Detection of microvariability for BL Lacertae objects
Detection of microvariability for BL Lacertae objects
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DOI：
10.1038/337627a0
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发表时间：
1989-02
期刊：
影响因子：
64.8
通讯作者：
H. R. Miller;M. Carini;B. Goodrich
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
H. R. Miller;M. Carini;B. Goodrich
大振幅，快速的光学变化是BL Lacertae天体（“耀变体”）的一个众所周知的识别特征。虽然从几天到几十年的时间尺度上的大幅度变化已经得到了很好的证明，但围绕微变的性质存在相当大的争议，即时间尺度上的光学变化明显短于一天。在这里，我们报告的BL Lacertae的观测，其中检测到的总光通量从这个对象的快速变化。这些变化发生的时间尺度短至1.5小时。尽管它们的结构是复杂的，但是用于变化的最小时间尺度可以用于对发射区域的尺寸施加约束。假设这些变化是在超大质量黑洞附近产生的，时间尺度意味着黑洞的质量为1.42× 109 M。不需要用相对论性射束来解释这个天体现在的光度。
Large-amplitude, rapid optical variability is a well-known identifying characteristic for BL Lacertae objects ('blazars'). Although large-amplitude variations on timescales ranging from days to decades have been well documented1, considerable controversy surrounds the nature of microvariability, that is, optical variations on timescales significantly shorter than a day. Here we report observations of BL Lacertae in which rapid changes were detected in the total optical flux from this object. These variations occurred on timescales as short as 1.5 hours. Although their structure is complex, the minimum timescale for the variations may be used to place constraints on the size of the emitting region. Assuming that these variations are produced in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole, the timescales imply a black-hole mass of 1.42×109M⊙. Relativistic beaming need not be invoked to account for the present luminosity of this object.