Exploring the characteristics of the flare from PMN J0218–2307 by Fermi-LAT

Abstract

PMN J0218–2307 (4FGL J0218.9–2305) is classified as a blazar candidate with unknown type (BCU) in the fourth source catalog from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT). With the updated Fermi-LAT Pass 8 data, the γ-ray flaring activity toward PMN J0218–2307 is detected. The test statistic (TS) value of PMN J0218–2307 in energy band of 100 MeV–500 GeV is 133.893 with a significance level of 10.96σ. The maximum-likelihood photon flux is (8.131 ± 1.359) × 10−9 ph cm−2 s−1. A significant γ-ray flare in the period from 2008 August 4 to 2019 August 25 is found from the source. The spectral characteristics of GeV energy band of PMN J0218–2307 is similar to that of flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) in the local Universe.