We introduce GYRE, a new open-source stellar oscillation code which solves the adiabatic/non-adiabatic pulsation equations using a novel Magnus Multiple Shooting (MMS) numerical scheme. The code has a global error scaling of up to 6th order in the grid spacing, and can therefore achieve high accuracy with few grid points. It is moreover robust and efficiently makes use of multiple processor cores and/or nodes. We present an example calculation using GYRE, and discuss recent work to integrate GYRE into the asteroseismic optimization module of the MESA stellar evolution code.

This was one of two general discussions at the conference and it focussed primarily on stellar modelling. In particular, we were interested in the quality of the models, how we can check the models and what the direction of future modelling will be given the rise in popularity of MESA.

We present results from a project focused on searching optical microvariabilty (also known as “intra-night” variability) in type 2 - obscured - quasars. Optical microvariability can be described as very small changes in the flux, typically in the order of hundredths of magnitude, which can be observed on timescales of hours. Such studies have been so far conducted for samples of blazars and type 1, unobscured, AGNs, where the optical microvariability was detected with success. We have focused on obscured targets which would pose a challenge to the AGN standard model. In the present work, however, we have observed a sample of three bright (g mag < 17) type 2 quasar, based on the catalog of type 2 quasars from SDSS of Reyes et al. (2008). The observations were carried out with the 1.5 meter telescope at San Pedro Martir observatory in Mexico. The sample was observed during an observation period of four days in Johnsons V filter, resulting in at least two continuous intervals of observations per target during the observational run. We have obtained differential light curves for our sources as well as for the comparison stars. They were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance statistical test (ANOVA), which has been repeatedly used in the past for studies of unobscured targets. Based on the results from the statistical analysis, we show that at least two out of three observed targets appear to be variable on time scales of hours. So far, this is the first study which confirmed existence of optical microvariability in type 2 quasars.

We present new photometric observations of two eclipsing binary systems, V1241 Tau and GQ Dra. We use the following methodology: initially, the Wilson-Devinney code is applied to the light curves in order to determine the photometric elements of the systems. Then, the residuals are analysed using Fourier techniques. The results are the following. One frequency can be possibly attributed to a real light variation of V1241 Tau, while there is no evidence of pulsations in the light curve of GQ Dra.

Part of results of the multi-epoch intranight optical spectroscopic monitoring of the Markarian 6 nucleus carried out at the telescopes of 6-m of the Special Astrophysical Observatory (Russia), 2.6-m of the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (Armenia) and 2-m of the Tautenburg Observatory (Germany) is presented.

Observations were made in 1979, 1986, 1988-1991 and 2007-2009 during a total of 33 nights with an average sampling rate of 4 spectra per night. TV-scanner and long-slit spectrographs equipped with Image Tube and CCD detector arrays were used. Altogether we analyzed 110 Hβ and 58 Hα region spectra to search for intranight variability in the broad hydrogen emission line profiles. The typical spectral resolutions were 4 Å for scanner spectra, 6 Å for photographic spectra, and 5 Å and 10 Å for CCD spectra. The S/N ratio at the continuum level near the Hβ and Hα lines was in the range 15–50.

The purpose of the search was to look for the characteristic variability signatures of different kinematical models of the broad emission-line region. We considered the centering and guiding errors which can result in differences between spectra.

We found variations in the broad Balmer line difference profiles on time scale of hour with the level of significance of 3.6 σ to 5.0 σ. Variations take the form of narrow, small bumps located at the blue and red sides or only at the blue side of the lines. In the intermediate level of broad line flux, the Hβ and Hα profiles show fine structure. Detected profile changes occurred at the same radial velocity shifts as the details in the fine structure.

The variability is at least 2 orders of magnitude more rapid than any observed for broad Balmer line profiles in AGNs that we are aware of in the literature.

Discovered extremely rapid line-profile variability may be associated with reverberation effects. Two-sided profile changes may indicate the response of circularly rotating hydrogen clouds in the BLR to a light pulse from a central source. One-sided profile variations may be attributed to a response of a non-disk component: the subarcsec scale region of the jet.

Preliminary results on the analysis of the Kepler light curve and photometric ground-based time series of γ Dor star KIC 6462033 (TYC 3144-646-1, V = 10.83, P = 0.69686 d) are presented in order to determine pulsation frequencies.

We present an update of the monitoring campaign we have undertaken to probe the most massive black holes in powerful quasars at high redshift through the reverberation mapping technique. Once this campaign has finished, we will be able to directly measure broad line region (BLR) sizes of quasars at z ~ 2−3, improving dramatically the BLR size-luminosity relation, and therefore, black hole mass estimates based on this relationship. So far, we have identified a dozen highly variable sources suitable for future cross-correlation analysis and reverberation measurements.

PDM13 is a new graphic interface program dedicated to frequency domain analysis based on the Phase Dispersion Minimization technique (PDM, Stellingwerf 2012). In this paper, we will present the different algorithms running in PDM13, including the Auto-Segmentation, the Gauss-Newton and the PDM algorithms. More details on this triptych are available in our recent paper (Zalian et al., submitted). Their aim is to offer a simple and powerful way to extract frequency. Amongst the numerous improvements offered by the program, we will particularly focus on the reduction of aliases and the ability to look directly for multiple-period phenomena and the Blazhko effect. After that, we will show the first results from PDM13 using the Antarctica photometric survey.

