From radio to TeV: the surprising spectral energy distribution of AP Librae

Fortin, P.; Horan, D.; Giebels, B.; Finke, J.; Fegan, S.; Szostek, A.; Sanchez, D. A.; Savolainen, T.; Kovalev, Y. Y.; Lister, M. L.; Pushkarev, A. B.; Baczko, A. -K.; Kadler, M. L.

France, United States, Germany, Russia, Finland

Abstract

Following the discovery of high-energy (HE; E > 10 MeV) and very-high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) γ-ray emission from the low-frequency-peaked BL Lac (LBL) object AP Librae, its electromagnetic spectrum is studied over 60 octaves in energy. Contemporaneous data in radio, optical and UV together with the (non-simultaneous) γ-ray data are used to construct the most precise spectral energy distribution of this source. The data have been found to be modelled with difficulties with single-zone homogeneous leptonic synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) radiative scenarios due to the unprecedented width of the HE component when compared to the lower-energy component. The two other LBL objects also detected at VHE appear to have similar modelling difficulties. Nevertheless, VHE γ-rays produced in the extended jet could account for the VHE flux observed by HESS.

2015 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Planck 10