The dual nature of blazar fast variability: Space and ground observations of S5 0716+714
Date Issued
2021
Author(s)
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Carosati, D
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Benítez, E
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Kurtanidze, S O
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Gupta, A C
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Mirzaqulov, D O
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Larionov, V M
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Pursimo, T
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Acosta-Pulido, J A
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Baida, G V
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Bonnoli, G
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Borman, G A
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Chen, W-P
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Dhiman, V
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Di Maggio, A
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Ehgamberdiev, S A
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Hiriart, D
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Kimeridze, G N
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Kurtanidze, O M
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Lin, C S
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Lopez, J M
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Marchini, A
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Matsumoto, K
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Mujica, R
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Nakamura, M
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Nikiforova, A A
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Nikolashvili, M G
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Okhmat, D N
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Otero-Santos, J
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Rizzi, N
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Sakamoto, T
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Semkov, E
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Sigua, L A
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Stiaccini, L
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Troitsky, I S
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Tsai, A L
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Vasilyev, A A
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Zhovtan, A V
Abstract
Blazar S5 0716+714 is well-known for its short-term variability, down to intraday time-scales. We here present the 2-min cadence optical light curve obtained by the TESS space telescope in 2019 December-2020 January and analyse the object fast variability with unprecedented sampling. Supporting observations by the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope Collaboration in B, V, R, and I bands allow us to investigate the spectral variability during the TESS pointing. The spectral analysis is further extended in frequency to the UV and X-ray bands with data from the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. We develop a new method to unveil the shortest optical variability time-scales. This is based on progressive de-trending of the TESS light curve by means of cubic spline interpolations through the binned fluxes, with decreasing time bins. The de-trended light curves are then analysed with classical tools for time-series analysis (periodogram, autocorrelation, and structure functions). The results show that below 3 d there are significant characteristic variability time-scales of about 1.7, 0.5, and 0.2 d. Variability on time-scales $\lesssim 0.2$ d is strongly chromatic and must be ascribed to intrinsic energetic processes involving emitting regions, likely jet substructures, with dimension less than about 10-3 pc. In contrast, flux changes on time-scales $\gtrsim 0.5$ d are quasi-achromatic and are probably due to Doppler factor changes of geometric origin.
Volume
501
Issue
1
Start page
1100
Issn Identifier
0035-8711
Ads BibCode
2021MNRAS.501.1100R
Rights
open.access
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