Long-term variability of radio-bright BL Lacertae objects

TL;DR

This study analyzes long-term radio variability in 24 BL Lacertae objects, revealing diverse flaring behaviors, durations up to 13 years, and supporting the generalized shock model of their flares.

Contribution

It provides a detailed comparison of computational time scales and observed variability parameters, confirming the applicability of the shock model to BLO flares.

Findings

BLOs show a wide range of variability behaviors.

Extreme flares last up to 13 years with peak fluxes around 12 Jy.

Flares are high-peaking and in the adiabatic stage, consistent with the shock model.

Abstract

Radio-bright BL Lacertae objects (BLOs) are typically variable and exhibit prominent flaring. We use a sample of 24 BLOs to get a clear idea of their flaring behavior and to find possible commonalities in their variability patterns. Our goal was to compare the results given by computational time scales and the observed variability parameters determined directly from the flux curves. Also, we wanted to find out if the BLO flares adhere to the generalized shock model. We use long-term monitoring data from 4.8, 8, 14.5, 22, 37, 90 and 230 GHz. The structure function, discrete correlation function and Lomb-Scargle periodogram time scales, calculated in a previous study, are analyzed in more detail. We determine flare durations, rise and decay times, absolute and relative peak fluxes from the monitoring data. We find that BLOs demonstrate a wide range of variability behavior. BLOs include sources with fast and strong variability, such as OJ 287, PKS 1749+096 and BL Lac, but also sources with more rolling fluctuations like PKS 0735+178. The most extreme flares can last for up to 13 years or have peak fluxes of approximately 12 Jy in the observer's frame. When the Doppler boosting effect is taken into account, the peak flux of a flare does not depend on the duration of the flare. A rough analysis of the time lags and peak flux evolution indicates that BLO flares in the mm - cm wavelengths are high-peaking, i.e., are in the adiabatic stage. Thus, the results concur with the generalized shock model.