Abstract
Abstract BL Lacertae (BL Lac) objects are a type of active galactic nucleus (AGN) characterized by featureless optical spectra, where a relativistic jet is oriented toward the observer. By studying BL Lacs objects, we improve our understanding of accretion processes, high-energy particle acceleration, magnetic field structures in extreme environments, and galaxy formation and evolution. Generally, luminous AGNs (i.e., quasars) exhibit “positive” evolution. This means that, on average, quasars are more numerous and/or more luminous in the early Universe, at higher redshifts, than they are today. However, the evolution of BL Lacs has been long disputed, in part due to selection biases and small sample sizes. Here we perform the luminosity–volume test of BL Lac evolution on a uniformly selected sample and find that BL Lacs instead exhibit mild negative evolution. We conclude by putting our results into context with previous studies on BL Lac evolution.
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