Spectroscopic analysis and modeling of quasar 3C-279

Franklin Vasquez Guardia

doi:10.48204/j.tecno.v28n1.a8945

Submitted December 11, 2025

Published 2026-01-13

Artículos

Vol. 28 No. 1 (2026): Tecnociencia

Spectroscopic analysis and modeling of quasar 3C-279

Franklin Vasquez Guardia⁺⁻

DOI https://doi.org/10.48204/j.tecno.v28n1.a8945

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DOI: 10.48204/j.tecno.v28n1.a8945

Published: 2026-01-13

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Vasquez Guardia, F. (2026) “Spectroscopic analysis and modeling of quasar 3C-279”, Tecnociencia, 28(1), pp. 38–71. doi: 10.48204/j.tecno.v28n1.a8945.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Abstract

We analyze the X-ray and ultraviolet emission of the AGN 3C-279 using Swift data. Located 5 billion light-years away at a redshift distance of Z=0.537, 3C-279 is a bright AGN powered by a relativistic jet from its supermassive black hole and served as a calibration source for the EHT’s first black hole image.

We model the spectral emission of 3C-279 in the 0.3–6 keV range to study its luminosity evolution before, during, and after a GRB event, comparing our results with those in the previous literature. Five Swift datasets were processed with HEASARC software, using XRT and UVOT data to characterize X-ray and UV behavior. The results confirm expected luminosity peaks and flare activity, consistent with published studies, demonstrating the capability of XRT and UVOT to probe low- to mid-energy X-ray and UV phenomena.

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References

Albert, J., Aliu, E., Anderhub, H., Antonelli, L.A., Antoranz, P., Backes, M. et al. (2008). Very-high-energy gamma rays from a distant quasar: how transparent is the universe? Science, 320 (5884), 1752–1754. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1157087
Akiyama, K., Alberdi, A., Alef, W. et al. (2019). First M87 Event Horizon Telescope results VI: the shadow and mass of the central black hole. Astrophys. J. Lett., 875 (1), L6. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab1141
Alston, W., Giustini, M. & Petrucci, P.O. (2022). The super-massive black hole close environment in active galactic nuclei. arXiv preprint, arXiv:2206.11790. https://arxiv.org/abs/2206.11790
Bellovary, J.M., Low, M.-M.M., McKernan, B. & Ford, K.E.S. (2016). Migration traps in disks around supermassive black holes. Astrophys. J. Lett., 819 (2), L17. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8205/819/2/L17
Beresnyak, A.R., Istomin, Ya.N. & Pariev, V.I. (1997). Synchrotron emission from relativistic parsec-scale jets. arXiv preprint, arXiv:astro-ph/9704046. https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9704046
Blinov, D., Jorstad, S.G., Larionov, V.M. et al. (2021). Repeated pattern of gamma-ray flares in the light curve of the blazar 3C-279. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 505 (3), 4616–4625. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab1484
Burrows, D.N., Hill, J.E., Nousek, J.A. et al. (2005). The Swift X-Ray Telescope. Space Sci. Rev., 120 (3–4), 165–195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-005-5097-2
Epstein-Martin, M., Tagawa, H., Haiman, Z. & Perna, R. (2025). Time-dependent models of AGN disks with radiation from embedded stellar-mass black holes. arXiv preprint, arXiv:2405.09380. https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.09380
Fabian, A.C. (2012). Observational evidence of active galactic nuclei feedback. Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys., 50 (1), 455–489. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-astro-081811-125521
Fermi-LAT Collaboration (2010). A change in the optical polarization associated with a ?-ray flare in the blazar 3C-279. Nature, 463 (7283), 919–923. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08841
Giuliani, A., D’Ammando, F., Vercellone, S. et al. (2008). AGILE observation of a gamma-ray flare from the blazar 3C-279. Astron. Astrophys., 494 (2), 509–513. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:200810785
Hartman, R. C., Bertsch, D. L., Fichtel, C. E., et al. (1992). Detection of high-energy gamma radiation from quasar 3C 279 by the EGRET telescope on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 385, L1–L4. https://doi.org/10.1086/186263
Hayashida, M., Nalewajko, K., Madejski, G.M. et al. (2015). Rapid variability of blazar 3C-279 during flaring states in 2013–2014 with joint Fermi-LAT, NuSTAR, Swift, and ground-based multi-wavelength observations. Astrophys. J., 807 (1), 79. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/807/1/79
HEASARC (2025). XSPEC manual. Available at: https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/xanadu/xspec/manual/XspecManual.html (Accessed 25 March 2025).
HEASARC (2025). WebPIMMS (W3PIMMS tool). Available at: https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/Tools/w3pimms/w3pimms.pl (Accessed 25 March 2025).
HEASARC (2025). High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC). Available at: https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/W3Browse/swift.pl (Accessed 26 March 2025).
NASA Swift Team (2025). Swift observatory: about. Available at: https://swift.gsfc.nasa.gov/about_swift/ (Accessed 26 March 2025).
NASA Swift Team (2025). Swift XRT point spread function (PSF). Available at: https://swift.gsfc.nasa.gov/proposals/tech_appd/swiftta_v17/node36.html (Accessed 25 March 2025).
NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) (2025) 3C-279. Available at: https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/byname?objname=3C279&hconst=67.8&omegam=0.308&omegav=0.692&wmap=4&corr_z=1 (Accessed 25 March 2025).
Padovani, P. (2023). A multi-wavelength view of active galactic nuclei with an emphasis on gamma-rays. arXiv preprint, arXiv:2302.12540. https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.12540
Paliya, V.S., Sahayanathan, S. & Stalin, C.S. (2015). Multi-wavelength observations of 3C-279 during the extremely bright gamma-ray flare in 2014 March–April. Astrophys. J., 803 (1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/803/1/15
Prince, R. (2020). Broadband variability and correlation study of 3C-279 during flares of 2017–2018. Astrophys. J., 890 (2), 164. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab6b1e
Rajguru et al. (2024). Accretion disc–jet decomposition from the optical–near infrared monitoring of Fermi blazars. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 535 (4), 3595–3610. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae2608
Romoli, C., Zacharias, M., Meyer, M. et al. (2017). Observation of the extremely bright flare of the FSRQ 3C-279 with H.E.S.S. II. arXiv preprint, arXiv:1708.00882. https://arxiv.org/abs/1708.00882
Singh, K.K., Meintjes, P.J. & Ramamonjisoa, F.A. (2020). Understanding the giant gamma-ray outburst on June 16, 2015 from the blazar 3C-279. Astrophys. Space Sci., 365 (2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-020-3746-2
Swift Team (2025). UVOT filters. Available at: https://www.swift.ac.uk/analysis/uvot/filters.php (Accessed 25 March 2025).
Thekkoth, A., Sahayanathan, S., Shah, Z., Paliya, V.S. & Ravikumar, C.D. (2023). Understanding the broad-band emission process of 3C-279 through long-term spectral analysis. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 526 (4), 6364–6380. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad3094
Wang, G., Fan, J., Xiao, H. & Cai, J. (2022). Variability and spectral behavior of gamma-ray flares of 3C-279. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 134 (1040), 104101. https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/ac98e0
Wendel, C., Shukla, A., & Mannheim, K. (2021). Pair cascades at the edge of the broad-line region shaping the gamma-ray spectrum of 3C-279. Astrophys. J., 917 (1), 32. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac0a6e
European Southern Observatory (ESO) (2012). A stunning image of the galaxy NGC 6559 captured by the VLT. Available at: https://www.eso.org/public/italy/images/eso1229a/ (Accessed 2012).

