100 research outputs found
New two-colour light curves of Q0957+561: time delays and the origin of intrinsic variations
We extend the gr-band time coverage of the gravitationally lensed double
quasar Q0957+561. New gr light curves permit us to detect significant intrinsic
fluctuations, to determine new time delays, and thus to gain perspective on the
mechanism of intrinsic variability in Q0957+561. We use new optical frames of
Q0957+561 in the g and r passbands from January 2005 to July 2007. These frames
are part of an ongoing long-term monitoring with the Liverpool robotic
telescope. We also introduce two photometric pipelines that are applied to the
new gr frames of Q0957+561. The transformation pipeline incorporates
zero-point, colour, and inhomogeneity corrections to the instrumental
magnitudes, so final photometry to the 1-2% level is achieved for both quasar
components. The two-colour final records are then used to measure time delays.
The gr light curves of Q0957+561 show several prominent events and gradients,
and some of them (in the g band) lead to a time delay between components of 417
+/- 2 d (1 sigma). We do not find evidence of extrinsic variability in the
light curves of Q0957+561. We also explore the possibility of a delay between a
large event in the g band and the corresponding event in the r band. The gr
cross-correlation reveals a time lag of 4.0 +/- 2.0 d (1 sigma; the g-band
event is leading) that confirms a previous claim of the existence of a delay
between the g and r band in this lensed quasar. The time delays (between quasar
components and between optical bands) from the new records and previous ones in
similar bands indicate that most observed variations in Q0957+561 (amplitudes
of about 100 mmag and timescales of about 100 d) are very probably due to
reverberation within the gas disc around the supermassive black hole.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
Time delay between images of the lensed quasar UM673
We study brightness variations in the double lensed quasar UM673 (Q0142-100)
with the aim of measuring the time delay between its two images. In the paper
we combine our previously published observational data of UM673 obtained during
the 2003 - 2005 seasons at the Maidanak Observatory with archival and recently
observed Maidanak and CTIO UM673 data. We analyze the V, R and I-band light
curves of the A and B images of UM673, which cover ten observational seasons
from August 2001 to November 2010. We also analyze the time evolution of the
difference in magnitudes between images A and B of UM673 over more than ten
years. We find that the quasar exhibits both short-term (with amplitude of \sim
0.1 mag in the R band) and high-amplitude (\sim 0.3 mag) long-term variability
on timescales of about several months and several years, respectively. These
brightness variations are used to constrain the time delay between the images
of UM673. From cross-correlation analysis of the A and B quasar light curves
and error analysis we measure the mean time delay and its error of 89 \pm11
days. Given the input time delay of 88 days, the most probable value of the
delay that can be recovered from light curves with the same statistical
properties as the observed R-band light curves of UM673 is 95{+5/-16}{+14/-29}
days (68 and 95 % confidence intervals). Analysis of the V - I color variations
and V, R and I-band magnitude differences of the quasar images does not show
clear evidence of the microlensing variations between 1998 and 2010.Comment: Submitted to A&A, 11 pages, 9 figure
The tools of a stock market: conception and classification
This article is devoted to different types of financial tools used in a stock market of Russia. Also in this article there is adescriptionof a new financial tool such as structured products. Special attention is paid to classification of structured products
Image reconstruction technique and optical monitoring of the QSO2237+0305 from Maidanak Observatory in 2002 -- 2003
We have observed the gravitational lens system Q2237+0305 from the Maidanak
Observatory over the period from August 2002 to November 2003. Here we report
the results of our observations. We implemented a two-stage technique that has
been developed specifically for the purpose of gravitational lens image
reconstruction. The technique is based on the Tikhonov regularization approach
and allows one to obtain astrometric and photometric characteristics of the
gravitational lens system. Light curves with 78 data points for the four quasar
components are obtained. Slow brightness variations over the observational
period are found in all components. Images A, C, D have a tendency to decrease
in brightness. Image B does not vary more than 0.05mag. The observations did
not reveal evidence for large variations in brightness of the components due to
microlensing effects. To provide an overall picture of the photometry
behaviour, our data are combined with the Maidanak observations published for
1995 -- 2000.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted by MNRA
First robotic monitoring of a lensed quasar: intrinsic variability of SBS 0909+532
To go into the details about the variability of the double quasar SBS
0909+532, we designed a monitoring programme with the 2 m Liverpool Robotic
Telescope in the r Sloan filter, spanning 1.5 years from 2005 January to 2006
June. The r-band light curves of the A and B components, several
cross-correlation techniques and a large number of simulations (synthetic light
curves) lead to a robust delay of 49 +/- 6 days (1-sigma interval) that agrees
with our previous results (the B component is leading). Once the time delay and
the magnitude offset are known, the magnitude- and time-shifted light curve of
image A is subtracted from the light curve of image B. This difference light
curve of SBS 0909+532 is consistent with zero, so any possible extrinsic signal
must be very weak, i.e., the observed variability in A and B is basically due
to observational noise and intrinsic signal. We then make the combined light
curve and analyse its statistical properties (structure functions). The
structure function of the intrinsic luminosity is fitted to predictions of
