Flux and Spectral Variation Characteristics of 3C 454.3 at the GeV Band

TL;DR

This study investigates the long-term gamma-ray variability of blazar 3C 454.3 using Fermi/LAT data, revealing characteristic timescales, spectral behavior, and correlations with other bands, suggesting magnetic reconnection-driven outbursts.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of flux and spectral variations, proposing a physical model involving magnetic reconnection and shock processes in the jet.

Findings

Typical variability timescale of 1-10 days in GeV band

Flux-tracking spectral variation with 'harder when brighter'

Correlation between gamma-ray, optical, and X-ray fluxes

Abstract

We analyze the long-term lightcurve of 3C 454.3 observed with Fermi/LAT and investigate its relation to the flux in the radio, optical, and X-ray bands. By fitting the 1-day binned GeV lightcurve with multiple Gaussian function (MGF), we propose that the typical variability timescale in the GeV band is 1--10 days. The GeV flux variation is accompanied by the spectral variation characterized as flux-tracking, i.e., "harder when brighter". The GeV flux is correlated with the optical and X-ray fluxes, and a weak correlation between gamma-ray flux and radio flux is also observed. The gamma-ray flux is not correlated with the optical linear polarization degree for the global lightcurves, but they show a correlation for the lightcurves before MJD 56000. The power density spectrum of the global lightcurve shows an obvious turnover at ~7.7 days, which may indicate a typical variability timescale of 3C 454.3 in the gamma-ray band. This is also consistent with the derived timescales by fitting the global lightcurve with MGF. The spectral evolution and an increase of the optical linear polarization degree along with the increase of the gamma-ray flux may indicate that the radiation particles are accelerated and the magnetic field is ordered by the shock processes during the outbursts. In addition, the nature of 3C 454.3 may be consistent with the self-organized criticality system, similar to Sagittarius A, and thus the outbursts are from plasmoid ejections driven by magnetic reconnection. This may further support the idea that the jet radiation regions are magnetized.