Evidence of Quasi Periodic Modulation in the Gamma-Ray Blazar PG1553+113

For the first time a gamma-ray and multi-wavelength nearly-periodic oscillation in an active galactic nucleus is reported by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). A quasi-periodicity in the gamma-ray flux (E>100 MeV and E>1 GeV) is observed from the well-known GeV/TeV BL Lac object PG 1553+113. The significance of the 2.18 +/- 0.08 year-period gamma-ray modulation, seen in 3.5 oscillation maxima observed, is supported by significant cross-correlated variations observed in radio and optical flux light curves, through data collected in the OVRO, Tuorla, KAIT, and CSS monitoring programs and Swift UVOT and XRT. As a BL Lac object, the mechanism driving the observed modulation could arise from the jet itself or from the process feeding the jet. It might point to interesting physical phenomena such as pulsational accretion flow instabilities, jet precession, or the tantalizing possibility of a milli-parsec scale binary super massive black hole system An intense multi-wavelength campaign aimed at unbiased monitoring of the source activity, from radio to VHE (E>100 GeV) gamma rays, started in 2015. It aims at revealing the physical scenarios that can account for such a variability pattern and at covering the next maximum, expected between the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017.