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[1] Albert, J., Aliu, E., Anderhub, H., Antonelli, L.A., Antoranz, P., Backes, M. et al. (2008). Very-high-energy gamma rays from a distant quasar: how transparent is the universe? Science, 320 (5884), 1752–1754. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1157087

[2] Akiyama, K., Alberdi, A., Alef, W. et al. (2019). First M87 Event Horizon Telescope results VI: the shadow and mass of the central black hole. Astrophys. J. Lett., 875 (1), L6. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab1141

[3] Alston, W., Giustini, M. & Petrucci, P.O. (2022). The super-massive black hole close environment in active galactic nuclei. arXiv preprint, arXiv:2206.11790. https://arxiv.org/abs/2206.11790

[4] Bellovary, J.M., Low, M.-M.M., McKernan, B. & Ford, K.E.S. (2016). Migration traps in disks around supermassive black holes. Astrophys. J. Lett., 819 (2), L17. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8205/819/2/L17

[5] Beresnyak, A.R., Istomin, Ya.N. & Pariev, V.I. (1997). Synchrotron emission from relativistic parsec-scale jets. arXiv preprint, arXiv:astro-ph/9704046. https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9704046

[6] Blinov, D., Jorstad, S.G., Larionov, V.M. et al. (2021). Repeated pattern of gamma-ray flares in the light curve of the blazar 3C-279. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 505 (3), 4616–4625. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab1484

[7] Burrows, D.N., Hill, J.E., Nousek, J.A. et al. (2005). The Swift X-Ray Telescope. Space Sci. Rev., 120 (3–4), 165–195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-005-5097-2

