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Related papers: Optical and X-ray Variability of AGNs

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The general picture of how thermal AGNs work has become clearer in recent years but major observational puzzles threaten to undermine this picture. These puzzles include AGNs with extremely asymmetric emission line profiles, inconsistent…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2018-03-14 C. Martin Gaskell

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

The reprocessing scenario is widely adopted in literature to explain the observed tight inter-band correlation and short lags in the UV/optical variations of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In this work we look into the color variability of…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2018-06-27 Fei-Fan Zhu , Jun-Xian Wang , Zhen-Yi Cai , Yu-Han Sun , Mou-Yuan Sun , Ji-XIan Zhang

We investigate the X-ray variability characteristics of hard X-ray selected AGNs (based on Swift/BAT data) in the soft X-ray band using the RXTE/ASM data. The uncertainties involved in the individual dwell measurements of ASM are critically…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2011-02-11 V. R. Chitnis , J. K. Pendharkar , D. Bose , V. K. Agrawal , A. R. Rao , R. Misra

As a class, LINERs and Low-Luminosity AGN tend to show little or no significant short-term variability (i.e., with time-scales less than a day). This is a marked break for the trend of increased variability in Seyfert 1 galaxies with…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-10-30 A. Ptak , T. Yaqoob , R. Mushotzky , P. Serlemitsos , R. Griffiths

Most of the variability studies of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are based on ensemble analyses. Nevertheless, it is interesting to provide estimates of the individual variability properties of each AGN, in order to relate them with…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2020-11-17 M. Laurenti , F. Vagnetti , R. Middei , M. Paolillo

Over the last years, a number of broadband reverberation mapping campaigns have been conducted to explore the short-term UV and optical variability of nearby AGN. Despite the extensive data collected, the origin of the observed variability…

We combine the long-term optical light curve of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC5548 with the X-ray light curve measured by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer over 6 years, to determine the relationship between the optical and X-ray continua. The…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-07 Phil Uttley , Rick Edelson , Ian McHardy , Bradley M. Peterson , Alex Markowitz

We present new evidence of X-ray absorption variability on time scales from a few hours to a few days for several nearby bright AGNs. The observed N_H variations imply that the X-ray absorber is made of clouds eclipsing the X-ray source…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2015-05-14 Guido Risaliti

The observed relation between the soft X-ray and the optical-ultraviolet emission in active galactic nuclei (AGN) is non-linear and it is usually parametrized as a dependence between the logarithm of the monochromatic luminosity at 2500…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2016-03-23 E. Lusso , G. Risaliti

We present the results from the spectral analysis of more than 7,500 RXTE spectra of 10 AGN, which have been observed by RXTE regularly over a long period of time ~ 7-11 years. These observations most probably sample most of the flux and…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2010-11-02 M. A. Sobolewska , I. E. Papadakis

X-ray variability is very common in active galactic nuclei (AGN), but these variations may not occur similarly in different families of AGN. We aim to disentangle the structure of low ionization nuclear emission line regions (LINERs)…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2016-06-15 Lorena Hernandez-Garcia , Josefa Masegosa , Omaira Gonzalez-Martin , Isabel Marquez , Jaime Perea

Several active galactic nuclei show correlated variations in the ultraviolet/optical range, with time delays increasing at longer wavelengths. Thermal reprocessing of the X-rays illuminating the accretion disk has been proposed as a viable…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2021-01-27 E. S. Kammoun , M. Dovciak , I. E. Papadakis , M. D. Caballero-Garcia , V. Karas

We present an X-ray analysis of fourteen nearby (z < 0.044) AGN in low mass galaxies (M_* <= 5*10^9 Msun) selected based on their optical variability (Baldassare et al. 2020). Comparing and contrasting different AGN selection techniques in…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2023-08-09 Alexander Messick , Vivienne Baldassare , Marla Geha , Jenny Greene

Critical progress in our understanding of high energy emission from AGN has been determined in the last 10 years by X-ray monitoring campaigns with many space missions, notably ROSAT, ASCA, RXTE, BeppoSAX, and XMM, often in conjunction with…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-07 Elena Pian

The UV/optical variability of AGN has long been thought to be driven by the X-ray illumination of the accretion disk. However, recent multi-wavelength campaigns of nearby Seyfert galaxies seem to challenge this paradigm, with an apparent…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2022-08-31 Christos Panagiotou , Iossif Papadakis , Erin Kara , Elias Kammoun , Michal Dovčiak

Aims: Active Galactic Nuclei are known to be variable throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. An energy domain poorly studied in this respect is the hard X-ray range above 20 keV. Methods: The first 9 months of the Swift/BAT all-sky survey…

We investigate the properties of a variability-selected complete sample of AGN in order to identify the mechanisms which cause large amplitude X-ray variability on time scales of years. A complete sample of 24 sources was constructed, from…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2016-08-09 N. L. Strotjohann , R. D. Saxton , R. L. C. Starling , P. Esquej , A. M. Read , P. A. Evans , G. Miniutti

The accretion flow in AGN is not well understood, motivating intensive monitoring campaigns of multiwavelength variability to probe its structure. One of the best of these is the 3 year optical/UV/X-ray approximately daily monitoring…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2025-11-05 Scott Hagen , Chris Done , Edward M. Cackett , Ethan R. Partington , Rick Edelson , Collin Lewin , Erin Kara , Jonathan Gelbord

The origin of short timescale (weeks/months) variability of AGN, whether due to intrinsic disc variations or reprocessing of X-ray emission by a surrounding accretion disc, has been a puzzle for many years. However recently a number of…