Monitoring of Blazars requested for VERITAS/XMM TOO

Active Dates: July 11, 2007 – May 31, 2008


Abstract:

Our assistance has been requested by Dr. Markus Boettcher, Ohio University, in a study he and colleagues are making of several blazars. The targets are being intermittently monitored by VERITAS (the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System), a four-telescope collection designed to detect astrophysical sources of very high energy (VHE) gamma-rays that is located at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Arizona. If a VHE gamma-ray outburst is detected by VERITAS, target-of-opportunity observations with the Newton X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM) telescope will be triggered. Since VERITAS is not regularly monitoring the targets, optical monitoring is crucial to alert the VERITAS collaboration to a high state of any one of the blazars on the list in order to initiate VERITAS observations.

Justification:

The XMM observing season has begun, so AAVSO observers are requested to monitor the target blazars from now through at least May 2008, when the current XMM observing cycle ends. Dr. Boettcher and colleagues have submitted a Chandra proposal along the same lines that, if funded, would extend the study throughout most of 2008.

Requested Data Types:

Photometry



Targets
Name Magnitude Variability Type Photometry Notes Spectroscopy Notes
NSVS J0112111+595728 12.65 SR

Cadence: Not Specified

Precision: 100

Not Requested
NSV 524 9.50 None

Cadence: Not Specified

Precision: 100

Not Requested
MRK 1218 14.60 BLLAC

Cadence: Not Specified

Precision: 100

Not Requested
NSV 4021 11.50 EC

Cadence: Not Specified

Precision: 100

Not Requested
3C 66A 13.70 BLLAC

Cadence: Not Specified

Precision: 100

Not Requested
BL Lac 11.90 BLLAC

Cadence: Not Specified

Precision: 100

Not Requested
W Com 11.50 BLLAC

Cadence: Not Specified

Precision: 100

Not Requested
NSV 340 12.95 RRC

Cadence: Not Specified

Precision: 100

Not Requested
NSV 2500 14.70 RS

Cadence: Not Specified

Precision: 100

Not Requested
1H 0323+342 15.40 BLLAC

Cadence: Not Specified

Precision: 100

Not Requested

Spectroscopy Lines:

No spectroscopy lines provided

Photometry Filters:

No photometry filters provided

Comparison Stars:

No comparison stars provided


Co-Authorship

Observers are not eligible for co-authorship.

Additional Observer Input:

Not provided

Additional Submission Location:

Not provided


Forum URL

N/A


Notes:

Principal Investigator: Dr. Markus Boettcher; Imported Campaign (Alert Notice #353)