Time-dependent injection as a model for rapid blazar flares

TL;DR

This paper models rapid blazar flares using time-dependent electron injection, revealing unique spectral features and emphasizing the importance of observation timing for accurate interpretation.

Contribution

It introduces a model incorporating time-dependent injection effects to explain spectral breaks and evolution in blazar flares, advancing understanding of jet emission dynamics.

Findings

Unique spectral breaks caused by non-linear cooling effects

Spectral evolution depends on observation timing

Intrinsic gamma-gamma absorption is minor in this context

Abstract

Time-dependent injection can cause non-linear cooling effects, which lead to a faster energy loss of the electrons in jets. The most obvious result is the appearance of unique breaks in the SED, which would normally be attributed to a complicated electron distribution. The knowledge of the observation time and duration is important to interpret the observed spectra, because of the non-trivial evolution of the SED. Intrinsic gamma-gamma absorption processes in the emission region are only of minor importance.