Eric Linder edited Light curves.tex  over 10 years ago

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\section{Light Curves and Simulated Data} \label{sec:light_curves} The intensity pattern of a variable source over time is referred to as a light curve. For lensed images, each light curve follows the intrinsic variability of the quasar source, but with individual time delays. Only the relative time delays of each image relative to the others is measurable, since the unlensed quasar itself cannot be observed. Of course we do not actually measure a light curve, but rather discrete values of the intensity on different nights. The sampling of the light curve, the noise in the photometric measurement of the intensity, and external effects causing additional variations in the intensity are all complications in estimating the time delays.