Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT We investigate the possible presence of quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) signals in 2103 blazars from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) time-domain survey. We detect a low-frequency QPO signal in five blazars observed over these 3.8-yr-long optical r-band ZTF light curves. These periods range from 144 to 196 d detected at ≳4σ significance levels in both the Lomb–Scargle periodogram and weighted wavelet Z-transform analyses. We find consistent results using the phase dispersion minimization technique. A similar peak is detected in the g-band light curves at a slightly lower significance of 3σ. Such nearly periodic signals on these time-scales in optical wavebands most likely originate from a precessing jet with high Lorentz factor, closely aligned to the observer’s line of sight or the movement of plasma blobs along a helical structure in the jet.
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,873
Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, Trinity College Dublin, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Stockholms Universitet, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules
OpenAlex ID: W4387441967