Journal ArticleQuasi-simultaneous Optical Flux and Polarization Variability of the Binary Super Massive Black Hole Blazar OJ 287 from 2015 to 2023: Detection of an Anticorrelation in Flux and Polarization VariabilityGupta, Alok C; Kushwaha, Pankaj; Valtonen, Mauri J; Savchenko, Sergey S; Jorstad, Svetlana G; Imazawa, Ryo; Wiita, Paul J; Gu, Minfeng; Marscher, Alan P; Zhang, Zhongli; Bachev, Rumen; Borman, G A; Gaur, Haritma; Grishina, T S; Hagen-Thorn, V A; Kopatskaya, E N; Larionov, V M; Larionova, E G; Larionova, L V; Morozova, D A; Nakaoka, T; Strigachev, A; Troitskaya, Yulia V; Troitsky, I S; Uemura, M; Vasilyev, A A; Weaver, Z R; Zhovtan, A V<title>Abstract</title> <p>We study the optical flux and polarization variability of the binary black hole blazar OJ 287 using quasi-simultaneous observations from 2015 to 2023 carried out using telescopes in the USA, Japan, Russia, Crimea, and Bulgaria. This is one of the most extensive quasi-simultaneous optical flux and polarization variability studies of OJ 287. OJ 287 showed large amplitude, ∼3.0 mag flux variability, large changes of ∼37% in degree of polarization, and a large swing of ∼215° in the angle of the electric vector of polarization. During the period of observation, several flares in flux were detected. Those flares are correlated with a rapid increase in the degree of polarization and swings in electric vector of polarization angle. A peculiar behavior of anticorrelation between flux and polarization degree, accompanied by a nearly constant polarization angle, was detected from JD 2,458,156 to JD 2,458,292. We briefly discuss some explanations for the flux and polarization variations observed in OJ 287.</p>American Astronomical Society2023-10-3010519605The Astrophysical Journal Letters9571L112041-8205https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acfd2e2108622National Science Foundation