%0 Journal Article
%T A Tight Connection between Gamma-Ray Outbursts and Parsec-Scale Jet Activity in the Quasar 3C 454.3
%A Svetlana G. Jorstad
%A Alan P. Marscher
%A Paul S. Smith
%A Valeri M. Larionov
%A Iv¨¢n Agudo
%A Mark Gurwell
%A Ann E. Wehrle
%A Anne L£¿hteenm£¿ki
%A Maria G. Nikolashvili
%A Gary D. Schmidt
%A Arkady A. Arkharov
%A Dmitry A. Blinov
%A Kelly Blumenthal
%A Carolina Casadio
%A Revaz A. Chigladze
%A Natatia V. Efimova
%A Joseph R. Eggen
%A Jos¨¦ L. G¨®mez
%A Dirk Grupe
%A Vladimir A. Hagen-Thorn
%A Manasvita Joshi
%A Givi N. Kimeridze
%A Tatiana S. Konstantinova
%A Evgenia N. Kopatskaya
%A Omar M. Kurtanidze
%A Sofia O. Kurtanidze
%A Elena G. Larionova
%A Liudmilla V. Larionova
%A Sigua A. Lorand
%A Nicholas R. MacDonald
%A Jeremy D. Maune
%A Ian M. McHardy
%A H. Richard Miller
%A Sol N. Molina
%A Daria A. Morozova
%A Terri Scott
%A Brian Taylor
%A Merja Tornikoski
%A Ivan S. Troitsky
%A Clemens Thum
%A Gary Walker
%A Karen E. Williamson
%A Stephanie Sallum
%A Santina Consiglio
%A Vladimir Strelnitski
%J Physics
%D 2013
%I arXiv
%R 10.1088/0004-637X/773/2/147
%X We analyze the multifrequency behavior of the quasar 3C 454.3 during three prominent \gamma-ray outbursts: 2009 Autumn, 2010 Spring, and 2010 Autumn. The data reveal a repeating pattern, including a triple flare structure, in the properties of each \gamma-ray outburst, which implies similar mechanism(s) and location for all three events. The multi-frequency behavior indicates that the lower frequency events are co-spatial with the \gamma-ray outbursts, although the \gamma-ray emission varies on the shortest timescales. We determine that the variability from UV to IR wavelengths during an outburst results from a single synchrotron component whose properties do not change significantly over the different outbursts. Despite a general increase in the degree of optical linear polarization during an outburst, the polarization drops significantly at the peak of the \gamma-ray event, which suggests that both shocks and turbulent processes are involved. We detect two disturbances (knots) with superluminal apparent speeds in the parsec-scale jet associated with the outbursts in 2009 Autumn and 2010 Autumn. The kinematic properties of the knots can explain the difference in amplitudes of the \gamma-ray events, while their millimeter-wave polarization is related to the optical polarization during the outbursts. We interpret the multi-frequency behavior within models involving either a system of standing conical shocks or magnetic reconnection events located in the parsec-scale millimeter-wave core of the jet. We argue that \gamma-ray outbursts with variability timescales as short as ~ 3 hr can occur on parsec scales if flares take place in localized regions such as turbulent cells.
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/1307.2522v1