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Related papers: Periodic optical variability of AGN

200 papers

Continuum and emission-line variability of active galactic nuclei provides a powerful probe of microarcsecond scale structures in the central regions of these sources. In this contribution, we review basic concepts and methodologies used in…

Astrophysics · Physics 2016-11-03 Bradley M. Peterson

The photometric light curve of PG1302-102 shows periodic variability which makes this object one of the most plausible supermassive black hole binary candidate. Interestingly, the most recent study of its updated optical light curve reports…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2019-01-30 Andjelka B. Kovacevic , Luka C. Popovic , Sasa Simic , Dragana Ilic

X-ray transience is the most extreme form of variability observed in AGN or normal in-active galaxies. While factors of 2-3 on timescales of days to years are quite commen among AGN, X-ray transients appear only once and vanish from the…

Astrophysics · Physics 2007-05-23 D. Grupe

The variability of submillimeter emission provides a useful tool to probe the accretion physics in low-luminosity active galactic nuclei. We accumulate four years of observations using Submillimeter Array for Centaurus A, NGC 4374, NGC…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2023-07-12 Bo-Yan Chen , Geoffrey C. Bower , Jason Dexter , Sera Markoff , Anthony Ridenour , Mark A. Gurwell , Ramprasad Rao , Sofia H. J. Wallström

We investigate the relationship among the jet magnetic field, black hole spin, black hole mass, Eddington ratio, and optical variability timescales in jetted active galactic nuclei (AGNs). By fitting a damped random walk (DRW) model to the…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2025-10-27 Yongyun Chen , Qiusheng Gu , Junhui Fan , Dingrong Xiong , Xiaoling Yu , Xiaotong Guo , Nan Ding , Ting-Feng Yi

AGNs with narrow Balmer lines show various extreme properties. In particular, rapid X-ray variability, steep X-ray spectra, peculiar optical and UV line ratios, and possibly peculiar line profiles. Since all these phenomena occur together…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-10-31 Ari Laor

Compact relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei offer an effective tool for investigating the physics of nuclear regions in galaxies. The emission properties, dynamics, and evolution of jets in AGN are closely connected to the…

Astrophysics · Physics 2008-11-26 Andrei Lobanov

The origin of the optical flux variability in active galactic nuclei (AGN) is largely unknown. Previous studies have correlated features of the variability structure function (SF) with AGN properties, though they mostly involved…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2026-05-06 Ashley Hai Tung Tan , Christian Wolf , Neelesh Amrutha , Christopher A. Onken , John L. Tonry , Rachel Webster

Fourier power spectra and phases of a signal from a large number of radiating sources orbiting around a black hole are investigated. It is assumed that the individual sources (bright spots) are located in an accretion disc and their…

Astrophysics · Physics 2015-06-24 V. Karas

We present a model that explains some extreme variability phenomena observed in active galactic nuclei (AGN). In this model, an orbiting companion interacts with the accretion disk surrounding the central supermassive black hole (SMBH).…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2025-06-26 Sierra A. Dodd , Xiaoshan Huang , Shane W. Davis , Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz

Several AGN and black hole X-ray binaries show a clear very broad iron line which is strong evidence that the black holes are rapidly spinning. Detailed analysis of these objects shows that the emission line is not significantly affected by…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-09-17 A. C. Fabian

Quasars have long been known to be variable sources at all wavelengths. Their optical variability is stochastic, can be due to a variety of physical mechanisms, and is well-described statistically in terms of a damped random walk model. The…

Multi-wavelength observations of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) often reveal various time scales of variability. Among these phenomena, "changing-look AGNs" are extreme cases where broad emission lines become faint/bright or even…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2023-09-25 Keiichi Wada , Yuki Kudoh , Tohru Nagao

We measure the optical variability in $\sim$ 16500 low-redshift (z $\sim$ 0.1) galaxies to map the relations between AGN activity and galaxy stellar mass, specific star-formation rate, half-light radius and bulge-to-total ratio. To do this,…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2022-08-17 Cressida Cleland , Sean L. McGee

Since their discovery more than 60 years ago, accreting supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGN) were recognized as highly variable sources, requiring an extremely compact, dynamic environment. Their variability traces to…

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) sources feature supermassive black holes that launch relativistic plasma jets. They are key $\gamma$-ray sources providing a unique laboratory for studying extreme particle acceleration and plasma physics.…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2026-02-03 Luana Passos-Reis , Elisabete M. de Gouveia Dal Pino , Tarek Hassan , Santiago Pita , Alberto Domínguez

We present a framework to link and describe AGN variability on a wide range of timescales, from days to billions of years. In particular, we concentrate on the AGN variability features related to changes in black hole fuelling and accretion…

During the last decade, wide-angle powerful outflows from AGN, both on parsec and kpc scales, have been detected in many galaxies. These outflows are widely suspected to be responsible for sweeping galaxies clear of their gas. We present…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2012-01-18 Kastytis Zubovas , Andrew King

The idea that the radio jets in AGN contain material in relativistic motion is supported by many lines of observational evidence, including morphology, brightness temperature estimated with interferometers and with intrinsic variations,…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-10 M. H. Cohen , M. L. Lister , R. C. Vermeulen

The continuum variability of optically selected Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is found to be consistent with that expected from a simple Poissonian process, in which the total luminosity of an object is produced by the multiple superposition…

Astrophysics · Physics 2007-05-23 Itziar Aretxaga