Polarization and brightness of the blazar S5 0716+714 in 1991–2004

Abstract

We investigate the photometric and polarimetric behavior of the blazar S5 0716+714 based on the observations carried out in 1991–2004 at the 125-cm Crimean Astrophysical Observatory telescope (AZT11) with a photopolarimeter that allows simultaneous polarization and brightness measurements to be made in the U BV RI bands. We also provide the U BV photometry for the blazar obtained in 2000–2009 with a 60-cm telescope at the Crimean Station of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute. The pattern of flux variability and the correlation between the brightness, color, and polarization variations have been investigated. In this time interval the blazar showed a significant brightness and polarization variability similar to noise processes.