Γ-ray Light Curves Research Articles

Two Repeated Transient Quasiperiodic Oscillations in the γ-Ray Emission from the Blazar 3C 279

In this work, we report for the first time two repeated transient quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) in the γ-ray light curve of the TeV blazar 3C 279. We search for the periodicity in the light curve and estimate its confidence level using the weighted wavelet Z-transform, the Lomb–Scargle periodogram, and the REDFIT techniques. The main results are as follows: (1) a QPO of ∼33 days (>2.5σ) is found during the flare of 117 days (MJD 55008–55125) from 2009 June to November. Interestingly, the same QPO (∼39 days) reappeared in the flaring duration from MJD 59430 to 59585, with the confidence level of >4σ. (2) Another transient QPO of ∼91 days with a significance of >3.8σ is found during a period with 455 days (MJD 58430–58985) from 2019 February to 2020 May. Under the premise of considering the QPOs reported in the literature, the QPO of ∼40 days is repeated three times and the QPO of ∼91 days is repeated twice. We discuss several physical models explaining the QPOs of this blazar. Our study may suggest that the two QPOs originate from the twin jets of the binary black holes at the center of 3C 279. The repeated occurrence of QPOs of a similar scale strongly supports the geometric scenario of a blob spiraling within the jet. Furthermore, the hypothesis of a sheath in the jet may also be a potential explanation for the repetitive γ-ray flare patterns observed in the light curve.

Probing the Gamma-Ray Emission Region of Five TeV Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars

The location of γ-ray emission of blazars remains a contested topic, inspiring the development of numerous investigative techniques to address this issue. In this work, we analyzed Fermi γ-ray light curves in the GeV and MeV bands, employing the discrete cross-correlation function method to discern time lags between the two bands. For 4C +21.35, Ton 599, B2 1420+32, and PKS 1510-089, we identified a time lag spanning several days, while for PKS 1441+25, the time lag was not statistically found. The results imply that the soft photons necessary for inverse Compton scattering predominantly originate from the dusty torus in the first four sources, whereas for PKS 1441+25, they seem to be sourced mainly from the broad-line region. Further analysis of the opacity (τ γ γ ) and the GeV spectra study supports the conclusion that the location of the dissipation region must be beyond the BLR to avoid significant absorption. Notably, for PKS 1441+25, the emission region is also posited to lie outside yet proximate to the BLR. The parameters of describing the emission region were obtained by fitting broadband spectral energy distribution with contemporaneous observation data. Our findings suggest that for the five TeV FSRQs, during TeV flaring events, the jet appears to maintain an equilibrium between the energy density of the magnetic field and that of the particles for all investigated sources, with the exceptions of 4C +21.35 and PKS 1441+25. In terms of the overall jet power, particle energy is the dominant contributor, and the observed blazar radiation cannot be solely attributed to the magnetic field, except in the case of 4C +21.35. Consequently, magnetic reconnection is unlikely to be the primary mechanism behind particle acceleration in these systems.

Gamma-ray variability and multi-wavelength insights into the unprecedented outburst from 4C 31.03

The blazar 4C31.03 recently underwent a major γ-ray outburst at the beginning of 2023 after a prolonged quiescent phase. Fermi-LAT reported a daily average flux of 5×10−6 phs cm−2 s−1, which is about 60 times its average value. We investigated this extraordinary outbreak through temporal and multi-wavelength analysis. From the statistical analysis of the γ-ray lightcurves using Bayesian blocks, we identified 3 epochs of prominent flares. The fastest flux decay during this major outburst was observed within 5.5±0.7 hours. The highest energy of γ-ray photons found from the source during the active phase is ∼82GeV. Using the transparency of γ-rays against pair production and light crossing time argument, we could obtain the minimum jet Doppler factor as 17 corresponding to the flaring state. The broadband spectral energy distribution study performed using synchrotron, SSC and EC emission processes supports the external Compton scattering of IR photons as the likely mechanism for the γ-ray emission from the source. The results of this study support the scenario of the emission region in 4C31.03, being located beyond the Broad line region from the central blackhole. The long-term γ-ray flux distribution depicts a double log-normal variability, indicating that two distinct flux states are active in this energy band. The index distribution also reveals a two distinct variability pattern and hints that the γ-ray spectrum can be more precisely described by two photon indices.

