Abstract for Proposal 086524
Gamma-ray flares from supermassive black holes at high redshift
We propose a 80 ks ToO observation of a high-redshift (z>=3) blazar during
a gamma-ray flare detected by Fermi/LAT. So far, only 12 high-redshift
blazars have been detected in γ-rays. These objects are the most
luminous and massive objects in the Universe, which allow to study the
formation of active galactic nuclei in the early Universe. Because
the high-energy hump of their SED peaks in the MeV range, X-ray and
gamma-ray data is needed to constrain the hump s shape. We propose to
get high-sensitivity, simultaneous X-ray data during enhanced γ-ray
activity of a blazar at high redshift. The data will be complemented
by triggered radio observations. The resulting multiwavelength data set
will yield important knowledge on the behaviour of flaring MeV blazars
for future MeV telescopes.
Details on Observing Strategy and Trigger Criteria
We want to trigger on a detection of a blazar with redshift >=3 in the
gamma- rays, observed by FermiLAT. We will monitor our candidate list
on a daily basis by a prompt analysis of the average gamma-ray flux
of the last 30 days. We will trigger the observation on the day the
monthly-averaged signal first rises above this threshold. We ask for an
XMM-Newton observation of 80ks to be executed within 3 days.