Discerning the location of the gamma-ray emission region in blazars from multi-messenger observations

TL;DR

This paper reviews the challenge of locating gamma-ray emission regions in blazar jets and presents new findings pinpointing these regions to over 12 parsecs from the central engine using multi-messenger observational data.

Contribution

It provides the first direct localization of GeV gamma-ray flaring regions in blazars at over 12 parsecs from the core, based on comprehensive multi-wavelength monitoring.

Findings

Gamma-ray emission regions are located >12 parsecs from the central engine.

Multi-messenger observations can effectively pinpoint emission sites.

The study advances understanding of jet emission processes in blazars.

Abstract

Relativistic jets in AGN in general, and in blazars in particular, are the most energetic and among the most powerful astrophysical objects known so far. Their relativistic nature provides them with the ability to emit profusely at all spectral ranges from radio wavelengths to gamma-rays, as well as to vary extremely at time scales from hours to years. Since the birth of gamma-ray astronomy, locating the origin of gamma-ray emission has been a fundamental problem for the knowledge of the emission processes involved. Deep and densely time sampled monitoring programs with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and other facilities at most of the available spectral ranges (including millimeter interferometric imaging and polarization measurements wherever possible) are starting to shed light for the case of blazars. After a short review of the status of the problem, we summarize two of our latest results -obtained from the comprehensive monitoring data compiled by the Boston University Blazar monitoring program - that locate the GeV flaring emission of the BL Lac objects AO 0235+164 and OJ287 within the jets of these blazars, at >12 parsecs from the central AGN engine.