MAGIC upper limits to the VHE gamma-ray flux of 3C 454.3 in high emission state

Abstract

Aims. We report upper limits to the very high energy flux (E>100 GeV) of the flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 454.3 (z=0.859) derived by the Cherenkov telescope MAGIC during the high states of July/August and November/December 2007. We compare the upper limits derived in both time slots with the available quasi-simultaneous MeV-GeV data from the AGILE -ray satellite and interpret the observational results in the context of leptonic emission models. Methods. The source was observed with the MAGIC telescope during the active phases of July-August 2007 and November-December 2007 and the data were analyzed with the MAGIC standard analysis tools. For the periods around the ends of July and November, characterized by the most complete multifrequency coverage, we constructed the spectral energy distributions using our data together with nearly simultaneous multifrequency (optical, UV, X-ray and GeV) data. Results. Only upper limits can be derived from the MAGIC data. The upper limits, once corrected for the expected absorption by the extragalactic background light, together with nearly simultaneous multifrequency data, allow us to constrain the spectral energy distribution of 3C 454.3. The data are consistent with the model expectations based on inverse Compton scattering of the ambient photons from the broad line region by relativistic electrons, which robustly predicts a sharp cut-off above 20-30 GeV.