Comparison of X-ray- and radio-selected BL Lacertae objects in high-energy gamma-ray observations

In the course of the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory mission, the EGRET telescope has detected 14 BL Lacertae objects in high-energy gamma rays through Phase 4. According to the BL Lac sample in Ciliegi, Bassani, & Caroli, two of these 14 sources are X-ray selected (XBL) and 10 are radio-selected (RBL); two are not listed in this sample. An examination of the radio fluxes and the X-ray fluxes for the BL Lac objects detected by EGRET reveals that it seems a strong radio flux must be present if high-energy gamma rays are to be detected in a BL Lac object, while detection is independent of the X-ray flux of the source. This result is in agreement with the picture of the coaligned radio jet and X-ray jet model of the broadband properties of BL Lac objects. For the BL Lac objects listed in Ciliegi et al. that are not detected by EGRET, co-adding of the EGRET data for the undetected RBLs in such a way that the source positions coincide with each other yields a flux excess at a 3.5 sigma level, but similar co-adding of the EGRET data for the undetected XBLs yields no flux excess.