OPP-PRF: Millimeter-wave Blazar Monitoring With Cosmic Microwave Background Experiments: A New Tool for Probing Blazar Physics

A pilot project using data from the SPTpol camera on the SPT has enabled the monitoring of tens of mm-bright AGN on timescales from years to days at high signal to noise (S/N > 10 in a 36-hour coadd). A study focused on the blazar PKS 2326-502, which has extensive, day-timescale monitoring data in gamma-ray, optical, and now mm-wave data between 2013 and 2016 shows intriguing evidence of correlated variability between SPTpol (150 GHz), SMARTS (O/IR) and Fermi (gamma-rays) observations.

I propose to carry out such multi-wavelength correlation studies on a large statistical sample of mm-wave-bright AGN, enabled by the repurposing of existing and future CMB data. This large sample (covering nearly 70 % of the sky) will also be key to investigating hints of correlations between mm-bright blazar flares and high-energy neutrinos. I further propose to build a public-facing server that will provide the mm lightcurves I construct from CMB data to the wider community.