X-Ray Variability and the Inner Region in Active Galactic Nuclei

TL;DR

This paper models X-ray variability in active galactic nuclei, linking observed features to accretion disk properties, and analyzes light curves to infer black hole characteristics and disk structure.

Contribution

It introduces theoretical models connecting X-ray variability signatures with accretion disk parameters and applies time series analysis to AGN data to estimate black hole and disk properties.

Findings

Significant bend frequency detected in 16% of AGN light curves.

Inferred black hole masses and spins consistent with theoretical models.

QPO analysis suggests the presence of thin accretion disks in AGNs.

Abstract

We present theoretical models of X-ray variability attributable to orbital signatures from an accretion disk including emission region size, quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) and its quality factor $Q$, and the emergence of a break frequency in the power spectral density shape. We find a fractional variability amplitude of $F_{var}\propto M^{-0.4}_{\bullet}$. We conduct a time series analysis on X-ray light curves ($0.3-10$ keV) of a sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). A statistically significant bend frequency is inferred in 9 of 58 light curves (16 %) from 3 AGNs for which the break timescale is consistent with the reported BH spin but not with the reported BH mass. Upper limits of $2.85 \times 10^7 M_\odot$ in NGC 4051, $8.02 \times 10^7 M_\odot$ in MRK 766 and $4.68 \times 10^7 M_\odot$ in MCG-6-30-15 are inferred for maximally spinning BHs. For REJ 1034+396, where a QPO at 3733 s was reported, we obtain an emission region size of $(6 - 6.5) M$ and a BH spin $a\lesssim$ 0.08. The relativistic inner region of a thin disk, dominated by radiation pressure and electron scattering is likely to host the orbital features as the simulated $Q$ ranges from $6.3 \times 10^{-2}$ to $4.25 \times 10^6$, containing the observed $Q$. The derived value of $Q \sim$ 32 for REJ 1034+396 therefore suggests that the AGN hosts a thin disk.