Synchro-curvature description of γ-ray light curves and spectra of pulsars: global properties

Abstract This work presents a methodological approach to generate realistic γ-ray light curves of pulsars, resembling reasonably well the observational ones observed by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope instrument, fitting at the same time their high-energy spectra. The theoretical light curves are obtained from a spectral and geometrical model of the synchro-curvature emission. Despite our model relies on a few effective physical parameters, the synthetic light curves present the same main features observed in the observational γ-ray light curve zoo, such as the different shapes, variety in the number of peaks, and a diversity of peak widths. The morphological features of the light curves allows us to statistically compare the observed properties. In particular, we find that the proportion on the number of peaks found in our synthetic light curves is in agreement with the observational one provided by the third Fermi-LAT pulsar catalog. We also found that the detection probability due to beaming is much higher for orthogonal rotators (approaching 100%) than for small inclination angles (less than 20 %). The small variation on the synthetic skymaps generated for different pulsars indicates that the geometry dominates over timing and spectral properties in shaping the gamma-ray light curves. This means that geometrical parameters like the inclination angle can be in principle constrained by gamma-ray data alone independently on the specific properties of a pulsar. At the same time, we find that γ-ray spectra seen by different observers can slightly differ, opening the door to constraining the viewing angle of a particular pulsar.

Radio Polarization of Millisecond Pulsars with Multipolar Magnetic Fields

NICER has observed a few millisecond pulsars where the geometry of the X-ray-emitting hotspots on the neutron star have been analyzed in order to constrain the mass and radius from X-ray light-curve modeling. One example, PSR J0030 + 0451, has been shown to possibly have significant multipolar magnetic fields at the stellar surface. Using force-free simulations of the magnetosphere structure, it has been shown that the radio, X-ray, and γ-ray light curves can be modeled simultaneously with an appropriate field configuration. An even more stringent test is to compare predictions of the force-free magnetosphere model with observations of radio polarization. This paper attempts to reproduce the radio polarization of PSR J0030 + 0451 using a force-free magnetospheric solution. As a result of our modeling, we can reproduce certain features of the polarization well.

Fermi Large Area Telescope Detection of Gamma Rays from the NGC 6251 Radio Lobe

We report the detection of extended γ-ray emission from lobes in the radio galaxy NGC 6251 using observation data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. The maximum likelihood analysis results show that a radio morphology template provides a better fit than a pointlike source description for the observational data at a confidence level of 8.1σ, and the contribution of lobes constitutes more than 50% of the total γ-ray flux. Furthermore, the γ-ray energy spectra show a significant disparity in shape between the core and lobe regions, with a curved log-parabola shape observed in the core region and a power-law form observed in the lobes. Neither the core region nor the northwest (NW) lobe displays significant flux variations in the long-term γ-ray light curves. The broadband spectral energy distributions of the core region and the NW lobe can be explained with a single-zone leptonic model. The γ-rays of the core region are due to the synchrotron-self-Compton process, while the γ-rays from the NW lobe are interpreted as inverse Compton emission of the cosmic microwave background.

Multiwavelength variability analysis of Fermi-LAT blazars

ABSTRACT Blazars present highly variable gamma-ray emission. This variability, which can range from a few minutes to several years, is also observed at other wavelengths across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. We make use of the first 12 yr of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope, complemented with multiwavelength (MWL) archival data from different observatories and facilities in radio, infrared, and optical bands, to study the possible periodic emission from 19 blazars previously claimed as periodic candidates. A periodicity analysis is performed with a pipeline for periodicity searches. Moreover, we study the cross-correlations between the gamma-ray and MWL light curves. Additionally, we use the fractional variability and the structure function to evaluate the variability time-scales. We find five blazars showing hints of periodic modulation with ≥3.0σ (≈0σ post-trials), with periods ranging from 1.2 to 4 yr, both in their gamma-ray and MWL emission. The results provide clues for understanding the physical mechanisms generating the observed periodicity.

