New TeV-emitting BL Lac candidates from the eROSITA X-ray survey

TL;DR

This study leverages the eROSITA X-ray survey to identify 121 new TeV-emitting BL Lac candidates, expanding the known population and providing promising targets for future gamma-ray observations.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel selection method combining eROSITA, WISE, and radio data to identify new TeV blazar candidates, including previously undetected sources.

Findings

Identified 121 new TeV blazar candidates.

Discovered 23 objects not detected in ROSAT.

Found 11 candidates not previously associated with blazars.

Abstract

TeV-emitting BL Lac type blazars represent the extreme end of the blazar population. They are characterized by relatively weak jets and radiatively inefficient accretion disks. Particles accelerated in these jets experience fewer radiative losses, allowing them to reach energies beyond the TeV scale and produce TeV gamma-ray emission. The study of TeV blazars is constrained by the limited number of known sources in this category. Currently, only 56 high synchrotron-peaked BL Lacs have been detected at energies above 0.1 TeV. Searches for TeV emission from BL Lacs typically target sources with bright X-ray emission and a synchrotron peak at or above 1 keV. The recently released eRASS catalog by the eROSITA collaboration, which covers half of the sky, represents the deepest X-ray survey in the soft X-ray band to date. Utilizing the eROSITA survey, combined with infrared data from WISE and archival radio observations, we have identified 121 TeV-emitting blazar candidates. Our search introduces selection criteria based on the radio to infrared that remove quasar-like objects that have similar infrared spectra and X-ray fluxes as TeV-emitting BL Lacs. In our search, we find 23 objects that had not been detected in the ROSAT X-ray survey and 11 that have not been previously associated with blazars. The candidates resulting from our search are suitable for follow-up observations with currently operating imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, as well as future facilities like the CTAO Observatory.