Fast variability of gamma-ray emission from supermassive black hole binary OJ 287

作者：Neronov A^*; Vovk Ie

来源：Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2011, 412(2): 1389-1393.

DOI：10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17997.x

• black hole physics
• radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
• BL Lacertae objects: individual: OJ 287
• galaxies: nuclei
• gamma-rays: general

We report the discovery of fast variability of gamma-ray flares from blazar OJ 287. This blazar is known to be powered by a binary system of supermassive black holes. The observed variability time-scale T-var less than or similar to 3-10 h is much shorter than the light-crossing time of the more massive (1.8 x 1010 M-circle dot) black hole and is comparable to the light-crossing time of the less massive (1.3 x 108 M-circle dot) black hole. This indicates that gamma-ray emission is produced by the relativistic jet ejected by the black hole of smaller mass. Detection of gamma-rays with energies in excess of 10 GeV during the fast variable flares constrains the Doppler factor of the jet to be larger than 4. The possibility of studying the orbital modulation of emission from the relativistic jet makes OJ 287 a unique laboratory for the study of the mechanism(s) of formation of jets by black holes, and in particular the response of the jet parameters to changes in the parameters of the medium from which the black hole accretes and into which the jet expands.

• 出版日期2011-4