Electromagnetic cascade masquerade: a way to mimicγ-axion-like particle mixing effects in blazar spectra

Context. Most of the studies on extragalactic γ-ray propagation performed up to now only accounted for primary γ-ray absorption and adiabatic losses, known as the “absorption-only model”. However, there is growing evidence that this model is oversimplified and must be modified in some way. In particular, it was found that the intensity extrapolated from the optically-thin energy range of some blazar spectra is insufficient to explain the optically-thick part of these spectra. This effect was interpreted as an indication for γ-axion-like particle (ALP) oscillation. On the other hand, there are many hints that a secondary component from electromagnetic cascades initiated by primary γ-rays or nuclei may be observed in the spectra of some blazars.