X-Ray Intraday Variability of the TeV Blazar PKS 2155–304 with Suzaku during 2005–2014

Abstract

Abstract We have examined 13 pointed observations of the TeV-emitting high synchrotron peak blazar PKS 2155−304, taken by the Suzaku satellite throughout its operational period. We found that the blazar showed large-amplitude intraday variabilities in the soft (0.8–1.5 keV) and the hard (1.5–8.0 keV) bands in the light curves. Spectral variability on intraday timescales is estimated using the hardness ratio. The blazar usually becomes harder when brighter and vice versa, following the typical behavior of high synchrotron peak blazars. The power spectral density analyses of 11 out of 13 light curves in the total energy (0.8–8.0 keV) are found to be dominated by red noise, with power-law spectral indices that span a large range, from −2.81 to −0.88. Discrete correlation function analyses of all the 13 light curves between the soft and the hard bands show that they are well correlated and peak at, or very close to, zero lag. This indicates that the emissions in soft and hard bands are probably cospatial and emitted from the same population of leptons. Considering fluxes versus variability timescales, we found no correlation on intraday timescales, implying that X-ray emission from PKS 2155−304 is not dominated by simple changes in the Doppler factor. We briefly discuss the most likely emission mechanisms responsible for the observed flux and spectral variabilities and place constraints on magnetic field strength and Lorentz factors of the electrons emitting the X-rays in the most likely scenario.