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.