The Extreme Behavior of the Radio-loud Narrow-line Seyfert 1 Galaxy J0849+5108

Abstract

Simultaneous radio, optical (both photometry and polarimetry), X-ray, and γ-ray observations of the radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (RL-NLSy1) galaxy J0849+5108 are presented. A massive three-magnitude optical flare across five nights in 2013 April is detected, along with associated flux increases in the γ-ray, infrared, and radio regimes; no comparable event was detected in the X-rays, though this may be due to poor coverage. A spectral energy distribution (SED) for the object using quasi-simultaneous data centered on the optical flare is compared to the previously published SEDs for the object by D'Ammando et al. The flare event coincided with a high degree of optical polarization. High amplitude optical microvariability is clearly detected, and is found to be of comparable amplitude when the object is observed in both faint and bright states. The object is also seen to undergo rapid shifts in polarization in both degree and electric vector position angle within a single night. J0849+5108 appears to show even more extreme variability than that previously reported for the similar object J0948+0022. These observations appear to support the growing claim that some RL-NLSy1 galaxies constitute a sub-class of blazar-like active galactic nuclei.