2005/06/23 by Markos Georganopoulos, Eric Perlman, Georganopoulos, Markos +6
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #FOS: Physical sciences #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0506567
To be published in the proceedings of the "Blazar Variability Workshop II: Entering the GLAST Era". ASP Conference Series, eds. J. Webb & H. Miller
arxiv created 2005/06/23 · openalex publication_date 2005/06/23 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We show that the external Compton (EC) model for the production of the GeV emission in blazars makes specific predictions for the spectrum and variability of those blazars characterized by a high Compton dominance (Compton to synchrotron luminosity ratio). These unavoidable features have not been observed, casting doubt on the validity of this popular model. We argue that synchrotron-self Compton (SSC) models including the higher orders of Compton scattering are more promising, and we briefly discuss the implications of our findings for the geometry of the broad line region (BLR).