Hard X-ray flux variations in AGN from NuSTAR

TL;DR

This study analyzes hour-scale X-ray flux variability in active galactic nuclei using NuSTAR data, revealing differences among AGN types and energy bands, with BL Lacs being most variable.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of X-ray variability across different AGN classes and energy bands using NuSTAR observations.

Findings

BL Lacs are more variable than quasars and Seyferts.

Seyfert 2s show more variability than Seyfert 1s.

Radio-loud quasars vary more in the hard band.

Abstract

We present here our results on the hour like time scale X-ray flux variations in a sample of active galactic nuclei using data from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). We find that in the 3-79 keV band, BL Lacs are more variable than flat spectrum radio quasars and Seyfert galaxies. Among Seyferts, Seyfert 2s are more variable than Seyfert 1s. Also, radio-loud quasars are more variable in the hard (10-79 keV) band than the soft (3-10 keV) band while, Seyfert galaxies tend to show more variations in the soft band relative to the hard band.