3EG J2016+3657: Confirming an EGRET Blazar Behind the Galactic Plane

Abstract

We recently identified the blazar-like radio source G74.87+1.22 (B2013+370) as the counterpart of the high-energy gamma-ray source 3EG J2016+3657 in the Galactic plane. However, since most blazar identifications of EGRET sources are only probabilistic in quality even at high Galactic latitude, and since there also exists a population of unidentified Galactic EGRET sources, we sought to obtain additional evidence to support our assertion that 3EG J2016+3657 is a blazar. These new observations consist of a complete set of classifications for the 14 brightest ROSAT X-ray sources in the error circle, of which B2013+370 remains the most likely source of the gamma-rays. We also obtained further optical photometry of B2013+370 itself which shows that it is variable, providing additional evidence of its blazar nature. Interestingly, this field contains, in addition to the blazar, the plerionic supernova remnant CTB 87, which is too distant to be the EGRET source, and three newly discovered cataclysmic variables, all five of these X-ray sources falling within 16' of each other. This illustrates the daunting problem of obtaining complete identifications of EGRET sources in the Galactic plane.