Quasi-periodic behaviour in the optical and {gamma}-ray light curves of blazars 3C 66A and B2 1633+38

We report on quasi-periodic variability found in two blazars included in the Steward Observatory Blazar Monitoring data sample: the BL Lac object 3C 66A and the Flat Spectrum Radio Quasar B2 1633+38. We collect optical photometric and polarimetric data in V and R bands of these sources from different observatories: St. Petersburg University, Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, WEBT-GASP, Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey, Steward Observatory, STELLA Robotic Observatory and Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope. In addition, an analysis of the $gamma$-ray light curves from $textit{Fermi}$-LAT is included. Three methods are used to search for any periodic behaviour in the data: the Z-transform Discrete Correlation Function, the Lomb-Scargle periodogram and the Weighted Wavelet Z-transform. We find evidences of possible quasi-periodic variability in the optical photometric data of both sources with periods of $sim$3 years for 3C 66A and $sim$1.9 years for B2 1633+38, with significances between 3$sigma$ and 5$sigma$. Only B2 1633+38 shows evidence of this behaviour in the optical polarized data set at a confidence level of 2$sigma$-4$sigma$. This is the first reported evidence of quasi-periodic behaviour in the optical light curve of B2 1633+38. Also a hint of quasi-periodic behaviour is found in the $gamma$-ray light curve of B2 1633+38 with a confidence level $geqslant$2$sigma$, while no periodicity is observed for 3C 66A in this energy range. We propose different jet emission models that could explain the quasi-periodic variability and the differences found between these two sources.