Characterizing the environment of the blazars PG1553+113 and 3C66A from Gemini-GMOS data in the i' and g' bands

TORRES ZAFRA, J.; CELLONE, S. A.; ANDRUCHOW, I.

Florianópolis

Congreso; XIV Latin American Regional IAU Meeting; 2013

IAU

Blazars are active galactic nuclei (AGNs) which, because of their particular orientation with respect to the observer, are characterized by beamed electromagnetic emision from a relativistic jet. It is thus challenging to detect either continuum or line radiation from the nucleus or from the host galaxy; in many cases this prevents the measurement of a spectroscopic redshift. However, the analysis of their environments may give valuable information, considering that galaxies in the blazar's field could share physical and chemical properties with the host galaxy, besides having a similar redshift. We have thus undertaken a photometric study of the galaxies in the fields of the blazars PG1553+113 and 3C66A, based on g' and i' images taken with the GMOS instrument (multi-object spectrograph and camera) at Gemini North 8m telescope. Our goal is to look for concentrations of galaxies around both blazars in order to have a first knowledge of the general characteristics of their immediate environments.