No Arabic abstract
We present results of a periodicity search of 20 intra-day variable optical light curves of the blazar S5 0716+714, selected from a database of 102 light curves spanning over three years. We use a wavelet analysis technique along with a randomization test and find strong candidates for nearly periodic variations in eight light curves, with probabilities ranging from 95% to >99%. This is the first good evidence for periodic, or more-precisely, quasi-periodic, components in the optical intra-day variable light curves of any blazar. Such periodic flux changes support the idea that some active galactic nuclei variability, even in blazars, is based on accretion disk fluctuations or oscillations. These intra-day variability time scales are used to estimate that the central black hole of the blazar S5 0716+714 has a mass > 2.5 times 10^6$ M$_{odot}$. As we did not find any correlations between the flux levels and intra-day variability time scales, it appears that more than one emission mechanism is at work in this blazar.
In this paper, we report results of our near-infrared (NIR) photometric variability studies of the BL Lacertae object S5 0716+714. NIR photometric observations spread over 7 nights during our observing run April 2-9, 2007 at 1.8 meter telescope equipped with KASINICS (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute Near Infrared Camera System) and J, H, and Ks filters at Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory (BOAO), South Korea. We searched for intra-day variability, short term variability and color variability in the BL Lac object. We have not detected any genuine intra-day variability in any of J, H, and Ks passbands in our observing run. Significant short term variability ~ 32.6%, 20.5% and 18.2% have been detected in J, H, Ks passbands, respectively, and ~ 11.9% in (J-H) color.
Over the course of three hours on 27 December 2008 we obtained optical (R-band) observations of the blazar S5 0716+714 at a very fast cadence of 10 s. Using several different techniques we find fluctuations with an approximately 15-minute quasi-period to be present in the first portion of that data at a > 3 sigma confidence level. This is the fastest QPO that has been claimed to be observed in any blazar at any wavelength. While this data is insufficient to strongly constrain models for such fluctuations, the presence of such a short timescale when the source is not in a very low state seems to favor the action of turbulence behind a shock in the blazars relativistic jet.
We present the results of a multi-frequency study of the structural evolution of the VLBI jet in the BL Lac object 0716+714 over the last 10 years. We show VLBI images obtained at 5 GHz, 8.4 GHz, 15 GHz and 22 GHz. The milliarcsecond source structure is best described by a one-sided core-dominated jet of ~10 mas length. Embedded jet components move superluminally with speeds ranging from 5 c to 16 c (assuming z=0.3). Such fast superluminal motion is not typical for BL Lac objects, however it is still in the range of jet speeds typically observed in quasars (10 c to 20 c). In 0716+714, younger components, that were ejected more recently, seem to move systematically slower than the older components. This and a systematic position angle variation of the inner (1 mas) portion of the VLBI jet, suggests an at least partly geometric origin of the observed velocity variations. The observed rapid motion and the derived Lorentz factors are discussed with regard to the rapid Intra-Day Variability (IDV) and the gamma-ray observations, from which very high Doppler factors are inferred.
We present the photometric observations of blazars S5 0716+714 and 3C 273 with high temporal resolution (30--60s) in the $I$ or $R$ bands. The observations were performed with a 1.02 m optical telescope from 2007 March 07 to 2012 May 16. The $F$-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, and $z$-transformed discrete correlation function (ZDCF) cross-correlation zero lag test are used to search for intra-day variability (IDV). Four and five reliable IDVs survive three tests for S5 0716+714 and 3C 273, respectively. IDVs are found for S5 0716+714 and 3C 273. A flare on 2008 May 08 has $Delta I approx$ 0.06$pm$0.01 mag in a duration of 0.54 hr for S5 0716+714. A flare on 2011 May 10 shows $Delta R approx$ 0.05$pm$0.01 mag in a duration of 0.40 hr for 3C 273. Sharp dips appear on 2011 May 9 for 3C 273, and show $Delta R approx$ 0.05$pm$0.01 mag. Under the assumptions that the IDV is tightly connected to black hole mass, $M_{bullet}$, and that the flare durations are representative of the minimum characteristic timescales, we can estimate upper bounds to $M_{bullet}$. In the case of the Kerr black holes, $M_{bullet} la 10^{8.91} M_{odot}$ and $M_{bullet} la 10^{9.02} M_{odot}$ are given for S5 0716+714 and 3C 273, respectively. These mass measurements are consistent with those measurements reported in the literatures. Also, we discuss the origins of optical variations found in this work.
We aim to search for evidence of annual modulation in the time scales of the BL Lac object S5 0716+714. The intra-day variability (IDV) observations were carried out monthly from 2005 to 2009, with the Urumqi 25m radio telescope at 4.8 GHz. The source has shown prominent IDV as well as long-term flux variations. The IDV time scale does show evidence in favor of an annual modulation, suggesting that the IDV of 0716+714 is dominated by interstellar scintillation. The source underwent a strong outburst phase between mid-2008 and mid-2009; a second intense flare was observed in late 2009, but no correlation between the total flux density and the IDV time scale is found, implying that the flaring state of the source does not have serious implications for the general characteristics of its intra-day variability. However, we find that the inner-jet position angle is changing throughout the years, which could result in an annual modulation noise in the anisotropic ISS model fit. There is also an indication that the lowest IDV amplitudes (rms flux density) correspond to the slowest time scales of IDV, which would be consistent with an ISS origin of the IDV of 0716+714.