Gamma-ray flares from relativistic magnetic reconnection in the jet of the quasar 3C 279
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68378271%3A_____%2F20%3A00546369" target="_blank" >RIV/68378271:_____/20:00546369 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17912-z" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17912-z</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17912-z" target="_blank" >10.1038/s41467-020-17912-z</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Gamma-ray flares from relativistic magnetic reconnection in the jet of the quasar 3C 279
Original language description
Spinning black holes in the centres of galaxies can release powerful magnetised jets. When the jets are observed at angles of less than a few degrees to the line-of-sight, they are called blazars, showing variable non-thermal emission across the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays. It is commonly believed that shock waves are responsible for this dissipation of jet energy. Here we show that gamma-ray observations of the blazar 3C 279 with the space-borne telescope Fermi-LAT reveal a characteristic peak-in-peak variability pattern on time scales of minutes expected if the particle acceleration is instead due to relativistic magnetic reconnection. The absence of gamma-ray pair attenuation shows that particle acceleration takes place at a distance of ten thousand gravitational radii from the black hole where the fluid dynamical kink instability drives plasma turbulence.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10303 - Particles and field physics
Result continuities
Project
—
Continuities
—
Others
Publication year
2020
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Nature Communications
ISSN
2041-1723
e-ISSN
2041-1723
Volume of the periodical
11
Issue of the periodical within the volume
1
Country of publishing house
GB - UNITED KINGDOM
Number of pages
8
Pages from-to
4176
UT code for WoS article
000569766000002
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85089702242