Multiwavelength Light Curves of Two Remarkable Sagittarius A* Flares
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Final Published version
Author
Fazio, G. G.Hora, J. L.
Witzel, G.
Willner, S. P.
Ashby, M. L. N.

Baganoff, F.
Becklin, E.
Carey, S.
Haggard, D.
Gammie, C.
Ghez, A.
Gurwell, M. A.
Ingalls, J.
Marrone, D.
Morris, M. R.
Smith, H. A.
Affiliation
Univ ArizonaIssue Date
2018-09-01Keywords
accretionaccretion disks
black hole physics
Galaxy: center
infrared: general
submillimeter: general
X-rays: individual (Sgr A*)
Metadata
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IOP PUBLISHING LTDCitation
G. G. Fazio et al 2018 ApJ 864 58Journal
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNALRights
© 2018. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, is known to be a variable source of X-ray, near-infrared (NIR), and submillimeter radiation and therefore a prime candidate to study the electromagnetic radiation generated by mass accretion flow onto a black hole and/or a related jet. Disentangling the power source and emission mechanisms of this variability is a central challenge to our understanding of accretion flows around SMBHs. Simultaneous multiwavelength observations of the flux variations and their time correlations can play an important role in obtaining a better understanding of possible emission mechanisms and their origin. This paper presents observations of two flares that both apparently violate the previously established patterns in the relative timing of submillimeter/NIR/X-ray flares from Sgr A*. One of these events provides the first evidence of coeval structure between NIR and submillimeter flux increases, while the second event is the first example of the sequence of submillimeter/X-ray/NIR flux increases all occurring within similar to 1 hr. Each of these two events appears to upend assumptions that have been the basis of some analytic models of flaring in Sgr A*. However, it cannot be ruled out that these events, even though unusual, were just coincidental. These observations demonstrate that we do not fully understand the origin of the multiwavelength variability of Sgr A* and show that there is a continued and important need for long-term, coordinated, and precise multiwavelength observations of Sgr A* to characterize the full range of variability behavior.ISSN
1538-4357Version
Final published versionSponsors
NASA; W. M. Keck Foundation; Smithsonian Institution; Academia Sinica; NSF [13-33612, 17-16327, AST-14-12615]; NASA [NNX14AJ61G, 80NSSC18K0416]Additional Links
http://stacks.iop.org/0004-637X/864/i=1/a=58?key=crossref.e01e7909927e273a639854c02b58dfb2ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.3847/1538-4357/aad4a2