Broad-band spectral and temporal study of Ton 599 during the brightest 2023 January flare

ABSTRACT In this work, we provide a detailed analysis of the broad-band temporal and spectral properties of the blazar Ton 599 by using observations from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and Swift X-Ray Telescope (XRT)/Ultraviolet–Optical Telescope (UVOT), during its brightest γ-ray flaring. The one-day bin γ-ray light curve exhibits multiple substructures with asymmetric and symmetric profiles. Notably, the γ-ray light curve shows a maximum flux of $\rm 3.63 \times 10^{-6}\, photon\, cm^{-2}\, s^{-1}$ on MJD 59954.50, which is the highest flux ever observed from this source. The correlation between the γ-ray flux and γ-ray spectral indices suggests a moderate ‘harder when brighter’ trend. Taking the γ-ray light curve as the reference, a strong correlation is observed with X-ray, optical, and UV energies. Additionally, the γ-rays and optical/UV emission exhibit higher variability compared with X-rays. To understand the parameter variation during the active state of the source, we conducted a statistical broad-band spectral modelling of the source in 10 flux intervals of equal duration. A one-zone leptonic model involving synchrotron, synchrotron-self-Compton, and external Compton processes successfully reproduces the broad-band spectral energy distribution (SED) in each of these flux intervals. We observed that flux variation during the active state is associated mainly with variation in the magnetic field and particle spectral indices.

Follow-up on the Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidate J1048+7143: Successful Prediction of the Next Gamma-Ray Flare and Refined Binary Parameters in the Framework of the Jet Precession Model

Analyzing single-dish and very long baseline interferometry radio, as well as Fermi Large Area Telescope γ-ray observations, we explained the three major flares in the γ-ray light curve of FSRQ J1048+7143 with the spin–orbit precession of the dominant mass black hole in a supermassive black hole binary system. Here, we report on the detection of a fourth γ-ray flare from J1048+7143, appearing in the time interval that was predicted in our previous work. Including this new flare, we constrained the mass ratio into a narrow range of 0.062 < q < 0.088, and consequently we were able to further constrain the parameters of the hypothetical supermassive binary black hole at the heart of J1048+7143. We predict the occurrence of the fifth major γ-ray flare that would appear only if the jet will still lay close to our line of sight. The fourth major γ-ray flare also shows the two-subflare structure, further strengthening our scenario in which the occurrence of the subflares is the signature of the precession of a spine–sheath jet structure that quasiperiodically interacts with a proton target, e.g., clouds in the broad-line region.

The Energy-dependent Gamma-Ray Light Curves and Spectra of the Vela Pulsar in the Dissipative Magnetospheres

We study the pulsar energy-dependent γ-ray light curves and spectra from curvature radiation in the dissipative magnetospheres. The dissipative magnetospheres with the combined force-free (FFE) and Aristotelian are computed by a pseudo-spectral method with a high-resolution simulation in the rotating coordinate system, which produces a near-FFE field structure with the dissipative region only near the equatorial current sheet outside the light cylinder. We use the test-particle trajectory method to compute the energy-dependent γ-ray light curves and phase-average and phase-resolved spectra by including both the accelerating electric field and radiation reaction. The predicted energy-dependent γ-ray light curves and spectra are then compared with those of the Vela pulsar observed by Fermi. Our results can generally reproduce the observed trends of the energy-dependent γ-ray light curves and spectra for the Vela pulsar.

A Possible Optical Quasiperiodic Oscillation of 134 days in the Radio-loud Narrow-line Seyfert 1 Galaxy TXS 1206+549 at z = 1.34

Here we report an optical quasiperiodic oscillation (QPO) with a period of ∼134 days detected in g- and r-band light curves of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy TXS 1206+549 at a redshift of 1.34 with data from observations at the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). After considering the trial factor, the significance levels in the two bands are 3.1σ and 2.6σ, respectively. The QPO signal presents about 10 cycles ranging from 2018 March to 2021 December, thus lasting ∼4 yr. A nearly sinusoidal profile also appears in the folded light curves by using a phase-resolved analysis. Interestingly, in the simultaneous light curve with the timescale of ZTF observations, a potential periodic signal with a similar period is detected in the o-band light curve from Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System data; additionally, a weak peak is also detected at a similar period in the γ-ray light curve obtained from Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope data. Some potential origins of periodicities in active galactic nuclei are discussed for the QPO reported here.

