The transition between BL Lac objects and Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars

TL;DR

This paper investigates the properties of BL Lac objects and FSRQs, revealing that many BL Lacs are actually FSRQs or transition sources based on spectral energy distributions, emission lines, and jet parameters, proposing a physical classification criterion.

Contribution

It introduces a new classification scheme for blazars based on the luminosity of the broad line region relative to Eddington luminosity, linking spectral properties to accretion regimes.

Findings

Many BL Lacs have FSRQ-like SEDs and broad lines, suggesting reclassification.

A proposed dividing line at L_BLR/L_Edd ~ 5e-4 separates blazar types.

Transition sources exhibit intermediate properties and support a physical classification scheme.

Abstract

We study the BL Lac objects detected in the one year all sky survey of the Fermi satellite, with a energy spectral slope alpha_gamma in the [0.1-100 GeV] band greater than 1.2. In the alpha_gamma vs gamma-ray luminosity plane, these BL Lacs occupy the region populated by Flat Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs). Studying the properties of their spectral energy distributions (SED) and of their emitting lines, we find that several of these BL Lacs have a SED similar to FSRQs and that they do have broad lines of large equivalent width, and should be reclassified as FSRQs even adopting the current phenomenological definition (i.e. equivalent width EW of the emitting line greater than 5 A). In other cases, even if the EW width is small, the emitting lines can be as luminous as in quasars, and again their SED is similar to the SED of FSRQs. Sources classified as BL Lacs with a SED appearing as intermediate between BL Lacs and FSRQs also have relatively weak broad emission lines and small EW, and can be considered as transition sources. These properties are confirmed also by model fitting, that allows to derive the relevant intrinsic jet parameters and the jet power. This study leads us to propose a physical distinction between the two classes of blazars, based on the luminosity of the broad line region measured in Eddington units. The dividing line is of the order of L_BLR/L_Edd ~ 5e-4, in good agreement with the idea that the presence of strong emitting lines is related to a transition in the accretion regime, becoming radiatively inefficient below a disk luminosity of the order of one per cent of the Eddington one.