The long-term multiband optical observations and colour index for the quasar 3C 273

The long baseline simultaneous multiband ( BVRI ) observations of blazar 3C 273 are presented. We have made 758 optical multiband observations with the Yunnan Astronomical Observatory (YAO) 103 cm and Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) 156 cm from 2003 January to 2005 April. In our observational campaign, the average colour indices are   B − V = 0.21, V − R = 0.26  and   R − I = 0.31  . The mean magnitudes in B, V, R and I are 12.895, 12.698, 12.441 and 12.139, respectively. The source is in a steady state over observational campaign. The correlations between colour index and brightness are discussed. We find that the correlations of   B − V   versus B ,   V − R   versus V and   R − I   versus R have significant negative correlation, while   B − V   versus V ,   V − R   versus R and   R − I   versus I have positive correlation. These strong correlations imply that the spectrum becomes bluer (flatter) when the source becomes brighter, and redden (softer) when the source fades both in intraday and long-term variability. The spectral evolution trends of 3C 273 are consistent with those of BL Lac objects.     

Optical variability of Mrk 421

We observed Mrk 421 in V and R band using the 1.0 m telescope at Weihai Observatory of Shandong University since 2009 April to 2012 May. The available historical data in B and V band were also assembled for constructing light curves. The brightness of Mrk 421 ranges from 11.40 to 16.14 in the B band light curve, and from 11.38 to 14.56 in the V band. Analyses with the Jurkevich method and the structure function method showed a possible period of about 1.36 years for its long periodic variability. This period could be explained by a close binary black hole system (BBHS) model with a primary black hole mass of 1.70×10⁸ M _⊙ and a secondary ～(0.49–2.9)×10⁷ M _⊙. We showed the color variability of Mrk 421, a bluer when brighter behavior during its lower state. Analyses of spectral index variations show that only a host galaxy contribution is not sufficient to explain the spectral index variations in Mrk 421, and some intrinsic mechanism is needed.     

Short time-scale variability in the Faint Sky Variability Survey

We present the V -band variability analysis of the point sources in the Faint Sky Variability Survey on time-scales from 24 min to tens of days. We find that about one per cent of the point sources down to   V = 24  are variables. We discuss the variability-detection probabilities for each field depending on field sampling, amplitude and time-scale of the variability. The combination of colour and variability information allows us to explore the fraction of variable sources for different spectral types. We find that about 50 per cent of the variables show variability time-scales shorter than 6 h. The total number of variables is dominated by main-sequence sources. The distribution of variables with spectral type is fairly constant along the main sequence, with 1 per cent of the sources being variable, except at the blue end of the main sequence, between spectral types F0 and F5, where the fraction of variable sources increases to about 2 per cent. For bluer sources, above the main sequence, this percentage increases to about 3.5. We find that the combination of the sampling and the number of observations allows us to determine the variability time-scales and amplitudes for a maximum of 40 per cent of the variables found. About a third of the total number of short time-scale variables found in the survey were not detected in either B or/and I band. These show a similar variability time-scale distribution to that found for the variables detected in all three bands.     

The influence of binary interactions on infrared passbands of populations

In our evolutionary population synthesis models, samples of binaries are reproduced by a ' patched ' Monte Carlo simulation and the stellar masses, integrated   J ,  H ,  K ,  L ,  L 2  and M magnitudes, mass-to-light ratios and broad colours involving infrared bands are presented for an extensive set of instantaneous-burst binary stellar populations. In addition, the fluctuations in the integrated colours, which have been given by Zhang et al., are reduced.
By comparing the results for binary stellar populations with (Model A) and without (Model B) binary interactions, we show that the inclusion of binary interactions makes the stellar mass of a binary stellar population smaller (  ∼3.6–4.5  per cent during the past 15 Gyr), magnitudes greater (except   U , ∼ 0.18 mag  at the most), colours bluer (∼0.15 mag for   V − K   at the most) and mass-to-light ratios greater (∼0.06 for K band) except those in the U and B passbands at higher metallicities. Binary interactions make the V magnitude less sensitive to age, and R and I magnitudes more sensitive to metallicity.
Given an age, the absolute values of the differences in the stellar mass, magnitudes and mass-to-light ratios (except those in the U and B bands) between Models A and B reach a maximum at   Z = 0.0001  , i.e. the effects of binary interactions on these parameters reach a maximum, while the differences in some colours reach a maximum at   Z ∼ 0.01–0.0004  . In contrast, the absolute value of the difference in the stellar mass is minimal at   Z = 0.03  ; those in the   U ,  B ,  V   magnitudes and the mass-to-light ratios in the U and B bands reach a minimum at   Z ∼ 0.01–0.004  .     

