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.