Application of Stochastic Modeling to Analysis of Photometric
  Reverberation Mapping Data
  We use both simulated and real quasar light curves to explore modeling
photometric reverberation-mapping (RM) data as a stochastic process. We do this
using modifications to our previously developed RM method based on modeling
quasar variability as a damped random walk. We consider the feasibility of one
and two-band photometric RM and compare the results with those fr om
spectroscopic RM. We find that our method for two-band photometric RM can be
competitive with spectroscopic RM only for strong (large equivalent width)
lines like Halpha and Hbeta, and that the one-band method is also feasible, but
requires very high-precision photometry. We fail to robustly detect Halpha lags
in single-band quasar light curves from OGLE-III and IV despite the outstanding
cadence and time span of the data, on account of photometric uncertainties in
the range 0.02-0.04 mag. Simulations suggest that success could be achieved if
the photometric uncertainties were of order 0.01 mag. Single-band RM for all
lines and two-band RM for lower equivalent width lines are likely only feasible
for statistical estimate s of mean lags for large samples of AGN of similar
properties (e.g., luminosity) rather than for individual quasars. Our approach
is directly applicable to the time-domain programs within ongoing and future
wide-field imaging surveys, and could provide robust lag measurements for an
unprecedented number of systems.
