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  • J. Otero-Santos
  • J. A. Acosta-Pulido
  • J. Becerra González
  • C. M. Raiteri
  • P. Peñil
  • P. S. Smith
  • C. Ballester Niebla
  • G.A. Borman
  • M. I. Carnerero
  • N. Castro Segura
  • M. Villata
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 γ-ray light curves from 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 pieces of evidence of possible quasi-periodic variability in the optical photometric data of both sources with periods of ˜3 yr for 3C 66A and ˜1.9 yr for B2 1633+38, with significances between 3σ and 5σ. Only B2 1633+38 shows evidence of this behaviour in the optical polarized data set at a confidence level of 2σ-4σ. 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 γ-ray light curve of B2 1633+38 with a confidence level ≥2σ, 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.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5524-5539
Number of pages16
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume492
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2020

    Research areas

  • galaxies: active, BL Lacertae objects: general, BL Lacertae objects: individual (3C 66A, B2 1633+38), galaxies: nuclei, HELICAL JETS, TELESCOPE, SPECTRAL VARIABILITY, RADIO OUTBURSTS, LONG-TERM VARIABILITY, BL LACERTAE, BLACK-HOLE BINARY, INTRADAY VARIABILITY, ACCRETION, BL Lacertae objects: individual (3C 66A, B2 1633+38), RELATIVISTIC MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATIONS

ID: 51735136