Abstract
Extensive monitoring is now available for a good sample of the brighter quasars and BL Lacs. In some cases, lightcurves are well enough sampled to permit stochastic modelling. We present here, a simple model of the lightcurve of the prototype BL Lacertae object, BL Lac in terms of a series of random events, each with rapid rise and exponencial decline. Whilst unable to explain very rapid “optically violent” activity, it seems to provide a satisfactory fit to the long term trends in the lightcurve.
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© 1986 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Kidger, M.R., Beckman, J.E. (1986). An Interpretation of the Lightcurve of BL Lac. In: Giuricin, G., Mardirossian, F., Mezzetti, M., Ramella, M. (eds) Structure and Evolution of Active Galactic Nuclei. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 121. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4562-3_55
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4562-3_55
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8528-1
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