Probing the disc–jet coupling in S4 0954+65, PKS 0903−57, and 4C +01.02 with γ-rays

ABSTRACT We present a comprehensive variability study on three blazars, S4 0954+65, PKS 0903−57, and 4C +01.02, covering a mass range of log(M/M⊙) = 8–9, by using ∼15-yr-long γ-ray LCs from Fermi-LAT. The variability level is characterized by the fractional variability amplitude that is higher for γ-rays compared with optical/UV and X-rays emissions. A power spectral density (PSD) study and damped random walk (DRW) modelling are done to probe the characteristic time-scale. The PSD is fitted with a single power law (PL) and bending PL models and the corresponding success fraction was estimated. In the case of PKS 0903−57, We observed a break in the γ-ray PSD at 256 d, which is comparable to the viscous time-scale in the accretion disc, suggesting a possible disc–jet coupling. The non-thermal damping time-scale from the DRW modelling is compared with the thermal damping time-scale for AGNs including our three sources. Our sources lie on the best fit of the $\mathrm{\tau ^{\rm rest}_{\rm damping}}\!-\!M_{\rm BH}$ plot derived for AGN, suggesting a possible accretion disc–jet connection. If the jet’s variability is linked to the disc’s variability, we expect a log-normal flux distribution, often connected to the accretion disc’s multiplicative processes. Our study observed a double log-normal flux distribution, possibly linked to long- and short-term variability from the accretion disc and the jet. In summary, PSD and DRW modelling results for these three sources combined with blazars and AGNs studied in literature favour a disc–jet coupling scenario. However, more such studies are needed to refine this understanding.

The Gamma-Ray Pulsar Phenomenology in View of 3D Kinetic Global Magnetosphere Models

We develop kinetic plasma models of pulsar magnetospheres with magnetic-field-line-dependent plasma injection that reveal the importance of various magnetosphere regions in regulating the γ-ray emission. We set different particle injection rates for the so-called open, closed, and separatrix zones. Moderate particle injection rates in open and closed zones ensure a global field structure close to the force-free structure, while the dissipation occurs mainly in and around the equatorial current sheet. The particles that are injected into the separatrix zone affect the particle populations that enter the equatorial current sheet region, and therefore the corresponding accelerating electric fields, particle energies, the spectral cutoff energy, and γ-ray efficiency. The separatrix zone models reproduce the recently discovered fundamental plane of γ-ray pulsars consistent with curvature radiation emission, the γ-ray light-curve shapes, and the radio-lag versus peak-separation correlation reported in the Fermi second pulsar catalog. The model beaming factors indicate that the pulsar total γ-ray luminosities listed in the Fermi catalogs are overestimations of the actual ones. We find that the radiation reaction limited regime starts ceasing to govern the high-energy emission for . Our results also indicate that toward high magnetic inclination angles, the Y point around the rotational equator migrates well inside the light cylinder, sparking additional peaks in the γ-ray pulse profiles. We find that an equivalent enhanced particle injection beyond the Y point strengthens these features, making the model γ-ray light curves inconsistent with those observed.

Multiwavelength study of TeV blazar 1ES 1218+304 using gamma-ray, X-ray and optical observations

ABSTRACT We report on a multiwavelength study of the high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lac 1ES 1218+304 using near-simultaneous data obtained during the period from 2018 January 1 to 2021 May 31 (MJD 58119–59365) from various instruments, including Fermi–LAT, Swift–XRT, AstroSat, and optical data from Swift-UVOT and the TUBITAK observatory in Turkey. The source was reported to be flaring in the TeV γ-ray band during 2019, but no significant variation was observed with Fermi–LAT. A sub-hour variability is seen in the SXT light curve, suggesting a compact emission region for the variability. However, hour-scale variability is observed in the γ-ray light curve. A ‘softer-when-brighter’ trend is observed in the γ-ray, and an opposite trend is seen in the X-ray, suggesting that the two emissions are produced through two different processes, as expected from a high-frequency-peaked BL Lac source. We have chosen the two epochs in 2019 January to study and compare their physical parameters. A joint fit of SXT and LAXPC provides a constraint on the synchrotron peak, estimated to be ∼1.6 keV. A clear shift in the synchrotron peak is observed from ∼1 keV to above 10 keV, revealing its extreme nature or behaviour like an extreme blazar-type source. The optical observation provides a colour-index variation as ‘blue-when-brighter’. The broad-band spectral energy distribution is fitted with a single-zone synchrotron-self Compton model, and their parameters are discussed in the context of a TeV blazar and the possible mechanism behind the broad-band emission.

