Investigation of the correlation patterns and the Compton dominance variability of Mrk 421 in 2017

Acciari, V. A.; Ansoldi, S.; Antonelli, L. A.; Engels, A. Arbet; Artero, M.; Asano, K.; Baquero, A.; de Almeida, U. Barres; Barrio, J. A.; Becerra Gonzalez, J.; Bednarek, W.; Bellizzi, L.; Bernardini, E.; Bernardos, M.; Berti, A.; Besenrieder, J.; Bhattacharyya, W.; Bigongiari, C.; Blanch, O.; Bosnjak, Z.; Busetto, G.; Carosi, R.; Ceribella, G.; Cerruti, M.; Chai, Y.; Chilingarian, A.; Cikota, S.; Colak, S. M.; Colombo, E.; Contreras, J. L.; Cortina, J.; Covino, S.; D'Amico, G.; D'Elia, V; Davela, P.; Dazzi, F.; De Angelis, A.; De Lotto, B.; Delfino, M.; Delgado, J.; Delgado Mendez, C.; Depaoli, D.; Di Pierro, F.; Divenere, L.; Do Souto Espineira, E.; Prester, D. Dominis; Donini, A.; Doro, M.; Ramazani, V. Fallah; Fattorini, A.; Ferrara, G.; Fonseca, M.; V,; Font, L.; Fruck, C.; Fukami, S.; Garcia Lopez, R. J.; Garczarczyk, M.; Gasparyan, S.; Gaug, M.; Giglietto, N.; Giordano, F.; Gliwny, P.; Green, J. G.; Green, D.; Hadasch, D.; Hahn, A.; Heckmann, L.; Herrera, J.; Hoang, J.; Hrupec, D.; Hutten, M.; Inada, T.; Inoue, S.; Ishio, K.; Iwamura, Y.; Jimenez, I; Jormanainen, J.; Jouvin, L.; Kajiwara, Y.; Karjalainen, M.; Kerszberg, D.; Kobayashi, Y.; Kubo, H.; Kushida, J.; Lamastra, A.; Lelas, D.; Leone, F.; Lindfors, E.; Lombardi, S.; Longo, F.; Lopez-Coto, R.; Lopez-Moya, M.; Lopez-Oramas, A.; Loporchio, S.; de Oliveira Fraga, B. Machado; Maggio, C.; Majumdar, P.; Makariev, M.; Mallamaci, M.; Maneva, G.; Manganaro, M.; Maraschi, L.; Mariotti, M.; Martinez, M.; Mazin, D.; Menchiari, S.; Mender, S.; Miceli, D.; Miener, T.; Minev, M.; Miranda, J. M.; Mirzoyan, R.; Molina, E.; Moralejo, A.; Morcuende, D.; Moreno, V; Moretti, E.; Neustroev, V; Nigro, C.; Nilsson, K.; Nishijima, K.; Noda, K.; Nozaki, S.; Ohtani, Y.; Oka, T.; Otero-Santos, J.; Paiano, S.; Palatiello, M.; Paneque, D.; Paoletti, R.; Paredes, J. M.; Penil, P.; Perennes, C.; Persic, M.; Moroni, P. G. Prada; Prandini, E.; Priyadarshi, C.; Puljak, I; Ribo, M.; Rico, J.; Righi, C.; Rugliancich, A.; Saha, L.; Sahakyan, N.; Saito, T.; Sakurai, S.; Satalecka, K.; Saturni, F. G.; Schmidt, K.; Schweizer, T.; Sitarek, J.; Snidaric, I; Sobczynska, D.; Spolon, A.; Stamerra, A.; Strom, D.; Strzys, M.; Suda, Y.; Takahashi, M.; Tavecchio, F.; Temnikov, P.; Teshima, M.; Tosti, L.; Truzzi, S.; Tutone, A.; Ubach, S.; van Scherpenberg, J.; Vanzo, G.; Vazquez Acosta, M.; Ventura, S.; Verguilov, V.; Vigorito, C. F.; Vitale, V.; Vovk, I; Will, M.; Wunderlich, C.; Zaric, D.; Baack, D.; Balbo, M.; Biederbeck, N.; Biland, A.; Bretz, T.; Buss, J.; Dorner, D.; Eisenberger, L.; Elsaesser, D.; Hildebrand, D.; Iotov, R.; Mannheim, K.; Neise, D.; Noethe, M.; Paravac, A.; Rhode, W.; Schleicher, B.; Sliusar, V; Walter, R.; D'Ammando, F.; Horan, D.; Lien, A. Y.; Balokovic, M.; Madejski, G. M.; Perri, M.; Verrecchia, F.; Leto, C.; Lahteenmaki, A.; Tornikoski, M.; Ramakrishnan, V; Jarvela, E.; Vera, R. J. C.; Villata, M.; Raiteri, C. M.; Gupta, A. C.; Pandey, A.; Fuentes, A.; Agudo, I; Casadio, C.; Semkov, E.; Ibryamov, S.; Marchini, A.; Bachev, R.; Strigachev, A.; Ovcharov, E.; Bozhilov, V; Valcheva, A.; Zaharieva, E.; Damljanovic, G.; Vince, O.; Larionov, V. M.; Borman, G. A.; Grishina, T. S.; Hagen-Thorn, V. A.; Kopatskaya, E. N.; Larionova, E. G.; Larionova, L.; V,; Morozova, D. A.; Nikiforova, A. A.; Savchenko, S. S.; Troitskiy, I. S.; Troitskaya, Y.; V,; Vasilyev, A. A.; Merkulova, O. A.; Chen, W. P.; Samal, M.; Lin, H. C.; Moody, J. W.; Sadun, A. C.; Jorstad, S. G.; Marscher, A. P.; Weaver, Z. R.; Feige, M.; Kania, J.; Kopp, M.; Kunkel, L.; Reinhart, D.; Scherbantin, A.; Schneider, L.; Lorey, C.; Acosta-Pulido, J. A.; Carnerero, M.; I,; Carosati, D.; Kurtanidze, S. O.; Kurtanidze, O. M.; Nikolashvili, M. G.; Chanishvili, R. G.; Chigladze, R. A.; Ivanidze, R. Z.; Kimeridze, G. N.; Sigua, L. A.; Joner, M. D.; Spencer, M.; Giroletti, M.; Marchili, N.; Righini, S.; Rizzi, N.; Bonnoli, G.

