Statistical Substructure of ISP Blazar Variability: Evidence for a Distinct High-Variability Population in 4LAC-DR3 (v5: Full Paper with DOCX)

Key Points

• This research aims to explore the statistical properties of ISP blazar variability and identify a distinct subpopulation characterized by high variability.
• Utilized Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM) to identify the C3 subpopulation among ISP blazars (N=129) in the 4LAC-DR3 dataset.
• Conducted statistical tests (KS tests) to confirm spectral softening in specific blazars (ON 246 and 3C 66A).
• Analyzed shared physical signatures among blazars with varying variability characteristics.
• Identified a distinct high-variability ISP blazar subpopulation (C3) within the 4LAC-DR3 dataset.
• Confirmed spectral softening in ON 246 (KS p=7.5e-4) and 3C 66A (KS p=1.15e-13) with significant photon counts (27,059) in the latter.
• Found shared physical signatures indicative of varying characteristics across different blazar populations.

Abstract