Observations of Mrk 171, aimed at conduction of panoramic spectroscopy, were undertaken with the Byurakan 2.6-m telescope using spectrograph “VAGR”. Within the two components of the galaxy, Mrk171W and Mrk171E, there were differentiated eight condensations of starforming activiity, i.e. HII-regions, and no sign of AGN activity was revealed inspite of existing suggestions.

We evaluate the synchrotron spectrum of Mrk 501 based on our filamentary jet model. Integrating the contribution from the magnetic fields induced by numerous current filaments with various transverse sizes, we reproduce the observed hardening of the spectrum around X-rays. It is found that the spectral change during 1997-1998 can be explained by the evolution of turbulence. We also propose that the observed dip around 80 keV is attributed to bound-free absorption by Fe atoms, which implies the abundance of heavy nuclei at the tip of the jet.

The Micro-arcsecond Scintillation-Induced Variability (MASIV) Survey and its follow-up observations have provided large datasets of AGN intra-day variability (IDV) at radio wavelengths. These data have shown that IDV arises mainly from scintillation caused by scattering in the ionized interstellar medium (ISM) of our Galaxy, based on correlation with Galactic latitudes and line-of-sight Galactic electron column densities. The sensitivity of interstellar scintillation (ISS) towards source angular sizes has provided a new tool for studying the most compact components of radio-loud AGNs at microarcsecond (μas) scale resolution - much higher than any ground-based radio interferometer. We present here key results from the MASIV Survey and its follow-up observations, and point to relevant papers where these results have been published.

The physical properties and dynamical behavior of Broad Absorption Line (BAL) outflows are crucial themes in understanding the connections between galactic centers and their hosts. FeLoBALs (identified with the presence of low-ionization Fe II BALs) are a peculiar class of quasar outflows that constitute ~ 1% of the BAL population. With their large column densities and apparent outflow kinetic luminosities, FeLoBALs appear to be exceptionally powerful and are strong candidates for feedback in galaxy evolution. We conducted variability studies of 12 FeLoBAL quasars with emission redshifts 0.69 ≤ z ≤ 1.93, spanning both weekly and multi-year timescales in the quasar's rest frame. We detected absorption-line variability from low-ionization species (Fe II, Mg II) in four of our objects, with which we established a representative upper limit for the distance of the absorber from the supermassive black hole (SMBH) to be ~20 parsecs. Our goals are to understand the mechanisms producing the variability (e.g. ionization changes or gas traversing our line of sight) and place new constraints on the locations, structure, and kinetic energies of the outflows.

Key questions, which arise when one tries to clear up a problem of formation and evolution of galaxies, is the question of energy: what is the energetic budget of AGN owing to form galaxies and provide its subsequent development? Hence, for understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies, it is important to estimate the energetic budget of AGN which we try to do involving radio loud phase of nuclear activity.

eROSITA (extended Röntgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) is the core instrument on the Russian Spektrum-Röntgen-Gamma (SRG) mission which is current scheduled for launch in Q4 2014. eROSITA will perform a deep survey of the entire X-ray sky. In the soft band (0.5–2 keV), it will be about 30 times more sensitive than ROSAT, while in the hard band (2–8 keV) it will provide the first ever true imaging survey of the sky. The design driving science is the detection of large samples of galaxy clusters up to redshifts z ~ 1, in order to study the large scale structure in the Universe and test cosmological models including Dark Energy. In addition, eROSITA is expected to yield a sample of about 3 million active galactic nuclei, which is bound to revolutionize our view of the evolution of supermassive black holes and their impact on the process of structure formation in the Universe. The survey will also provide new insights into a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, including isolated Neutron Stars and Black Holes, X-ray binaries, active stars and diffuse emission within the Galaxy, as well as more exotic ones such as gamma-ray bursts, tidal disruption of stars in galactic nuclei and binary black holes. In this talk I presented the main characteristics of the mission and focus on the scientific drivers for extragalactic all-sky surveys of AGN. All what was presented at the Symposium (plots, simulations, expected numbers of various kind of sources –QSO, obscured and CT AGN– their properties and evolution with redshift) can be found in the official eROSITA Science Book (Merloni et al., 2012).

The four-year X-ray all-sky survey (eRASS) of the eROSITA telescope aboard the Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma satellite will detect ~ 3 million active galactic nuclei (AGN) with a median redshift of z≈1. We show that this unprecedented AGN sample, complemented with redshift information, will supply us with outstanding opportunities for large-scale structure research. For the first time with a sample of X-ray selected AGN, it will become possible to perform detailed redshift- and luminosity-resolved studies of the linear bias factor, and to convincingly detected baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAOs). To exploit the full potential of the eRASS AGN sample, photometric and spectroscopic surveys of large areas and a sufficient depth will be needed.

This conference on “Multi-wavelength AGN Surveys and Studies” has provided a detailed look at the explosive growth over the past decade, of available astronomical data from a growing list of large scale sky surveys, from radio-to-gamma rays. We are entering an era were multi-epoch (months to weeks) surveys of the entire sky, and near-instantaneous follow-up observations of variable sources, are elevating time-domain astronomy to where it is becoming a major contributor to our understanding of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). While we can marvel at the range of extragalactic phenomena dispayed by sources discovered in the original “Markarian Survey” – the first large-scale objective prism survey of the Northern Sky carried out at the Byurakan Astronomical Observtory almost a half-century ago – it is clear from the talks and posters presented at this meeting that the data to be be obtained over the next decade will be needed if we are to finally understand which phase of galaxy evolution each Markarian Galaxy represents.