Optimal strategies for observation of active galactic nuclei variability with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68378271%3A_____%2F16%3A00538445" target="_blank" >RIV/68378271:_____/16:00538445 - isvavai.cz</a>

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2016.03.006" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2016.03.006</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2016.03.006" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.astropartphys.2016.03.006</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Optimal strategies for observation of active galactic nuclei variability with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

Variable emission is one of the defining characteristic of active galactic nuclei (AGN). While providing precious information on the nature and physics of the sources, variability is often challenging to observe with time- and field-of-view-limited astronomical observatories such as Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs). In this work, we address two questions relevant for the observation of sources characterized by AGN-like variability: what is the most time-efficient way to detect such sources, and what is the observational bias that can be introduced by the choice of the observing strategy when conducting blind surveys of the sky. Different observing strategies are evaluated using simulated light curves and realistic instrument response functions of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), a future gamma-ray observatory. We show that strategies that makes use of very small observing windows, spread over large periods of time, allows for a faster detection of the source, and are less influenced by the variability properties of the sources, as compared to strategies that concentrate the observing time in a small number of large observing windows. Although derived using CTA as an example, our conclusions are conceptually valid for any IACTs facility, and in general, to all observatories with small field of view and limited duty cycle.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Optimal strategies for observation of active galactic nuclei variability with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes

Popis výsledku anglicky

Variable emission is one of the defining characteristic of active galactic nuclei (AGN). While providing precious information on the nature and physics of the sources, variability is often challenging to observe with time- and field-of-view-limited astronomical observatories such as Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs). In this work, we address two questions relevant for the observation of sources characterized by AGN-like variability: what is the most time-efficient way to detect such sources, and what is the observational bias that can be introduced by the choice of the observing strategy when conducting blind surveys of the sky. Different observing strategies are evaluated using simulated light curves and realistic instrument response functions of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), a future gamma-ray observatory. We show that strategies that makes use of very small observing windows, spread over large periods of time, allows for a faster detection of the source, and are less influenced by the variability properties of the sources, as compared to strategies that concentrate the observing time in a small number of large observing windows. Although derived using CTA as an example, our conclusions are conceptually valid for any IACTs facility, and in general, to all observatories with small field of view and limited duty cycle.

Druh

J_imp - Článek v periodiku v databázi Web of Science

CEP obor

—

OECD FORD obor

10303 - Particles and field physics

Projekt

—

Návaznosti

—

Rok uplatnění

2016

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název periodika

Astroparticle Physics

ISSN

0927-6505

e-ISSN

—

Svazek periodika

80

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

July

Stát vydavatele periodika

NL - Nizozemsko

Počet stran výsledku

8

Strana od-do

8-15

Kód UT WoS článku

000376811800002

EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

2-s2.0-84962467413