ABSTRACT The detection of periodicity in the broadband non-thermal emission of blazars has so far been proven to be elusive. However, there are a number of scenarios that could lead to quasi-periodic ...variations in blazar light curves. For example, an orbital or thermal/viscous period of accreting matter around central supermassive black holes could, in principle, be imprinted in the multi-wavelength emission of small-scale blazar jets, carrying such crucial information about plasma conditions within the jet launching regions. In this paper, we present the results of our time series analysis of the ∼9.2 yr long, and exceptionally well-sampled, optical light curve of the BL Lac object OJ 287. The study primarily used the data from our own observations performed at the Mt. Suhora and Kraków Observatories in Poland, and at the Athens Observatory in Greece. Additionally, SMARTS observations were used to fill some of the gaps in the data. The Lomb-Scargle periodogram and the weighted wavelet Z-transform methods were employed to search for possible quasi-periodic oscillations in the resulting optical light curve of the source. Both methods consistently yielded a possible quasi-periodic signal around the periods of ∼400 and ∼800 days, the former with a significance (over the underlying colored noise) of . A number of likely explanations for this are discussed, with preference given to a modulation of the jet production efficiency by highly magnetized accretion disks. This supports previous findings and the interpretation reported recently in the literature for OJ 287 and other blazar sources.
A comprehensive catalog of 623 galactic eclipsing binary (EB) systems with eccentric orbits is presented with more than 2830 times of minima determined from the archived photometric data by various ...sky-survey projects and new photometric measurements. The systems are divided into two groups according to whether the individual system has a GCVS name or not. All the systems in both groups are further classified into three categories (D, A, and A+III) on the basis of their eclipse timing diagrams: 453 D systems showing just constantly displaced secondary minima, 139 A systems displaying only apsidal motion (AM), and 31 A+III systems exhibiting both AM and light-time effects. AM parameters for 170 systems (A and A+III systems) are consistently calculated and cataloged with basic information for all systems. Some important statistics for the AM parameters are discussed and compared with those derived for the eccentric EB systems in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.
We report on the analysis of 34 years of photometric observations of the pulsating helium atmosphere white dwarf GD358. The complete data set includes archival data from 1982 to 2006, and 1195.2 hr ...of new observations from 2007 to 2016. From this data set, we extract 15 frequencies representing g-mode pulsation modes, adding 4 modes to the 11 modes known previously. We present evidence that these 15 modes are = 1 modes, 13 of which belong to a consecutive sequence in radial overtone k. We perform a detailed asteroseismic analysis using models that include parameterized, complex, carbon and oxygen core composition profiles to fit the periods. Recent spectroscopic analyses place GD358 near the red edge of the DBV instability strip, at 24,000 500 K and a of 7.8 0.08 dex. The surface gravity translates to a mass range of 0.455-0.540 . Our best-fit model has a temperature of 23,650 K and a mass of 0.5706 . That is slightly more massive than what is suggested by the most recent spectroscopy. We find a pure helium layer mass of 10−5.50, consistent with the result of previous studies and the outward diffusion of helium over time.
We explore the disk-jet connection in the broad-line radio quasar 4C+74.26, utilizing the results of multiwavelength monitoring of the source. The target is unique in that its radiative output at ...radio wavelengths is dominated by a moderately beamed nuclear jet, at optical frequencies by the accretion disk, and in the hard X-ray range by the disk corona. Our analysis reveals a correlation (local and global significance of 96% and 98% respectively) between the optical and radio bands, with the disk lagging behind the jet by 250 42 days. We discuss the possible explanation for this, speculating that the observed disk and the jet flux changes are generated by magnetic fluctuations originating within the innermost parts of a truncated disk, and that the lag is related to a delayed radiative response of the disk when compared with the propagation timescale of magnetic perturbations along a relativistic outflow. This scenario is supported by re-analysis of NuSTAR data, modeled in terms of a relativistic reflection from the disk illuminated by the coronal emission, which returns an inner disk radius . We discuss the global energetics in the system, arguing that while the accretion proceeds at the Eddington rate, with the accretion-related bolometric luminosity Lbol ∼ 9 × 1046 erg s−1 ∼ 0.2LEdd, the jet total kinetic energy Lj ∼ 4 × 1044 erg s−1, inferred from the dynamical modeling of the giant radio lobes in the source, constitutes only a small fraction of the available accretion power.
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