"Blazar Modeling and the Minimum-Power Condition in Blazars"


Dr. Charles Dermer

George Mason University


Many of go through our daily lives thinking that typical gamma-ray loud blazar jets have Doppler factors from 5 — 100 and ~O(Gauss) magnetic fields. Yet if we were to ask where those numbers come from, except for trial and error in blazar modeling, we might be hard pressed to find an answer.


But a principle exists that explains typical Doppler factors and magnetic fields in blazars, and that is the minimum-power condition. Given observables, the minimum-power solutions bifurcate into a lower-field, higher Doppler factor leptonic solution and a higher-field, lower Doppler factor hadronic solution. 


In this talk we review a new approach to blazar modelling using log-parabola functions to describe the electron energy distribution in near-equipartition conditions. Results of imposing the minimum-power condition are presented. These results are related to short, minute scale variability of BL Lac objects and flat radio spectrum quasars, and the acceleration of the ultra-high energy cosmic rays.