耀变体光学波段的微光变及能谱变化

耀变体在多个波段的微光变和能谱变化多年来是中外天文观测研究的热点课题.耀变体的微光变于20世纪60年代被发现,20世纪80年代以来发现很多源的微光变具有不同的特性,目前对其物理机制的认识和理论、模型的研究还处于发展阶段.该文总结了7个目前观测最多的耀变体(3C 66A,3C 279,3C 454.3,AO 0235+164,BL Lac,OJ 287,S5 0716+714)在光学波段的微光变和能谱变化的观测历史和最新进展,并对其理论模型作了简单介绍.     

Long-term optical-infrared color variability of blazars

The long-term optical and infrared color variability of blazars has been investigated with monitoring data from the Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System(SMARTS). The sample in this study consists of 49 flat spectrum radio quasars(FSRQs) and 22 BL Lacertae objects(BL Lacs). The fractional variability amplitudes of each source have been calculated in both optical R band and infrared J band. Overall, the variability amplitudes of FSRQs are larger than those of BL Lacs. The results also suggest that the variability amplitude of most FSRQs is larger at a lower energy band(J band) than at a higher one(R band), but the variability amplitude of BL Lacs is larger at the higher energy band. Both types of blazars display color variation along with variability in brightness. However, they show different variation behaviors in general. In the whole data set, 35 FSRQs exhibit redder-whenbrighter trends, and 11 FSRQs exhibit opposite trends; 11 BL Lacs follow bluer-whenbrighter trends, and seven BL Lacs follow opposite trends. A detailed examination indicates that there are 10 blazars showing redder-when-brighter trends in their low state, and bluer-when-brighter or stable-when-brighter trends in their high state. Some more complicated color behaviors have also been detected in several blazars. The nonthermal jet emission and the thermal emission from the accretion disk are employed to explain the observed color behaviors.     

光学选类星体样本的光变

本文报导光学选类星体样本的光变研究结果。利用ＣＣＤ 测光资料,本文研究中等亮类星体样本的长期光变行为。结果表明,大约４０ ％ 的光学选类星体在１８ 年的研究期间内有光变;变光类星体的光变同光度负相关,即愈亮的类星体的光变愈小;光变同红移也可能存在负相关。     

高红移耀变体4C 38.41光学多波段光变性质

4C 38.41是一颗红移为1.813、可分类为平谱射电类星体的耀变体,使用一台85 cm望远镜在2018年2月22日至26日期间对其进行了光学V和R波段测光观测,得到两个波段的准同时数据.基于这些数据分析了该源在不同光变时标下的光变特性.结果表明:这颗源在观测期间处于较弱的活动状态, V和R波段星等(V, R)总变化均约为0.20等.在天内时标下,其中3晚探测到了该源的天内光变,另有一晚可能存在天内光变.此外,通过色指数和时延分析发现4C 38.41在不同时标下都展现越亮越红行为,与大多数平谱射电类星体类似,但在最后一晚4C 38.41在颜色-星等图上呈现出v字形,即首先展现越亮越红行为,然后转变为越亮越蓝行为,这可能是由该源的辐射在吸积盘主导和喷流主导之间的转换造成的.此外在第2晚探测到了V、R波段之间的时延,这是首次在高红移耀变体中探测到不同光学波段光变之间的时延,可以用随机同步辐射小结构模型来解释.     

