A search for rapid optical variability in radio-quiet quasars

Abstract

The detection of rapid variability on a time-scale of hours in radio-quiet quasars (RQQSOs) could be a powerful discriminator between starburst, accretion disc and relativistic jet models of these sources. This paper contains an account of a dedicated search for rapid optical variability in RQQSOs. The technique used differential photometry between the RQQSO and stars in the same field of view of the CCD. The 23 RQQSOs that were observed all have high luminosities (-27 < Mv <- 30), and 22 of these sources are at redshifts z > 1. The total amount of observation time was about 60 hours and these observations are part of an ongoing programme, started in September 1990, to search for rapid variability in RQQSOs. No evidence for short-term variability greater than about 0.1 magnitudes was detected in any of the 23 sources, however long-term variability was recorded for the radio-quiet quasar PG 2112+059. The finding charts are included here because they identify the RQQSO and the reference stars used in the photometry, and hence are available for use by other observers.

Accepted for publication in A&AS. 10 pages, 3 figures. Figure 1 (finding charts) available by anonymous ftp from: bermuda.ucd.ie:/pub/outgoing/charts.eps.gz

Cited by in corpus (9)

• Heavy X-ray Absorption in Soft X-ray Weak Active Galactic Nuclei
• Clear Evidence for Intranight Optical Variability in Radio-quiet Quasars
• Intra-night Optical Variability of Luminous Radio Quiet QSOs
• Intranight optical variability of radio-quiet and radio lobe dominated quasars
• Dramatic X-ray Spectral Variability of the Broad Absorption Line Quasar PG2112+059
• Optical microvariability properties of BALQSOs
• Optical variability properties of high luminosity AGN classes
• Short-term optical variability of high-redshift QSO's
• Observational determination of the time delays in gravitational lens system Q2237+030