Is The Enigmatic Source 3EG J1828+0142 a Galactic Microblazar ?

Abstract

The unidentified EGRET source 3EG J1828+0142, located at (l,b) ~ (31.9,5.8) (Hartman et al. 1999), is particularly enigmatic since it displays very high variability over timescales of months (Torres et al. 2000, Tompkins 1999) yet no blazar has been found within the 95% confidence contour of the gamma-ray location error-box (Punsly et al 2000). It also has an unusually steep gamma-ray spectral index of Gamma=2.76 +/- 0.39. It's relatively low latitude may be indicative of a galactic origin of the variable GeV flux. A multifrequency study of this source has been initiated and may reveal the presence of a novel type of compact object: a galactic 'microblazar'. X-ray data, especially those of high spatial resolution from CHANDRA, would be particularly useful in establishing such a connection.