Related papers: The relation between quasars' optical spectra and …
For 15 bright (V<17.5), high redshift (z>3) quasars, we have obtained IR spectra and photometry, and optical spectrophotometry and photometry, which we use to construct their rest-frame 1285-5100 AA spectral energy distributions (SEDs).…
Quasars are among the most luminous sources characterized by their broad band spectra ranging from radio through optical to X-ray band, with numerous emission and absorption features. Using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Boroson &…
We present an investigation of the interdependence of the optical-to-X-ray spectral slope ($\alpha_{\rm ox}$), the HeII equivalent-width (EW), and the monochromatic luminosity at 2500 Angstroms ($L_{2500}$). The values of $\alpha_{\rm ox}$…
Quasars are rapidly accreting supermassive black holes at the center of massive galaxies. They display a broad range of properties across all wavelengths, reflecting the diversity in the physical conditions of the regions close to the…
In the context of AGN unification scheme rapid variability properties play an important role in understanding any intrinsic differences between sources in different classes. In this respect any clue based on spectral properties will be very…
We present new Gemini/GMOS optical spectroscopy of 16 extreme variability quasars (EVQs) that dimmed by more than 1.5 mag in the $g$ band between the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Dark Energy Survey (DES) epochs (separated by a…
We study the optical light curves - primarily probing the variable emission from the accretion disk - of ~ 900 extreme variability quasars (EVQs, with maximum flux variations more than 1 mag) over an observed-frame baseline of ~ 16 years…
Context. X-ray spectral variability analyses of active galactic nuclei (AGN) with moderate luminosities and redshifts typically show a softer when brighter behaviour. Such a trend has rarely been investigated for high-luminosity AGNs ($…
Changing-look quasars exhibit dramatic variability in broad emission-line fluxes on short timescales. This behavior is challenging to many models of the quasar broad line region, due in large part to the short transition times between high…
In a sample of 60 quasars selected from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with at least six-epoch spectroscopy, we investigate the variability of emission lines and continuum luminosity at various aspects. A strong anti-correlation between…
The relation between quasar variability and parameters such as luminosity and redshift has been a matter of hot debate over the last few years with many papers on the subject. Any correlations which can be established will have a profound…
We present the results of a systematic search for quasars in the Catalina Real-time Transient Survey exhibiting both strong photometric and spectroscopic variability over a decadal baseline. We identify 73 sources with specific patterns of…
Recently some pessimism has been expressed about our lack of progress in understanding quasars over the 50+ year since their discovery. It is worthwhile to look back at some of the progress that has been made - but still lies under the…
Quasars are complex sources, characterized by broad band spectra from radio through optical to X-ray band, with numerous emission and absorption features. However, Boroson & Green (1992) used Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and with…
We explore the evolution of the time variability (in the optical $g$-band and on timescales of weeks to years) of SDSS Stripe 82 quasars along the quasar main sequence. A parent sample of $1004$ quasars within $0.5\leq z \leq 0.89$ are used…
Quasars are variable and their variability can both constrain their physical properties and help to identify them. We look for ways to efficiently identify quasars exhibiting consistent variability over multi-year time-scales, based on a…
Extremely variable quasars (EVQs) are a population of sources showing large optical photometric variability revealed by time-domain surveys. The physical origin of such extreme variability is yet unclear. In this first paper of a series, we…
[LaTeX removed] Recent work has shown that it is possible to systematize quasar spectral diversity in a parameter space called ``Eigenvector 1'' (E1). We present median AGN spectra for fixed regions of the E1 (optical) parameter space…
Eigenvector 1 (EV1) is the formal parameter which allows the introduction of some order in the properties of the unobscured type 1 active galaxies. We aim to understand the nature of this parameter by analyzing the most extreme examples of…
In previous studies we have shown that the optical variability of quasars increases, on average, with redshift. We explained this dependance in terms of a hardening of the spectrum during bright phases, coupled with the increase of the…