Quasi-periodic variability in the γ-Ray blazar PKS 0426–380

The identification of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) inactive galactic nuclei (AGN) light curvescan shed light on supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their surrounding central engines. They could signal the existence of SMBH binaries and reflect theirpreponderance through cosmic evolution. The Flat Spectrum Radio Quasar (FSRQ) at intermediate redshift (z=1.1) PKS 0426–380 was reported to possibly exhibit a quasi-periodic signal. Using the Fermi-LAT Pass 8 data, we generate an updated γ-ray light curve (LC) time series of this object from 2008 August to 2020 November. Aperture photometry γ-ray LCs were extracted at three energy ranges (E1: 200 MeV–1 GeV, E2: 1 GeV–10 GeV, and E3: 10 GeV–500 GeV). The cross-correlation function was applied to examine the variability properties within these bands. The source showed an E1-E2 high degree of correlation. Its flux distribution was noted to be closer a log-normal probability density function than a Gaussian. A search for QPOs in 100 MeV–500 GeV γ-ray LC was carried out using Lomb–Scargle periodogram, as well as the weighted wavelet Z-transform. Monte Carlo simulations were used to test the significance of the results. Furthermore, the REDFIT tool was used to precisely evaluate the power spectrum signal against the red-noise background. The results confirm the existence of QPO for the PKS 0426–380 blazar at high energy γ-rays, lasting for at least 12.2 yr with a period 3.65±0.45 yr at significance ∼3σ. They are consistent with this distant blazar being a binary system of SMBH with separation R∼0.0029pc, total mass M∼3×108M⊙, and timescale for SMBHs merging TGW∼6.9×104yr.

Multiwavelength variability and broad-band SED modelling of BL Lac during a bright flaring period MJD 59000–59943

ABSTRACT We carried out a detailed temporal and spectral study of the BL Lacertae (BL Lac) by using the long-term Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) and Swift-X-ray Telescope (XRT)/Ultraviolet Optical Telescope (UVOT) observations, during the period MJD 59000–59943. The daily-binned γ-ray light curve displays a maximum flux of $1.74\pm 0.09\times 10^{-5} \,\rm photons\, cm^{-2}\, s^{-1}$ on MJD 59868, which is the highest daily γ-ray flux observed from BL Lac. The γ-ray variability is characterized by power spectral density (PSD), rms–flux relation, and flux distribution study. We find that the power-law model fits the PSD with index ∼1, which suggests a long-memory process at work. The observed rms–flux relation exhibits a linear trend, which indicates that the γ-ray flux distribution follows a lognormal distribution. The skewness/Anderson–Darling test and histogram fit reject the normality of flux distribution, and instead suggest that the flux distribution is a lognormal distribution. The fractional variability amplitude shows that the source is more variable in the X-ray band than in optical/ultraviolet/γ-ray bands. In order to obtain an insight into the underlying physical process, we extracted broad-band spectra from different time periods of the light curve. The broad-band spectra are statistically fitted with the convolved one-zone leptonic model with different forms of the particle energy distribution. We found that spectral energy distribution during different flux states can be reproduced well with the synchrotron, synchrotron self-Compton, and external Compton emissions from a broken power-law electron distribution, ensuring equipartition condition. A comparison between the best-fitting physical parameters shows that the variation in different flux states is mostly related to an increase in the bulk Lorentz factor and spectral hardening of the particle distribution.

The Detection of Possible Transient Quasiperiodic Oscillations in the γ-Ray Light Curve of PKS 0244-470 and 4C+38.41

The continuous monitoring capability of Fermi-LAT has enabled the exploration of quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) in the γ-ray light curve of blazars that has given a new perspective to probe these sources over a wide range of timescales. We report the presence of transient QPOs in the long-term γ-ray light curve of blazars PKS 0244-470 and 4C +38.41. We first identified different flux states using the Bayesian block algorithm and then explored the possible transient QPOs in the segments of each flux phase where the flux level changes over fairly regular intervals. Combining this with the source’s intrinsic variance, we identified two flux phases for PKS 0244-470: one activity (AP-1) and one quiescent phase (QP-1). For 4C+38.41, we similarly identified four activity (AP-1, AP-2, AP-3, and AP-4) and two quiescent (QP-1 and QP-2) phases. The AP-1 phase of PKS 0244-470 shows QPO of ∼225 days persisting for eight cycles (∼4.1σ). In 4C+38.41, AP-1 and AP-2 phases show QPO-like behavior of ∼110 days and ∼60 days, respectively, persisting for five cycles. In AP-3, we identified three subphases, and all show a ∼7 day scale possible recurrent rise with five complete cycles, while in QP-1, we could identify two subphases (Q1 and Q2). The Q1 phase shows a period of ∼104 days with six complete cycles. The Q2 phase also shows QPO but with only ∼3.7 cycles. We discuss the possible origin and argue that the current-driven kink instability and curved jet model seem to be the most likely causes for shorter and longer QPOs.

