Related papers: Detecting microvariability in type 2 quasars using…

We present analysis of both the short-term optical and long-term multiwavelength variability of CTA 102. In 2004, this object was observed in an intense optical flaring state. Extensive R-band microvariability observations were carried out…

We present the results obtained from our campaign to characterize the intra-night-optical variability properties of blazars detected by the {\it Fermi} Large Area Telescope. This involves R-band monitoring observations of a sample of 18…

We explore the weak lensing effects by ministructures in the line-of-sight in a quadruply lensed quasar MG0414+0534 that shows an anomaly in the flux-ratios. We find that the observed flux-ratio anomaly can be explained by a presence of…

A number of deep, wide-field, near-infrared surveys employing new infrared cameras on 4m-class telescopes are about to commence. These surveys have the potential to determine the fraction of luminous dust-obscured quasars that may have…

We present the results of our optical monitoring of the BL Lac object S5 0716+714 on seven nights in 2006 December. The monitoring was carried out simultaneously at three optical wavelengths with a novel photometric system. The object did…

This is continuation of our programme to search for the elusive radio-quiet BL Lacs, by carrying out a systematic search for intranight optical variability (INOV) in a subset of `weak-line quasars' which are already designated as…

Infrared interferometry is a new frontier for precision ground based observing, with new instrumentation achieving milliarcsecond (mas) spatial resolutions for faint sources, along with astrometry on the order of 10 microarcseconds. This…

Time-resolved databases with large spatial coverage are quickly becoming a standard tool for all types of astronomical studies. We report preliminary results from our search for stellar flares in the 2MASS calibration fields. A sample of…

The occurrence of low-amplitude flux variations in blazars on hourly timescales, commonly known as microvariability, is still a widely debated subject in high-energy astrophysics. Several competing scenarios have been proposed to explain…

Blazars are known for their extreme variability across the electromagnetic spectrum. Variability at very short timescales can push the boundaries between competing models offering us much needed discriminating power. This is particularly…

Several macrolensed systems exhibit photometric variability consistent with microlensing due to objects of stellar mass located in the lens. The degree of microlensing amplification is dependent upon the size of the source, with smaller…

Although micro-lensing of macro-lensed quasars and supernovae provides unique opportunities for several kinds of investigations, it can add unwanted and sometimes substantial noise. While micro-lensing flux anomalies may be safely ignored…

We present results of an optical (I band) monitoring of a sample of 22 Seyfert I galaxies. We aimed to detect microvariability with time resolution from ~ 6 minutes down to 30 seconds for the most luminous one. It is the largest survey ever…

We present an IR-monitoring survey with the $Spitzer$ Space Telescope of the star forming region GGD 12-15. Over 1000 objects were monitored including about 350 objects within the central 5 arcminutes which is found to be especially dense…

The faint quasars with $M_{1450}>-24$ mag are known to hold the key to the determination of the ultraviolet emissivity for the cosmic re-ionization. But only a few have been identified so far because of the limitations on the survey data.…

We search for transient variations of the fine structure constant using data from a European network of fiber-linked optical atomic clocks. By searching for coherent variations in the recorded clock frequency comparisons across the network,…

aims: We present VRi photometric observations of the quadruply imaged quasar HE 0435-1223, carried out with the Danish 1.54m telescope at the La Silla Observatory. Our aim was to monitor and study the magnitudes and colors of each lensed…

Variability is a property shared by virtually all active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and was adopted as a criterion for their selection using data from multi epoch surveys. Low Luminosity AGNs (LLAGNs) are contaminated by the light of their…

We present new WSRT observations of the micro-arcsecond quasar J1819+3845. All short term variations are attributed to interstellar scintillation of a source which is at most 30 micro-arcseconds in diameter. The timescale of the modulations…

Variable continuum emission from AGN can be used to probe the structure of their accretion disks via reverberation mapping. Assuming a variable, hot inner light source irradiates the surrounding accretion disk, time delays between different…