Abstract Details
| Name: Rukaiya Khatoon Affiliation: Tezpur University, Sonitpur Conference ID: ASI2019_480 Title : The flux distribution of individual blazars as a key to understand the dynamics of particle acceleration Authors and Co-Authors : Rukaiya Khatoon (Tezpur University, Assam), Dr. Rupjyoti Gogoi (Tezpur University, Assam), Prof. Ranjeev Misra (Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune), Dr. Sunder Sahayanathan (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai), Dr. Atreyee Sinha (APC, AstroParticule et Cosmologie, Université Paris Diderot, France), Dr. Soma Mandal (Government Girls’ General Degree College, Kolkata, West Bengal), Nilay Bhatt (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai) Abstract Type : Oral Abstract Category : Extragalactic Astronomy Abstract : The observed lognormal flux distributions in the high-energy emission from blazars have been interpreted as being due to variability stemming from non-linear multiplicative processes generated dynamically from the accretion disc. On the other hand, rapid minute scale variations in the flux point to a compact emitting region inside the jet, probably disconnected from the disc. In this work, we show that linear Gaussian variations of the intrinsic particle acceleration or escape time-scales can produce distinct non-Gaussian flux distributions, including lognormal ones. Moreover, the spectral index distributions can provide confirming evidence for the origin of the variability. Thus, modelling of the flux and index distributions can lead to quantitative identification of the micro-physical origin of the variability in these sources. As an example, we model the X-ray flux and index distribution of Mkn 421 obtained from ∼9 yr of MAXI observations and show that the variability in the X-ray emission is driven by Gaussian fluctuations of the particle acceleration process rather than that of the escape rate. |