Modelling the broad-band emission of 3C 454.3

The results of a long-term multiwavelength study of the powerful flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 454.3 using Fermi LAT and Swift XRT/UVOT data are reported. In the gamma-ray band, Fermi LAT observations show several major flares when the source flux was > 10(-5) photon cm(-2) s(-1) ; the peak gamma-ray flux above 141.6 MeV, (9.22 +/- 1.96) x 10(-5) photon cm(-2) s(-1) observed on MJD 55519.33, corresponds to 2.15 x 10(50) erg s(-1) isotropic gamma-ray luminosity. The analysis of Swift XRT and UVOT data revealed a flux increase, although with smaller amplitudes, also in the X-ray and optical/UV bands. The X-ray emission of 3C 454.3 is with a hard spectral index of Gamma(x) = 1.16-1.75, and the flux in the flaring states increased up to (1.80 +/- 0.18) x 10(-10) erg cm(-2) s(-1). Through combining the analysed data, it was possible to assemble 362 high-quality and quasi-simultaneous spectral energy distributions of 3C 454.3 in 2008-2018, which all were modelled within a one-zone leptonic scenario assuming the emission region is within the broad-line region, involving synchrotron, synchrotron self-Compton, and external Compton mechanisms. Such an extensive modelling is the key for constraining the underlying emission mechanisms in the 3C 454.3 jet and allows to derive the physical parameters of the jet and investigate their evolution in time. The modelling suggests that during the flares, along with the variation of emitting electron parameters, the Doppler boosting factor increased substantially, implying that the emission in these periods has most likely originated in a faster moving region.

Automated summary

The long-term multiwavelength study of the powerful flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 454.3 using Fermi LAT and Swift XRT/UVOT data revealed major flares in the gamma-ray, X-ray, and optical/UV bands. Modelling of 362 high-quality spectral energy distributions showed that emission during flares likely originated in a faster moving region within the jet of 3C 454.3. The study provides insights into the underlying emission mechanisms and evolution of the physical parameters of the jet over time.