Name of the Speaker(s): Gustavo E. Romero
Institution: Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomia
Title of the communication: Rapid Variability Observations of Southern Extragalactic Radio Sources from Argentina: Review and Prospects
Preliminary abstract (12 lines max.): A brief review of the main results obtained with the 30-m single dish IAR telescope in the search for rapid radio variability of southern blazars is presented. The temporal resolution of the observations ranges from a few hours to weeks. Along several observational campaigns very peculiar behaviours have been detected in sources like PKS 0521-365, PKS 0537-441, PKS 2155-152, and many others. Possible interpretations are briefly discussed, including both intrinsic models and propagation effects along the radiation path (gravitational microlensing and refractive interestellar scintillation). Prospects for future researh of southern blazars are also discussed.