UBVRI photometry of the Durham–AAT redshift survey

Using the PDS microdensitometer at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, we have acquired U , B , V , R and I surface photometry from UK Schmidt photographic plates for all the galaxies with measured redshifts in the Durham–AAT redshift survey. By comparison with CCD photometry we show that such precision photographic photometry of galaxies off IIIa emulsions is capable of an accuracy as good as a few hundredths of a magnitude. We discuss the colour-related properties of these galaxies, and derive luminosity functions in each waveband. We show that when divided by colour, the faint-end slope of the luminosity function of the bluer galaxies is significantly steeper than that for the redder ones.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">BVRI</Emphasis> CCD-photometry of comparison stars in the neighborhoods of galaxies with active nuclei. III

Observations with a matrix photometer are reported. The stellar magnitudes in the BVRcIc bands are estimated for 80 comparison stars in the neighborhoods of 10 galaxies with active nuclei: 2 Seyfert galaxies, 4 quasars, and 4 BL Lac objects. The stellar magnitudes of the observed stars range from 11 to 19^m.5. For stars with magnitudes of 14–15^m the typical photometric errors are 0^m.011, 0^m.008, 0^m.006, and 0^m.007 in the B, V, R, and I bands, respectively. The BVRI magnitudes for most of these stars were not known previously. 14′ × 14′ finding charts for these stars are included. These results can be used for differential BVRI photometry of active galactic nuclei. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 50, No. 1, pp. 57–72 (February 2007).     

Rotational Brightness Modulation and Starspots on the RS CVn-type Stars IN Com, IL Com, UX Ari, and V711 Tau

UBVRI photometric observations and models of spotting are presented for four noneclipsing RS CVn systems: IN Com (G5III/IV), IL Com (F8V+F8V), UX Ari (K01V+G5V), and V711 Tau (K1IV+G5V). A low amplitude variability caused by cold (T=1700K)spots which can occupy up to 19% of the star's surface is confirmed for the little-studied star IL Com. Long-term light curves are constructed and the stellar magnitudes and color indices of the unspotted photospheres are estimated for IN com, UX Ari, and V711 Tau. It is shown that UX Ari becomes bluer with decreasing brightness, so its variability cannot be fully explained in terms of cold spots. Models of spotting on In Com and V711 Tau are constructed from the full set of available photometric observations. The spots on both of these variables lie at middle latitudes and occupy up to 22% (In Com) and 33% (V711 Tau) of the stars' surfaces. Both stars manifest a tendency for the width of the spots to decrease as their area increases. This is a crude analog of the Maunder butterflies. These stars experience cyclical spot activity and have a differential rotation of the type found on the sun.     

Ca II K Emission Line Asymmetries Among Red Giants

In the spectra of red giants the chromospheric emission feature found in the core of the Ca II K line often exhibits an asymmetric profile. This asymmetry can be documented by a parameter V/R which is classified as > 1, 1, or < 1 if the violet wing of the emission profile is of greater, equal, or lower intensity than the redward wing. A literature search has been conducted to compile a V/R dataset which builds on the large survey of bright field giants made by Wilson (1976). Among stars of luminosity classes II–III–IV the majority of those with V/R > 1 are found to be bluer than B-V =1.3, while those with V/R < 1 are mostly redder than this colour. Stars with nearly symmetric profiles, V/R≈ 1, are found throughout the colour range 0.8 < B-V < 1.5. There is no sharp transition line separating stars of V/R > 1 and < 1 in the colour-magnitude diagram, but rather a ‘transition zone’ centered at B-V ≈ 1.3. The center of this zone coincides closely with a ‘coronal dividing line’ identified by Haish, Schmitt and Rosso (1991) as the red envelope in the H–R diagram of giants detected in soft x-ray emission by ROSAT. It is suggested that both the transition to a Ca II K emission asymmetry of V/R < 1 and the drop in soft x-ray activity across the coronal dividing line are related to changes in the dynamical state of the chromospheres of red giants. By contrast, the onset of photometric variability due to pulsation occurs among stars of early-M spectral type, that are redward of the mid-point of the Ca II V/R ‘transition zone’, suggesting that the chromospheric motions which produce an asymmetry of V/R < 1 are established prior to the onset of pulsation. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mass segregation in globular clusters

