Synchrotron self-compton analysis of TeV X-ray-selected BL lacertae objects

We introduce a methodology for analysis of multiwavelength data from X-ray-selected BL Lac (XBL) objects detected in the TeV regime. By assuming that the radio - through - X-ray flux from XBLs is nonthermal synchrotron radiation emitted by isotropically distributed electrons in the randomly oriented magnetic field of a relativistic blazar jet, we obtain the electron spectrum. This spectrum is then used to deduce the synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) spectrum as a function of the Doppler factor, magnetic field, and variability timescale. The variability timescale is used to infer the comoving blob radius from light-travel time arguments, leaving only two parameters. With this approach, we accurately simulate the synchrotron and SSC spectra of flaring XBLs in the Thomson through Klein-Nishina regimes. Photoabsorption by interactions with internal jet radiation and the intergalactic background light (IBL) is included. Doppler factors, magnetic fields, and absolute jet powers are obtained by fitting the H.E.S.S. and Swift data of the recent giant TeV flare observed from PKS 2155-304. For the H.E.S.S. and Swift data from 2006 July 28 and 30, respectively, Doppler factors ≳60 and absolute jet powers ≳10 46 ergss_1 are required for a synchrotron/SSC model to give a good fit to the data, for a low intensity of the IBL and a ratio of 10 times more energy in hadrons than nonthermal electrons. Fits are also made to a TeV flare observed in 2001 from Mrk 421 which require Doppler factors ≳30 and jet powers ≳1045 ergs s_1. © 2008. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.