Abstract
This work presents a method for settling the following ongoing debate: is the GeV emission of powerful blazars produced inside the sub-pc size broad line region (BLR) or further out at scales of ~ 10 pc where the IR photon field of the dusty molecular torus dominates over that the UV field of the BLR? In the first case the GeV emission is most probably external Compton (EC) scattering of the ~ 10 eV BLR photons21, while in the second the seed photons for the EC GeV emission are the ~ 0.1 eV photons of the dust9 in the molecular torus8. The issue of the energy dissipation location is connected to the jet formation and collimation process25 and, as we argue here, can be resolved with Fermi spectral variability observations.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
