Blazar jets as possible sources of ultra-high energy photons: a short review

0564458 - FZÚ 2023 RIV CH eng J - Journal Article
Bhatta, G.
Blazar jets as possible sources of ultra-high energy photons: a short review.
Universe. Roč. 8, č. 10 (2022), č. článku 513. E-ISSN 2218-1997
Research Infrastructure: AUGER-CZ II - 90102
Keywords : ultra-high-energy cosmic rays * active galactic nuclei * blazars
OECD category: Particles and field physics
Impact factor: 2.9, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access

In this paper, I present a qualitative discussion on the prospect of production of ultra-high photons in blazars. The sources are a subclass of active galactic nuclei which host supermassive black holes and fire relativistic jets into the intergalactic medium. The kpc-scale jets are believed to be dominated by Poynting flux and constitute one of the most efficient cosmic particle accelerators, that potentially are capable of accelerating the particles up to EeV energies. Recent IceCube detection of astrophysical neutrino emissions, in coincidence with the enhanced gamma-ray from Tev blazar TXS 0506 + 056, further supports hadronic models of blazar emissions in which particle acceleration processes, such as relativistic shocks, magnetic re-connection, and relativistic turbulence, could energize hadrons, e.g., protons, up to energies equivalent to billions of Lorentz factors.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0336118