Jet and accretion power in the most powerful Fermi blazars |
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| Authors: | G Ghisellini F Tavecchio G Ghirlanda |
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| Institution: | INAF –Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate, Italy |
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| Abstract: | Among the blazars detected by the Fermi satellite, we have selected the 23 blazars that in the 3 months of survey had an average γ-ray luminosity above 1048 erg s?1. For 17 out of the 23 sources we found and analysed X-ray and optical–ultraviolet data taken by the Swift satellite. With these data, implemented by archival and not simultaneous data, we construct the spectral energy distributions, and interpreted them with a simple one-zone, leptonic, synchrotron and inverse Compton model. When possible, we also compare different high-energy states of single sources, like 0528+134 and 3C 454.3, for which multiple good sets of multiwavelength data are available. In our powerful blazars the high energy emission always dominates the electromagnetic output, and the relatively low level of the synchrotron radiation often does not hide the accretion disc emission. We can then constrain the black hole mass and the disc luminosity. Both are large (i.e. masses equal or greater than 109 M ⊙ and disc luminosities above 10 per cent of Eddington). By modelling the non-thermal continuum we derive the power that the jet carries in the form of bulk motion of particles and fields. On average, the jet power is found to be slightly larger than the disc luminosity, and proportional to the mass accretion rate. |
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| Keywords: | radiation mechanisms: non-thermal BL Lacertae objects: general quasars: general gamma-rays: theory X-rays: general |
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