Probing Physical Conditions in Blazars (Active Galaxies) through Time-Dependent Optical Light

耀变体是超亮、高度可变的星系中心。 医生有工具来研究人类心脏的变化，这种变化被用来了解心脏是如何工作的。 同样，天文学家也有工具来研究耀变体如何变化，而这种变化性被用来理解耀变体是如何工作的。 该小组将使用亚利桑那州的望远镜在光学波长上观察耀变体。 他们将寻找耀变体亮度和偏振的每分钟变化。 他们还将寻找耀变体发射线的夜间变化。 这些变化将与团队模型的预测进行比较。 资深团队成员将培训初级成员。 来自亚利桑那州学校的纳瓦霍霍皮学生将参观望远镜。 在那里，他们将能够目睹耀变体的变化，研究小组将调查耀变体时间变化的物理过程。 该团队的目标是使用观测和模型来检查（1）粒子是否通过冲击或磁重联加速;（2）湍流或磁重联是否引起秒差距尺度上的快速变化;以及（3）伽马射线是否可以通过来自附近发射线气体的种子光子在秒差距尺度上产生。

Blazars are the ultra-luminous, highly-variable hearts of galaxies. Physicians have tools to study how the human heart varies, and that variability is used to understand how the heart works. Similarly, astronomers have tools to study how blazars vary, and that variability is used to understand how blazars work. The team will use telescopes in Arizona to observe blazars at optical wavelengths. They will look for minute-to-minute changes in the blazars' brightness and polarization. They will also look for night-to-night changes in the blazars' emission lines. These changes will be compared to predictions from the team's models. Senior team members will train junior members. Navajo-Hopi students from Arizona schools will visit the telescopes. While there, they will be able to witness the changes in the blazars.The team will investigate the physical processes responsible for blazars' time variability. The team's goals are to use observations and models to examine (1) if particles are accelerated via shocks or magnetic reconnection; (2) if very rapid variability on parsec scales is caused by turbulence or magnetic reconnection; and (3) if gamma-rays can be generated on parsec scales via the seed photons from nearby emission-line gas.