title: A peculiar multiwavelength flare in the blazar 3C 454.3
abstract: The blazar 3C 454.3 exhibited a strong flare seen in γ-rays, X-rays and optical/near-infrared bands during 2009 December 3–12. Emission in the V and J bands rose more gradually than did the γ-rays and soft X-rays, though all peaked at nearly the same time. Optical polarization measurements showed dramatic changes during the flare, with a strong anticorrelation between optical flux and degree of polarization (which rose from ∼3 to ∼20 per cent) during the declining phase of the flare. The flare w
journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society