Abstract
We report on the optical observations and analysis of the high-energy peaked BL Lac object (HBL), Mrk 501, at redshift z = 0.033. We can confirm microvariable behavior over the course of minutes on several occasions per night. As an alternative to the commonly understood dynamical model of random variations in intensity of the AGN, we develop a relativistic beaming model with a minimum of free parameters, which allows us to infer changes in the line of sight angles for the motion of the different relativistic components. We hope our methods can be used in future studies of beamed emission in other active microvariable sources, similar to the one we explored.
Highlights
Mrk 501 at z = 0.033 [1] is a TeV blazar [2] that can be detected at all wavelengths, from radio waves to TeV γ rays
All images were taken with the Johnson–Cousins R filter, and with the Remote Observatory for Variable Object Research (ROVOR)
Mrk 501, the microvariable activity consists of a number of outbursts during the four nights observed
Summary
Mrk 501 at z = 0.033 [1] is a TeV blazar [2] that can be detected at all wavelengths, from radio waves to TeV γ rays Such blazars are highly variable BL Lac objects, even at very high energies [3], which is often interpreted as AGN with relativistic beaming properties. The high frequency component of the spectrum is generally attributable to inverse Compton scattering, i.e., Doppler boosting from relativistic electrons of lower energy spectral components This object is a microvariable source as well. It produces very high cadence variations in the optical, a phenomenon that has been studied by many but is not represented by any single coherent or a generally accepted model. We present a geometrical beaming model as an alternative to naturally or intrinsically occurring variations in intensity by other means
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