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Table · dataset · 2026

7918 blazar-selected AGN CAZ catalog and LC

Listed in IVOA Registry (Virtual Observatory)

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are some of the brightest and most variable objects in the universe.

Description

Those with relativistic jets observed at small viewing angles are blazars. Due to Doppler-boosting, blazars exhibit extreme stochastic variability.

While the origin of this variability is thought to be changes in the accretion flow and jet dynamics, much about blazar variability remains unknown. In this paper we use several blazar-dominated AGN samples to form a catalog of 7918 blazars and candidates -- the largest to date. We also collect source types, redshifts, peak frequencies of the spectral energy distribution (SED), radio variability Doppler factors, and X-ray flux densities for as many sources as possible.

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We use all-sky surveys (CRTS, ATLAS, and ZTF, abbreviated as "CAZ") to extract their optical multiband flux density on a nightly basis between 2007 and 2023, and construct as long and as high cadence light curves as possible for as many sources as attainable. We quantify the variability of the light curves and apply the Bayesian blocks algorithm to determine their flaring periods. The CAZ catalog and light curves as well as the corresponding Bayesian blocks and flaring periods are all provided in the accompanying electronic tables, enabling many analyses involving jetted-AGN variability with unprecedented sample-sizes.

Overall, we find: (1) optical flares generally have a faster rise than decay; (2) optical brightness and variability are strongly dependent on the synchrotron peak frequency; (3) flat spectrum radio quasars and BL Lac objects have comparable optical variability and flare characteristics at the same synchrotron peak frequency; and (4) optical flare times tend to decrease and amplitudes increase with increasing radio variability Doppler factor.

Links

Topics

Stated by source
Optical · Radio · X-Ray
Provenance · 1 source records, 10 field assertions
SourceKeyLast seenRaw
IVOA Registry (Virtual Observatory)ivo://cds.vizier/j/a+a/708/a38214 d agoJSON v1
FieldAssertionExtractorEvidence
access_levelsource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0
concepts[field].local:field:astronomymapping · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0
concepts[modality].ivoa_waveband:opticalsource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0
concepts[modality].ivoa_waveband:radiosource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0
concepts[modality].ivoa_waveband:x-raysource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0
descriptionsource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0rr.resource.res_description
license_textsource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0
publication_datesource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0
titlesource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0rr.resource.res_title
updated_datesource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0