X-Ray Spectral Variability of the TeV High-energy Peaked Blazar PG 1553+113 with XMM-Newton

Abstract We present an extensive X-ray spectral variability study of the TeV photon-emitting high-energy-peaked BL Lacertae object PG 1553+113, using the data from the EPIC-PN camera of XMM-Newton, which observed the source during its operational period from 2001 September to 2024 November. X-ray spectra in the energy range, 0.6–7.0 keV, were fitted with absorbed power-law (PL) and absorbed log-parabola (LP) models. We found with 99% confidence that 14 of them were fit well by LP models having parameters in the range α ≃ 2.13–2.80, and β ≃ 0.04–0.18, one spectrum flavors an LP model with β < 0, while simple PL models with Γ ≃ 2.53–2.69 were sufficient to describe the X-ray spectra of the remaining 15. Of these 30 observations, 2 showed strong signatures of an additional inverse Compton component, while 1 showed weaker indications. On fitting joint Optical Monitor and EPIC-PN data with LP models, we found synchrotron peaks in the energy range of ν s ≃ 4.59–48.61 eV. This indicates that the spectral evolution is probably caused by variations in particle acceleration or cooling conditions within the jet.