A Physical Model for the Revised Blazar Sequence

TL;DR

This paper presents a physical model explaining the blazar sequence by analyzing correlations between luminosity, peak frequency, and Compton dominance, emphasizing the importance of redshift-independent relationships.

Contribution

It introduces a new physical model incorporating cooling regimes and angle effects to explain the blazar sequence and related correlations.

Findings

Reproduces observed blazar trends with the model

Highlights the significance of redshift-independent correlations

Supports the continuous blazar sequence hypothesis

Abstract

The blazar sequence is reflected in a correlation of the peak luminosity versus peak frequency of the synchrotron component of blazars. This correlation has been considered one of the fundamental pieces of evidence for the existence of a continuous sequence that includes low-power BL Lacertae objects through high-power flat spectrum radio quasars. A correlation between the Compton domi- nance, the ratio of the Compton to synchrotron luminosities, and the peak synchrotron frequency is another piece of evidence for the existence of the blazar sequence explored by Fossati et al. (1998). Since that time, however, it has essentially been ignored. We explore this correlation with a sample based on the second LAT AGN catalog (2LAC), and show that is is particularly important, since it is independent of redshift. We reproduce the trends in our sample with a simple model that in- cludes synchrotron and Compton cooling in the slow- and fast-cooling regimes, and angle-dependent effects.