Bibcode
Ramírez, A.; Dultzin, D.; de Diego, J. A.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 714, Issue 1, pp. 605-617 (2010).
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5
2010
Journal
Citations
6
Refereed citations
6
Description
We present a method that we developed to discern where the optical
microvariability (OM) in quasars originates: in the accretion disk
(related to thermal processes) or in the jet (related to non-thermal
processes). Analyzing nearly simultaneous observations in three
different optical bands of continuum emission, we are able to determine
the origin of several isolated OM events. In particular, our method
indicates that from nine events reported by Ramírez et al., three
of them are consistent with a thermal origin, three with non-thermal,
and three cannot be discerned. The implications for the emission models
of OM are briefly discussed.