole masses. Because of their extremely hard X-ray continua, these objects are best studied in the X-ray domain. Here, we report on the discovery by the Fermi Large Area Telescope and subsequent follow-up observations with NuSTAR , Swift , and GROND of a new member of the MeV blazar family: PMN J0641 0320. Our optical spectroscopy provides confirmation that this is a flat-spectrum radio quasar located at a redshift of z = 1.196. Its very hard NuSTAR spectrum (power-law photon index of ∼1 up to ∼80 keV) indicates that the emission is produced via inverse Compton scattering off of photons coming from outside the jet. The overall spectral energy distribution of PMN J0641 0320 is typical of powerful blazars and, using a simple one-zone leptonic emission model, we infer that the emission region is located either inside the broad line region or within the dusty torus.