Exploring the Emission Mechanisms of Mrk 180 with Long-term X-Ray and γ-Ray Data

Markarian (Mrk) 180 is a BL Lacertae object located at a redshift of 0.045 and is a potential candidate for high-energy cosmic-ray acceleration. We have analyzed the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) γ-ray data of Mrk 180 collected over a period of 12.8 yr and found no significant enhancement in the flux from the long-term γ-ray light curve. We have also analyzed Swift X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical, and X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) data to construct the multiwavelength spectral energy distribution (SED). The SED has been modeled with one-zone pure leptonic and lepto-hadronic scenarios to explain the underlying physics of multiwavelength emission. The pure leptonic model and the two lepto-hadronic models, viz., (i) line-of-sight interactions of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs; E ≳ 1017 eV) with the cosmic background radiation and (ii) the interactions of relativistic protons with the cold protons in the jet, have been compared in our work. Moreover, an earlier study has associated Mrk 180 with the Telescope Array (TA) hotspot of UHECRs at E > 57 EeV. This speculation motivates us to check whether ultrahigh-energy protons and iron nuclei can reach the Earth from Mrk 180. After comparing the results of our simulation with the current observational data, we find that Mrk 180 is unlikely to be a source of the UHECR events contributing to the TA hotspot for conservative strengths of extragalactic magnetic fields.

Quasi-periodic oscillations in the γ-ray light curves of bright active galactic nuclei

Context. The detection of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in the light curves of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) can provide insights into the physics of the super-massive black holes (SMBHs) powering these systems and could represent a signature of the existence of SMBH binaries, setting fundamental constraints on SMBH evolution in the Universe. Aims. The identification of long-term QPOs, characterized by periods on the order of several months to years, is particularly challenging and can only be achieved via all-sky monitoring instruments that provide unbiased, continuous light curves of astrophysical objects. The Fermi-LAT satellite, thanks to its monitoring observing strategy, is an ideal instrument for such a goal. Here, we aim to identify QPOs in the γ-ray light curves of the brightest AGNs within the Fermi-LAT catalog. Methods. We analyzed the light curves of the 35 brightest Fermi-LAT AGNs, including data from the beginning of the Fermi mission (August 2008) to April 2021, with energies from 100 MeV to 300 GeV. Two time binnings were investigated: 7 and 30 days. The search for quasi-periodic features was then performed using the continuous wavelet transform. The significance of the result was tested via Monte Carlo simulations of artificial light curves with the same power spectral density and probability distribution function as the original light curves. The significances were then corrected for the look-elsewhere effect and provided as post-trials. Results. We identified 24 quasars with candidate QPOs. Several of our candidates coincide with previous claims in the literature, namely: PKS 0537−441, S5 0716+714, Mrk 421, B2 1520+31, and PKS 2247−131. All our candidates are transient. The most significant multi-year QPO, with a period of about 1100 days, was observed in the quasar S5 1044+71. It is reported here for the first time.

A new versatile code for gamma-ray Monte-Carlo radiative transfer

ABSTRACTOngoing MeV telescopes such as INTEGRAL/SPI and Fermi/GBM, and proposed telescopes including the recently accepted COSI and the e-ASTROGAM and AMEGO missions, provide another window in understanding transients. Their signals contain information about the stellar explosion mechanisms and their corresponding nucleosynthesis of short-lived radioactive isotopes. This raises the need of a radiative transfer code which may efficiently explore different types of astrophysical γ-ray sources and their dependence on model parameters and input physics. In view of this, we present our new Monte-Carlo Radiative Transfer code in python. The code synthesizes the γ-ray spectra and light curves suitable for modelling supernova ejecta, including C+O novae, O+Ne novae, Type Ia and core-collapse supernovae. We test the code extensively for reproducing results consistent with analytic models. We also compare our results with similar models in the literature and discuss how our code depends on selected input physics and setting.