On the rapid TeV flaring activity of Markarian 501

TL;DR

This paper models the rapid TeV flaring activity of Markarian 501 using a one-zone SSC model with electron acceleration, explaining observed spectral features and time lags during a 2005 flare.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed kinetic model of electron acceleration and photon evolution to explain rapid TeV flares in blazars, fitting observational data from 2005.

Findings

A high Doppler factor is necessary to reproduce the flare.

The model successfully explains the hard lag observed during the flare.

Parameters for pre-flare and flare states are consistent with previous estimates.

Abstract

Aims: We investigate the one-zone SSC model of TeV blazars in the presence of electron acceleration. In this picture electrons reach a maximum energy where acceleration saturates from a combination of synchrotron and inverse Compton scattering losses. Methods: We solve the spatially averaged kinetic equations which describe the simultaneous evolution of particles and photons, obtaining the multi-wavelength spectrum as a function of time. Results: We apply the model to the rapid flare of Mrk 501 of July 9, 2005 as this was observed by the MAGIC telescope and obtain the relevant parameters for the pre-flare quasi steady state and the ones during the flare. We show that a hard lag flare can be obtained with parameters which lie well within the range already accepted for this source. Especially the choice of a high value of the Doppler factor seems to be necessary.