The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2023)
Quasi-simultaneous Optical Flux and Polarization Variability of the Binary Super Massive Black Hole Blazar OJ 287 from 2015 to 2023: Detection of an Anticorrelation in Flux and Polarization Variability
- Alok C. Gupta,
- Pankaj Kushwaha,
- Mauri J. Valtonen,
- Sergey S. Savchenko,
- Svetlana G. Jorstad,
- Ryo Imazawa,
- Paul J. Wiita,
- Minfeng Gu,
- Alan P. Marscher,
- Zhongli Zhang,
- Rumen Bachev,
- G. A. Borman,
- Haritma Gaur,
- T. S. Grishina,
- V. A. Hagen-Thorn,
- E. N. Kopatskaya,
- V. M. Larionov,
- E. G. Larionova,
- L. V. Larionova,
- D. A. Morozova,
- T. Nakaoka,
- A. Strigachev,
- Yulia V. Troitskaya,
- I. S. Troitsky,
- M. Uemura,
- A. A. Vasilyev,
- Z. R. Weaver,
- A. V. Zhovtan
Affiliations
- Alok C. Gupta
- ORCiD
- Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences , 80 Nandan Road, Shanghai 200030, People's Republic of China ; [email protected]; Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) , Manora Peak, Nainital—263001, India
- Pankaj Kushwaha
- ORCiD
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali , Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Manauli 140306, India [email protected]
- Mauri J. Valtonen
- ORCiD
- FINCA, University of Turku , FI-20014 Turku, Finland ; [email protected]; Tuorla Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku , FI-20014 Turku, Finland
- Sergey S. Savchenko
- ORCiD
- Saint Petersburg State University , Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia; Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences , 369167, Nizhnil Arkhyz, Russia; Pulkovo Observatory , St. Peterburg 196140, Russia
- Svetlana G. Jorstad
- ORCiD
- Saint Petersburg State University , Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia; Institute for Astrophysical Research, Boston University , 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Ryo Imazawa
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University , 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- Paul J. Wiita
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, The College of New Jersey , 2000 Pennington Road., Ewing, NJ 08628-0718, USA
- Minfeng Gu
- ORCiD
- Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences , 80 Nandan Road, Shanghai 200030, People's Republic of China ; [email protected]
- Alan P. Marscher
- ORCiD
- Institute for Astrophysical Research, Boston University , 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Zhongli Zhang
- ORCiD
- Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 200030, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Radio Astronomy and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , A20 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
- Rumen Bachev
- ORCiD
- Institute of Astronomy and National Astronomical Observatory , Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tsarigradsko shosse Boulevard, 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria
- G. A. Borman
- ORCiD
- Crimean Astrophysical Observatory RAS , P/O Nauchny, 298409, Russia
- Haritma Gaur
- ORCiD
- Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) , Manora Peak, Nainital—263001, India
- T. S. Grishina
- ORCiD
- Saint Petersburg State University , Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
- V. A. Hagen-Thorn
- ORCiD
- Saint Petersburg State University , Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
- E. N. Kopatskaya
- ORCiD
- Saint Petersburg State University , Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
- V. M. Larionov
- ORCiD
- Saint Petersburg State University , Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia; Pulkovo Observatory , St. Peterburg 196140, Russia
- E. G. Larionova
- ORCiD
- Saint Petersburg State University , Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
- L. V. Larionova
- ORCiD
- Saint Petersburg State University , Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
- D. A. Morozova
- ORCiD
- Saint Petersburg State University , Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
- T. Nakaoka
- Hiroshima Astrophysical Science Center, Hiroshima University , 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- A. Strigachev
- Institute of Astronomy and National Astronomical Observatory , Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tsarigradsko shosse Boulevard, 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria
- Yulia V. Troitskaya
- ORCiD
- Saint Petersburg State University , Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
- I. S. Troitsky
- ORCiD
- Saint Petersburg State University , Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
- M. Uemura
- ORCiD
- Hiroshima Astrophysical Science Center, Hiroshima University , 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
- A. A. Vasilyev
- ORCiD
- Saint Petersburg State University , Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
- Z. R. Weaver
- ORCiD
- Institute for Astrophysical Research, Boston University , 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- A. V. Zhovtan
- Crimean Astrophysical Observatory RAS , P/O Nauchny, 298409, Russia
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acfd2e
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 957,
no. 1
p. L11
Abstract
We study the optical flux and polarization variability of the binary black hole blazar OJ 287 using quasi-simultaneous observations from 2015 to 2023 carried out using telescopes in the USA, Japan, Russia, Crimea, and Bulgaria. This is one of the most extensive quasi-simultaneous optical flux and polarization variability studies of OJ 287. OJ 287 showed large amplitude, ∼3.0 mag flux variability, large changes of ∼37% in degree of polarization, and a large swing of ∼215° in the angle of the electric vector of polarization. During the period of observation, several flares in flux were detected. Those flares are correlated with a rapid increase in the degree of polarization and swings in electric vector of polarization angle. A peculiar behavior of anticorrelation between flux and polarization degree, accompanied by a nearly constant polarization angle, was detected from JD 2,458,156 to JD 2,458,292. We briefly discuss some explanations for the flux and polarization variations observed in OJ 287.
Keywords
