No Arabic abstract
We have monitored the flat spectrum radio quasar, 3C 279, in the optical $B$, $V$, $R$ and $I$ passbands from 2018 February to 2018 July for 24 nights, with a total of 716 frames, to study flux, colour and spectral variability on diverse timescales. 3C,279 was observed using seven different telescopes: two in India, two in Argentina, two in Bulgaria and one in Turkey to understand the nature of the source in optical regime. The source was found to be active during the whole monitoring period and displayed significant flux variations in $B$, $V$, $R$, and $I$ passbands. Variability amplitudes on intraday basis varied from 5.20% to 17.9%. A close inspection of variability patterns during our observation cycle reveals simultaneity among optical emissions from all passbands. During the complete monitoring period, progressive increase in the amplitude of variability with frequency was detected for our target. The amplitudes of variability in $B$, $V$, $R$ and $I$ passbands have been estimated to be 177%, 172%, 171% and 158%, respectively. Using the structure function technique, we found intraday timescales ranging from $sim 23$ minutes to about 115 minutes. We also studied colour-magnitude relationship and found indications of mild bluer-when-brighter trend on shorter timescales. Spectral indices ranged from 2.3 to 3.0 with no clear trend on long term basis. We have also generated spectral energy distributions for 3C,279 in optical $B$, $V$, $R$ and $I$ passbands for 17 nights. Finally, possible emission mechanisms causing variability in blazars are discussed briefly.
We present our optical photometric observations of three TeV blazars, PKS 1510-089, PG 1553+113 and Mrk 501 taken using two telescopes in India, one in Bulgaria, one in Greece and one in Serbia during 2012 - 2014. These observations covered a total of 95 nights with a total of 202 B filter frames, 247 images in V band, 817 in R band while 229 images were taken in the I filter. This work is focused on multi-band flux and colour variability studies of these blazars on diverse timescales which are useful in understanding the emission mechanisms. We studied the variability characteristics of above three blazars and found all to be active over our entire observational campaigns. We also searched for any correlation between the brightness of the sources and their colour indices. During the times of variability, no significant evidence for the sources to display spectral changes correlated with magnitude was found on timescales of a few months. We briefly discuss the possible physical mechanisms most likely responsible for the observed flux variability.
To search for optical variability on a wide range of timescales, we have carried out photometric monitoring of two flat spectrum radio quasars, 3C 454.3 and 3C 279, plus one BL Lac, S5 0716+714, all of which have been exhibiting remarkably high activity and pronounced variability at all wavelengths. CCD magnitudes in B, V, R and I pass-bands were determined for $sim$ 7000 new optical observations from 114 nights made during 2011 - 2014, with an average length of $sim$ 4 h each, at seven optical telescopes: four in Bulgaria, one in Greece, and two in India. We measured multiband optical flux and colour variations on diverse timescales. Discrete correlation functions were computed among B, V, R, and I observations, to search for any time delays. We found weak correlations in some cases with no significant time lags. The structure function method was used to estimate any characteristic time-scales of variability. We also investigated the spectral energy distribution of the three blazars using B, V, R, I, J and K pass-band data. We found that the sources almost always follows a bluer-when-brighter trend. We discuss possible physical causes of the observed spectral variability.
To search for optical variability on a wide range of timescales, we have carried out photometric monitoring of 3C 454.3, 3C 279 and S5 0716+714. CCD magnitudes in B, V, R and I pass-bands were determined for $sim$ 7000 new optical observations from 114 nights made during 2011 - 2014, with an average length of $sim$ 4 h each, at seven optical telescopes. We measured multiband optical flux and colour variations on diverse timescales. We also investigated its spectral energy distribution using B, V, R, I, J and K pass-band data. We discuss possible physical causes of the observed spectral variability.
Context. The TeV BL Lac object PG 1553+113 is one of the primary candidates for a binary supermassive black hole system. Aims. We study the flux and spectral variability of PG 1553+113 on intra-night to long-term timescales using (i) BVRI data collected over 76 nights from January 2016 to August 2019 involving nine optical telescopes and (ii) historical VR data (including ours) obtained for the period from 2005 to 2019. Methods. We analysed the light curves using various statistical tests, fitting and cross-correlation techniques, and methods for the search for periodicity. We examined the colour-magnitude diagrams before and after the corresponding light curves were corrected for the long-term variations. Results. Our intra-night monitoring, supplemented with literature data, results in a low duty cycle of ~(10-18)%. In April 2019, we recorded a flare, which marks the brightest state of PG 1553+113 for the period from 2005 to 2019: R = 13.2 mag. This flare is found to show a clockwise spectral hysteresis loop on its VR colour-magnitude diagram and a time lag in the sense that the V-band variations lead the R-band ones. We obtain estimates of the radius, the magnetic field strength, and the electron energy that characterize the emission region related to the flare. We find a median period of (2.21 +/- 0.04) years using the historical light curves. In addition, we detect a secondary period of about 210 days using the historical light curves corrected for the long-term variations. We briefly discuss the possible origin of this period.
We report the results of our optical (VRI) photometric observations of the TeV blazar 1ES 0806$+$524 on 153 nights during 2011-2019 using seven optical telescopes in Europe and Asia. We investigated the variability of the blazar on intraday as well as on long-term timescales. We examined eighteen intraday light curves for flux and color variations using the most reliable power-enhanced F-test and the nested ANOVA test. Only on one night was a small, but significant, variation found, in both $V$ band and $R$ band light curves. The $V-R$ color index was constant on every one of those nights. Flux density changes of around 80 % were seen over the course of these eight years in multiple bands. We found a weighted mean optical spectral index of 0.639$pm$0.002 during our monitoring period by fitting a power law ($F_{ u} propto u^{-alpha}$) in 23 optical ($VRI$) spectral energy distributions of 1ES 0806$+$524. We discuss different possible mechanisms responsible for blazar variability on diverse timescales.