[8] Epstein-Martin, M., Tagawa, H., Haiman, Z. & Perna, R. (2025). Time-dependent models of AGN disks with radiation from embedded stellar-mass black holes. arXiv preprint, arXiv:2405.09380. https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.09380

[9] Fabian, A.C. (2012). Observational evidence of active galactic nuclei feedback. Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys., 50 (1), 455–489. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-astro-081811-125521

[10] Fermi-LAT Collaboration (2010). A change in the optical polarization associated with a ?-ray flare in the blazar 3C-279. Nature, 463 (7283), 919–923. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08841

[11] Giuliani, A., D’Ammando, F., Vercellone, S. et al. (2008). AGILE observation of a gamma-ray flare from the blazar 3C-279. Astron. Astrophys., 494 (2), 509–513. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:200810785

[12] Hartman, R. C., Bertsch, D. L., Fichtel, C. E., et al. (1992). Detection of high-energy gamma radiation from quasar 3C 279 by the EGRET telescope on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 385, L1–L4. https://doi.org/10.1086/186263

[13] Hayashida, M., Nalewajko, K., Madejski, G.M. et al. (2015). Rapid variability of blazar 3C-279 during flaring states in 2013–2014 with joint Fermi-LAT, NuSTAR, Swift, and ground-based multi-wavelength observations. Astrophys. J., 807 (1), 79. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/807/1/79

[14] HEASARC (2025). XSPEC manual. Available at: https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/xanadu/xspec/manual/XspecManual.html (Accessed 25 March 2025).

[15] HEASARC (2025). WebPIMMS (W3PIMMS tool). Available at: https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/Tools/w3pimms/w3pimms.pl (Accessed 25 March 2025).

[16] HEASARC (2025). High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC). Available at: https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/W3Browse/swift.pl (Accessed 26 March 2025).

[17] NASA Swift Team (2025). Swift observatory: about. Available at: https://swift.gsfc.nasa.gov/about_swift/ (Accessed 26 March 2025).

[18] NASA Swift Team (2025). Swift XRT point spread function (PSF). Available at: https://swift.gsfc.nasa.gov/proposals/tech_appd/swiftta_v17/node36.html (Accessed 25 March 2025).

[19] NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) (2025) 3C-279. Available at: https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/byname?objname=3C279&hconst=67.8&omegam=0.308&omegav=0.692&wmap=4&corr_z=1 (Accessed 25 March 2025).

[20] Padovani, P. (2023). A multi-wavelength view of active galactic nuclei with an emphasis on gamma-rays. arXiv preprint, arXiv:2302.12540. https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.12540

[21] Paliya, V.S., Sahayanathan, S. & Stalin, C.S. (2015). Multi-wavelength observations of 3C-279 during the extremely bright gamma-ray flare in 2014 March–April. Astrophys. J., 803 (1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/803/1/15

[22] Prince, R. (2020). Broadband variability and correlation study of 3C-279 during flares of 2017–2018. Astrophys. J., 890 (2), 164. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab6b1e

[23] Rajguru et al. (2024). Accretion disc–jet decomposition from the optical–near infrared monitoring of Fermi blazars. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 535 (4), 3595–3610. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae2608

[24] Romoli, C., Zacharias, M., Meyer, M. et al. (2017). Observation of the extremely bright flare of the FSRQ 3C-279 with H.E.S.S. II. arXiv preprint, arXiv:1708.00882. https://arxiv.org/abs/1708.00882

[25] Singh, K.K., Meintjes, P.J. & Ramamonjisoa, F.A. (2020). Understanding the giant gamma-ray outburst on June 16, 2015 from the blazar 3C-279. Astrophys. Space Sci., 365 (2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-020-3746-2

[26] Swift Team (2025). UVOT filters. Available at: https://www.swift.ac.uk/analysis/uvot/filters.php (Accessed 25 March 2025).

[27] Thekkoth, A., Sahayanathan, S., Shah, Z., Paliya, V.S. & Ravikumar, C.D. (2023). Understanding the broad-band emission process of 3C-279 through long-term spectral analysis. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 526 (4), 6364–6380. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad3094

[28] Wang, G., Fan, J., Xiao, H. & Cai, J. (2022). Variability and spectral behavior of gamma-ray flares of 3C-279. Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac., 134 (1040), 104101. https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/ac98e0

[29] Wendel, C., Shukla, A., & Mannheim, K. (2021). Pair cascades at the edge of the broad-line region shaping the gamma-ray spectrum of 3C-279. Astrophys. J., 917 (1), 32. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac0a6e

[30] European Southern Observatory (ESO) (2012). A stunning image of the galaxy NGC 6559 captured by the VLT. Available at: https://www.eso.org/public/italy/images/eso1229a/ (Accessed 2012).

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