Photoelectric aperture-photometry ofω Cen inU, B, V, R andI bands has established that the cluster is bluer between 2 arcmin and 4 arcmin from the centre, than it is elsewhere. The difference inB - I colour between the centre and this blue zone is ≃ 0.45 mag. The core radius is found to be dependant on the wavelength band chosen for observation, the smallest core radius being for theI band. Equidensitometry ofω Cen inB, V and infrared bands shows a wavelength dependence with the cluster being nearly spherical in the infrared band. It shows a maximum ellipticity around 3 arcmin from the cluster centre. The blue contribution in this zone comes from both a diffuse background of unresolved stars and an increase in the relative abundance of horizontal branch (HB) stars. The similarity between the diffuse background and the HB stars has been demonstrated. A photographic subtraction technique is used to study the distribution of HB stars in the cluster. Results of equidensitometry of the cluster 47 Tuc, obtained in the present study, are compared with the earlier results of photoelectric photometry. Here too an increase in ellipticity is associated with an increase in the blueness of the cluster. All globular clusters studied so far for ellipticity show a similarity in the dependence of the ellipticity on the distance from the centre. The ellipticity has small values near the centre and in the outer regions, with the maximum value in between. We suggest that the red stars in globular clusters have a nearly spherical distribution. The blue stars form a bulge around the core with a more elliptical distribution and a different orientation. A similarity between the ellipticity aspects of both the globular clusters and rotation in the nucleus of M 31 is pointed out; the M 31 nucleus may thus show a bluer colour and smaller UV excess around the region where the rotation curve shows a peak. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Color-Redshift Relations and Photometric Redshift Estimations of Quasars in Large Sky Surveys

With a recently constructed composite quasar spectrum and the X2 minimization technique, we describe a general method for estimating the photometric redshifts of a large sample of quasars by deriving theoretical color-redshift relations and comparing the theoretical colors with the observed ones. We estimated the photometric redshifts from the 5-band SDSS photometric data of 18678 quasars in the first major data release of SDSS and compared them with their spectroscopic redshifts. The difference is less than 0.1 for 47% of the quasars and less than 0.2 for 68%. Based on the calculation of the theoretical color-color diagrams of stars, galaxies and quasars both on the SDSS system and on the BATC system, we expect that we would be able to select candidates of high redshift quasars more efficaciously with the latter than with the former, provided the BATC survey can detect objects with magnitudes fainter than 21.     

Long-term optical color behavior of a sample of blazars

We report on the optical color variability of a sample of 24 blazars, consisting of nine flat spectrum radio quasars(FSRQs) and 15 BL Lacertae objects(BL Lacs), on timescales of years using simultaneous V-and R-band observations observed by the Kanata telescope at Higashi-Hiroshima Observatory.The correlations between color indices V-R and magnitudes reveal that 11 BL Lacs and one FSRQ exhibited significant(i.e., r 0.2 and P 0.01) bluer-when-brighter(BWB) trend and two FSRQs followed the redder-when-brighter(RWB) tend, indicating a possibility that the BWB chromatic trend is dominant for BL Lacs and the RWB trend is especially found in FSRQs, which has been presented occasionally in different samples of blazars.The superpositions of the red emission component from the Doppler-boosted relativistic jet and the blue component arising from the accretion disk might be a possible interpretation for the long-term color behaviors.     

