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Optical variability structure function of low-luminosity AGNs using ATLAS light curves
Tan, Ashley Hai Tung et al., 2026, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 549, stag1052 | View on ADS (2026MNRAS.549g1052T)
Abstract
The origin of the optical flux variability in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is largely unknown. Previous studies have correlated features of the variability structure function (SF) with AGN properties, though they mostly involved high-luminosity AGNs to avoid biases from host galaxy flux. In this work, we characterize optical variability in a sample of 246 low-luminosity AGNs at $z \lt 0.1$ from the Six-degree Field Galaxy Survey through the ensemble variability SF. We use light curves from the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System with a cadence of $\sim$2 d over 8 yr, and perform host─AGN decomposition on recent spectra to obtain the host fraction. We find that the slope of the SF depends on black hole mass, increasing from $\sim 0.1$ at $\log M_{\mathrm{BH}}/M_\odot \sim 6.5$ to $\sim 0.3$ at $\log M_{\mathrm{BH}}/M_\odot \sim 8$. Contrary to some earlier work, we do not find breaks in the SF, and two-epoch spectra taken $\sim$20 yr apart suggest that the SF keeps rising into decadal time-scales. In addition, we measure an anticorrelation of the amplitude with the luminosity and a positive correlation with the black hole mass. The variability behaviour also suggests that extinction is not the main driver of the variety in Seyfert subtypes.
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Correct as at 17 Aug, 2026
