Joint analysis of TeV blazar light curves with FACT and HAWC

Abstract

Probing the high energy emission processes of blazars through their variability relies crucially on long-term monitoring. We present unprecedented light curves from unbiased observations of very high energy fluxes from the blazars Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 based on a joint analysis of data from the First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope (FACT) and the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory. Thanks to an offset of 5.3 hours of the geographic locations, a complementary coverage of up to 12 hours of observation per day allows us to track variability on time scales of hours to days in more detail than with single-instrument analyses. Complementary features, such as better sensitivity thanks to a lower energy threshold with FACT and more regular coverage throughout the year with HAWC, provide valuable cross checks and extensions to the individual analyses. Daily flux comparisons for both Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 show largely correlated variations with a few significant exceptions. These deviations between measurements can be explained through fast variability within a few hours and will be discussed in detail.