Intrinsic Spectra of the TeV Blazars Mrk 421 and Mrk 501

Abstract

Energy spectra of gamma-ray blazars may contain an imprint from the cosmic infrared background radiation due to gamma-ray absorption (pair-production) by soft photons constituting the extragalactic background light (EBL). The signature of this imprint depends on the spectral shape of the EBL. In this work we correct the observed spectra of Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 for absorption using different possible realizations of the EBL, consistent with the most recent detections and limits. We present the intrinsic gamma-ray spectrum of these sources for the different EBL scenarios. These spectra reveal their true peak energy and luminosities, which provide important information on the nature and physical characteristics of the particle acceleration mechanism operating in these sources.