Radial and 2D colour properties of E+A galaxies

We investigated the radial colour gradient and two-dimensional (2D) colour properties of 22 E+A galaxies with  5.5 < Hδ equivalent width(EW) < 8.5 Å  and 49 normal early-type galaxies as a control sample at a redshift of <0.2 in the Second Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We found that a substantial number of E+A galaxies exhibit positive slopes of radial colour gradient (bluer gradients toward the centre) which are seldom seen in normal early-type galaxies. We found irregular 'colour morphologies'– asymmetrical and clumpy patterns – at the centre of g − r and r − i 2D colour maps of E+A galaxies with positive slopes of colour gradient. Kolomogorov–Smirnov two-sample tests show that g − r and r − i colour gradient distributions of E+A galaxies differ from those of early-type galaxies with a more than 99.99 per cent significance level. We also found a tight correlation between radial colour gradients and colours, and between radial colour gradients and the 4000-Å break in the E+A sample; E+A galaxies which exhibit bluer colour or weaker D ₄₀₀₀ tend to have positive slopes of radial colour gradient. We compared the GISSEL model and E+A observational quantities,  Hδ EW, D ₄₀₀₀  and u − g colour, and found that almost all our E+A galaxies are situated along a single evolutionary track. Therefore, these results are interpreted as E+A galaxies evolving from  Hδ EW ∼ 8 Å  to  Hδ EW ∼ 5 Å  , with colour gradients changing from positive to negative, and with the irregular 2D colour map becoming smoother, during a time-scale of ∼300 Myr. Our results favour the hypothesis that E+A galaxies are post-starburst galaxies caused by merger/interaction, having undergone a centralized violent starburst.     

Chromospheric Ca II H and K emission among subdwarfs

Echelle spectra have been obtained of the Ca  II H and K lines for a sample of metal-poor subdwarf stars as well as for a number of nearby Population I dwarfs selected from among those included in the Mount Wilson HK survey. The main conclusion of this paper is that Ca  II H- and K-line emission does occur among subdwarfs. It is particularly notable among those subdwarfs with colours of B − V ≥0.75; all such stars observed exhibit chromospheric emission, although emission is observed among some subdwarfs bluer than this colour. The Ca  II K emission profile in most subdwarfs exhibits an asymmetry of V / R >1, similar to that seen in the integrated light of the solar disc. Two quantitative indicators of the contrast between the peaks in the emission profile and the neighbouring photospheric line profile are introduced. Measurements of these indicators show that the level of Ca  II emission among the subdwarfs is similar to that among low-activity Population I dwarfs.     

光学选类星体样本的光变

利用测光数据研究时间跨度为１８年的光学选类星样本的光变,发现此样本的光变比例约４０％。还发现光变类星体的光变幅与光度反相关,即光度越大,光变越小;且光变幅与红移可能有相关性。     

Redshifts of compact galaxies in systems of galaxies

82 compact galaxies with measured redshift present in systems containing partly normal galaxies have been found, using Zwicky's Catalogues and Morphological Catalogue. For them the mean residual redshift has been obtained. The chance probability for this result is 0.015. A high frequency of compact galaxies among those with large discrepant redshift is remarked. Relatively compact normal galaxies also reveal a positive mean value of . Redshift is correlated with magnitude in groups and pairs of compact galaxies, this depending in pairs on the linear separation and colours of the components. If a colour difference is present, the bluer member has the larger redshift in general. In contrast with the large luminosity deduced from the redshift for many field compacts, compact galaxies in systems are faint. The majority of the proposed associations between quasars and systems of normal galaxies are shown to be probably physical.     

Quasars from the 7C survey – I. Sample selection and radio maps

We describe the selection of candidate radio-loud quasars obtained by cross-matching radio source positions from the low-frequency (151-MHz) 7C survey with optical positions from five pairs of EO POSS-I plates scanned with the Cambridge Automatic Plate-measuring Machine (APM). The sky region studied is centred at RA 10^h 28^m, Dec.+41° and covers ≈0.057 sr. We present VLA observations of the quasar candidates, and tabulate various properties derived from the radio maps. We discuss the selection criteria of the resulting '7CQ' sample of radio-loud quasars. The 70 confirmed quasars, and some fraction of the 36 unconfirmed candidates, constitute a filtered sample with the following selection criteria: 151-MHz flux density S ₁₅₁>100 mJy; POSS-I E -plate magnitude E ≈ R <20; POSS-I colour ( O E )<1.8; the effective area of the survey drops significantly below S ₁₅₁≈200 mJy. We argue that the colour criterion excludes few if any quasars, but note, on the basis of recent work by Willott et al., that the E magnitude limit probably excludes more than 50 per cent of the radio-loud quasars.