The optical variability of SDSS quasars from multi-epoch spectroscopy: I. Results from 60 quasars with $\geq$ six-epoch spectra

TL;DR

This study analyzes multi-epoch spectroscopic data of 60 SDSS quasars, revealing correlations between emission line and continuum variability, trends in color changes, and confirming the Baldwin effect, with insights into the underlying physical mechanisms.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of emission line and continuum variability in quasars with multiple spectroscopic epochs, highlighting new correlations and trends not extensively documented before.

Findings

Strong anti-correlation between variability and continuum luminosity.

Half of the quasars show bluer-when-brighter trend, half show redder-when-brighter.

Confirmation of the Baldwin effect and its variations across the sample.

Abstract

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 variability and continuum luminosity at 2500 {\AA} is found for the sample, which is consistent with previous works. In individual sources, we find that half of the sample objects have a trend of being bluer-when-brighter trend (BWB), while the remaining half exhibit redder-when-brighter trend (RWB). Although the mechanism for RWB is unclear, the effects of host galaxy contribution due to seeing variations can not be completely ruled out. As expected from photoionization model, the positive correlations between the broad emission line and continuum luminosity are found in most individual sources, as well as for the whole sample. We confirm the Baldwin effect in most individual objects and the whole sample, while a negative Baldwin effect is also found in several quasars, which can be at least partly (if not all) due to the host galaxy contamination. We find positive correlations between the broad emission line luminosity and line width in most individual quasars, as well as the whole sample, implying a more variable line base than the line core.