simple models of two physical scenarios: accretion disc instabilities and
nuclear starbursts. Although no simple model is able to accurately reproduce
the observed trend, symmetric triangular flares in an accretion disc seems to
be the best option to account for it.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures and 2 tables (including information on the
robotic monitoring and the final fluxes). Accepted for publication in New
Astronom
Time delay of SBS 0909+532
The time delays between the components of a lensed quasar are basic tools to
analyze the expansion of the Universe and the structure of the main lens galaxy
halo. In this paper, we focus on the variability and time delay of the double
system SBS 0909+532A,B as well as the time behaviour of the field stars. We use
VR optical observations of SBS 0909+532A,B and the field stars in 2003. The
frames were taken at Calar Alto, Maidanak and Wise observatories, and the VR
light curves of the field stars and quasar components are derived from aperture
and point-spread function fitting methods. We measure the R-band time delay of
the system from the chi-square and dispersion techniques and 1000 synthetic
light curves based on the observed records. One nearby field star (SBS
0909+532c) is found to be variable, and the other two nearby field stars are
non-variable sources. With respect to the quasar components, the R-band records
seem more reliable and are more densely populated than the V-band ones. The
observed R-band fluctuations permit a pre-conditioned measurement of the time
delay. From the chi-square minimization, if we assume that the quasar emission
is observed first in B and afterwards in A (in agreement with basic
observations of the system and the corresponding predictions), we obtain a
delay of - 45 (+ 1)/(- 11) days (95% confidence interval). The dispersion
technique leads to a similar delay range. A by-product of the analysis is the
determination of a totally corrected flux ratio in the R band (corrected by the
time delay and the contamination due to the galaxy light). Our 95% measurement
of this ratio (0.575 +/- 0.014 mag) is in excellent agreement with previous
results from contaminated fluxes at the same time of observation.Comment: 26 pages, 15 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics (see also
http://www.astro.ulg.ac.be/RPub/Colloques/JENAM/proceedings/proceedings.html
- Quasars Section
The multiple quasar Q2237+0305 under a microlensing caustic
We use the high magnification event seen in the 1999 OGLE campaign light
curve of image C of the quadruply imaged gravitational lens Q2237+0305 to study
the structure of the quasar engine. We have obtained g'- and r'-band photometry
at the Apache Point Observatory 3.5m telescope where we find that the event has
a smaller amplitude in the r'-band than in the g'- and OGLE V-bands. By
comparing the light curves with microlensing simulations we obtain constraints
on the sizes of the quasar regions contributing to the g'- and r'-band flux.
Assuming that most of the surface mass density in the central kiloparsec of the
lensing galaxy is due to stars and by modeling the source with a Gaussian
profile, we obtain for the Gaussian width 1.20 x 10^15 sqrt(M/0.1M_sun)cm <
sigma_g' < 7.96 x 10^15 sqrt(M/0.1Msun) cm, where M is the mean microlensing
mass, and a ratio sigma_r'/sigma_g'=1.25^{+0.45}_{-0.15}. With the limits on
the velocity of the lensing galaxy from Gil-Merino et al. (2005) as our only
prior, we obtain 0.60 x 10^15 sqrt(M/0.1Msun) cm < sigma_g' < 1.57 x 10^15
sqrt(M/0.1Msun) cm and a ratio sigma_r'/sigma_g'=1.45^{+0.90}_{-0.25} (all
values at 68 percent confidence). Additionally, from our microlensing
simulations we find that, during the chromatic microlensing event observed, the
continuum emitting region of the quasar crossed a caustic at >72 percent
confidence.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 8 pages, 4 figures. Slightly
modified compared to the original version: qualitative results unchanged,
constraints on the r'/g' source size ratio now tighter due to correction of
an error in the numerical treatment of the simulated light curve
Microlensing variability in the gravitationally lensed quasar Q2237+0305 = the Einstein Cross, I. Spectrophotometric monitoring with the VLT
We present the results of the first long-term (2.2 years) spectroscopic
monitoring of a gravitationally lensed quasar, namely the Einstein Cross
Q2237+0305. The goal of this paper is to present the observational facts to be
compared in follow-up papers with theoretical models to constrain the inner
structure of the source quasar. We spatially deconvolve deep VLT/FORS1 spectra
to accurately separate the spectrum of the lensing galaxy from the spectra of
the quasar images. Accurate cross-calibration of the 58 observations at
31-epoch from October 2004 to December 2006 is carried out with non-variable
foreground stars observed simultaneously with the quasar. The quasar spectra
are further decomposed into a continuum component and several broad emission
lines to infer the variations of these spectral components. We find prominent
microlensing events in the quasar images A and B, while images C and D are
almost quiescent on a timescale of a few months. The strongest variations are
observed in the continuum of image A. Their amplitude is larger in the blue
(0.7 mag) than in the red (0.5 mag), consistent with microlensing of an
accretion disk. Variations in the intensity and profile of the broad emission
lines are also reported, most prominently in the wings of the CIII] and center
of the CIV emission lines. During a strong microlensing episode observed in
June 2006 in quasar image A, the broad component of the CIII] is more highly
magnified than the narrow component. In addition, the emission lines with
higher ionization potentials are more magnified than the lines with lower
ionization potentials, consistent with the results obtained with reverberation
mapping. Finally, we find that the V-band differential extinction by the lens,
between the quasar images, is in the range 0.1-0.3 mag.Comment: 16 pages, 16 figures, A&A accepted, corrected Fig. 1
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