We present results of a 3 year monitoring campaign of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Markarian 509, using X-ray data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and optical data taken by the SMARTS consortium. Both light curves show significant variations, and are strongly correlated with the optical flux leading the X-ray flux by 15 days. The X-ray power spectrum shows a steep high-frequency slope of -2.0, breaking to a slope of -1.0 at at timescale of 34 days. The lag from optical to X-ray emission is most likely caused by variations in the accretion disk propagating inward.
@article{arxiv.0711.1107,
title = {Correlated X-ray and Optical Variability in Mkn 509},
author = {Kevin Marshall and Wesley T. Ryle and H. Richard Miller},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0711.1107},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
13 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal