Abstract
ABSTRACT We have monitored the BL Lac object Mrk 501 in the optical V, R, and I bands from 2010 to 2015. For Mrk 501, the presence of a strong host galaxy component can affect the results of photometry. After subtracting the host galaxy contributions, the source shows intraday and long-term variabilities for optical flux and color indices. The average variability amplitudes of the V, R, and I bands are 22.05 % , 22.25 % , and 23.82 % ?> , respectively, and the value of the duty cycle is 14.87%. A minimal variability timescale of 106 minutes is detected. No significant time lag between the V and I bands is found on one night. The bluer-when-brighter (BWB) trend is dominant for Mrk 501 on intermediate, short, and intraday timescales, which supports the shock-in-jet model. For the long timescale, Mrk 501, in different states, can have different BWB trends. The corresponding results for non-correcting host galaxy contributions are also presented.
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