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Related papers: Variability in active galactic nuclei: confrontati…

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The detection of new clusters of galaxies or the study of known clusters of galaxies in X-rays can be complicated by the presence of X-ray point sources, the majority of which will be active galactic nuclei (AGN). This can be addressed by…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2019-06-26 Ben J. Maughan , Thomas H. Reiprich

Graham et al. found a sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and quasars from the Catalina Real-time Transient Survey (CRTS) that have long-term periodic variations in optical continuum, the nature of the periodicity remains uncertain. We…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2016-04-20 Kai-Xing Lu , Yan-Rong Li , Shao-Lan Bi , Jian-Min Wang

We present the results of a study of different statistical methods currently used in the literature to analyse the (micro)variability of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from ground-based optical observations. In particular, we focus on the…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2017-02-16 L. Zibecchi , I. Andruchow , S. A. Cellone , D. D. Carpintero , G. E. Romero , J. A. Combi

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are highly energetic astrophysical sources powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes in galaxies, which present unique observational signatures covering the full electromagnetic spectrum (and more) over…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2023-04-05 Stefano Bianchi , Vincenzo Mainieri , Paolo Padovani

X-ray observations of active galactic nuclei (AGN) show variability on timescales ranging from a few hours up to a few days. Some of this variability may be associated with occultation events by clouds in the broad line region. In this…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2018-08-08 E. S. Kammoun , F. Marin , M. Dovciak , E. Nardini , G. Risaliti , M. Sanfrutos

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are variable on a wide range of timescales, though relatively few systematic variability surveys have been conducted. Previous broad-band (both spectral and temporal) variability surveys of AGN are limited in…

Astrophysics · Physics 2007-05-23 Jonathan E. Grindlay

We study the optical variability characteristics of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) from the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) AGN catalogue by utilising approximately five years of optical light curves from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF)…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2025-08-12 Vivek Kumar Jha , Debbijoy Bhattacharya , Hum Chand

We analyze the X-ray properties for a sample of 23 high probability AGN candidates with ultraviolet variability identified in Wasleske et al. (2022). Using data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the XMM-Newton Observatory, we find…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2024-05-31 Erik J. Wasleske , Vivienne F. Baldassare

In this paper we give a brief review of the astrophysics of active galactic nuclei (AGN). After a general introduction motivating the study of AGNs, we discuss our present understanding of the inner workings of the central engines, most…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2013-01-18 Henric Krawczynski , Ezequiel Treister

We examine all possible stationary, optically thick, geometrically thin accretion disc models relevant for active galactic nuclei (AGN) and identify the physical regimes in which they are stable against the thermal-viscous hydrogen…

Astrophysics · Physics 2015-06-24 L. Burderi , A. R. King , E. Szuszkiewicz

The dependence of the long-term optical/UV variability on the spectral and the fundamental physical parameters for radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is investigated. The multi-epoch repeated photometric scanning data in the…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2015-05-18 Y. L. Ai , W. Yuan , H. Y. Zhou , T. G. Wang , X. -B. Dong , J. G. Wang , H. L. Lu

We analyse the ultraviolet variability time scales in a sample of 15 Type 1 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) observed by IUE. Using a structure function analysis, we demonstrate the existence in most objects of a maximum variability time scale…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-11 P. Favre , T. J. -L. Courvoisier , S. Paltani

Literature on optical and infrared microvariability in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) reflects a diversity of statistical tests and strategies to detect tiny variations in the lightcurves of these sources. Comparison between the results…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2020-04-08 Jose A. de Diego

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) have been observed to vary stochastically with 10-20 rms amplitudes over a range of optical wavelengths where the emission arises in an accretion disk. Since the accretion disk is unlikely to vary coherently,…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2011-01-04 Jason Dexter , Eric Agol

Accreting supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies are the engine of active galactic nuclei (AGN). X-ray light curves of unabsorbed AGN show dramatic random variability on timescales ranging from seconds to years. The power…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2025-10-29 Mehdy Lefkir , Simon Vaughan , Mike Goad , Daniela Huppenkothen , Phil Uttley

The variability of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is ubiquitous but has not yet been understood. Measuring the optical variation properties of AGNs, such as variation timescale and amplitude, and then correlating them with their fundamental…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2024-01-11 Xu-Fan Hu , Zhen-Yi Cai , Jun-Xian Wang

Variability in the X-rays is a key ingredient in understanding and unveiling active galactic nuclei (AGN) properties. In this band flux variations occur on short time scales (hours) as well as on larger times scales. While short time scale…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2017-03-08 R. Middei , F. Vagnetti , S. Bianchi , F. La Franca , M. Paolillo , F. Ursini

A long-standing question is whether active galactic nuclei (AGN) vary like Galactic black hole systems when appropriately scaled up by mass (refs 1-3). If so, we can then determine how AGN should behave on cosmological timescales by…

Astrophysics · Physics 2011-05-05 I M McHardy , E Koerding , C Knigge , P Uttley , R P Fender

The consistency of the Starburst model for AGN is tested using the optical variability observed in large data bases of QSOs. Theoretical predictions for the variability--luminosity relationship and structure function are presented and…

Astrophysics · Physics 2015-06-24 Itziar Aretxaga , R. Cid Fernandes , R. J. Terlevich

Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are axisymmetric systems to first order; their observed properties are likely strong functions of inclination with respect to our line of sight, yet the specific inclinations of all but a few AGN are generally…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2015-06-18 T. C. Fischer , D. M. Crenshaw , S. B. Kraemer , H. R. Schmitt , T. J. Turner