NuSTAR, Swift, and GROND Observations of the Flaring MeV Blazar PMN J0641-0320
Abstract
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.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- July 2016
- DOI:
- 10.3847/0004-637X/826/1/76
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1602.06446
- Bibcode:
- 2016ApJ...826...76A
- Keywords:
-
- galaxies: active;
- quasars: general;
- quasars: individual: PMN J0641–0320;
- X-rays: general;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Submitted to ApJ, comments welcome