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202141004

Aims. We present a detailed characterisation and theoretical interpretation of the broadband emission of the paradigmatic TeV blazar Mrk 421, with a special focus on the multi-band flux correlations. Methods. The dataset has been collected through an extensive multi-wavelength campaign organised between 2016 December and 2017 June. The instruments involved are MAGIC, FACT, Fermi-LAT, Swift, GASP-WEBT, OVRO, Medicina, and Metsahovi. Additionally, four deep exposures (several hours long) with simultaneous MAGIC and NuSTAR observations allowed a precise measurement of the falling segments of the two spectral components. Results. The very-high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma rays and X-rays are positively correlated at zero time lag, but the strength and characteristics of the correlation change substantially across the various energy bands probed. The VHE versus X-ray fluxes follow different patterns, partly due to substantial changes in the Compton dominance for a few days without a simultaneous increase in the X-ray flux (i.e., orphan gamma-ray activity). Studying the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED) during the days including NuSTAR observations, we show that these changes can be explained within a one-zone leptonic model with a blob that increases its size over time. The peak frequency of the synchrotron bump varies by two orders of magnitude throughout the campaign. Our multi-band correlation study also hints at an anti-correlation between UV-optical and X-ray at a significance higher than 3 sigma. A VHE flare observed on MJD 57788 (2017 February 4) shows gamma-ray variability on multi-hour timescales, with a factor ten increase in the TeV flux but only a moderate increase in the keV flux. The related broadband SED is better described by a two-zone leptonic scenario rather than by a one-zone scenario. We find that the flare can be produced by the appearance of a compact second blob populated by high energetic electrons spanning a narrow range of Lorentz factors, from gamma(min)' = 2 x 10(4) to gamma(max)' = 6 x 10(5).