Variability of the radio flux density of the Blazar S5 0716+714 on time scales less than a month

A. G. Gorshkov, A. V. Ipatov, V. K. Konnikova, V. V. Mardyshkin, M. G. Mingaliev, A. M. Finkel’shtein, M. A. Kharinov

Astronomy Reports, 55(2), 97-107 (2011)

Abstract

Results of a study of the variability of the BL Lac object S5 0716+714 are reported. The data were obtained in 150 daily observations on the RATAN-600 radio telescope at six frequencies from 0.97 to 21.7 GHz and 13 day-long sessions at a wavelength of 6.2 cm on the 32 m radio telescopes of the Zelenchukskaya, Svetloe, and Badary observatories (Quasar-KVO complex, Institute of Applied Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences). The RATAN-600 observations detected three “anti-flares,” or eclipses, when the flux density decreased from an initially constant level and then returned to this level. The eclipse time scales obtained from an analysis of light curves, structure functions, and autocorrelation functions are 12–20 days; the eclipse spectra were determined. Intraday variability (IDV) with time scales of 10–12 hours was detected in three sessions on the 32-m radio telescopes.