First Fermi LAT detection of a strong GeV gamma-ray flare from blazar PKS 0403-13

The Large Area Telescope (LAT), one of the two instruments on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, has observed increasing gamma-ray flux from a source positionally consistent with the flat spectrum radio quasar PKS 0403-13 (also known as TXS 0403-132, OF -105, RX J0405.5-1308, and 3FGL J0405.5-1307), with radio counterpart position R.A. 61.391680 deg, Dec. -13.137136 deg (J2000.0, Fey et al. 2004, AJ, 127, 3587) and with redshift z=0.5706+/-0.0001 (Marziani et al. 1996, ApJS, 104, 37). Preliminary analysis indicates that on 2016 July 11, PKS 0403-13 was in a high state with a daily averaged gamma-ray flux (E > 100 MeV) of (1.6+/-0.3) X 10^-6 photons cm^-2 s^-1 (statistical uncertainty only), about 140 times greater than its four-year average flux reported in the third Fermi-LAT source catalog (3FGL, Acero et al. 2015, ApJS, 218, 23). The corresponding daily averaged spectral photon index (E > 100 MeV) of 2.3+/-0.2 (statistical uncertainty only) is compatible with the 3FGL catalog value of 2.35+/-0.11.