Constraints on accretion disk size in the massive type 1 quasar PG 2308+098 from optical continuum reverberation lags

TL;DR

This study measures optical continuum reverberation lags in the quasar PG 2308+098, constraining its accretion disk size and revealing discrepancies with standard disk theory, implying limitations of current models.

Contribution

First measurement of wavelength-dependent reverberation lags in PG 2308+098, providing empirical disk size constraints and challenging standard accretion disk models.

Findings

Disk size is slightly larger than theoretical predictions.

Measured disk sizes are consistent with previous AGN studies.

The black hole mass dependence of disk size is weaker than expected.

Abstract

Two years' worth of u-, g-, r-, i-, and z-band optical light curves were obtained for the massive type 1 quasar PG 2308+098 at z=0.433 using the 1.05-m Kiso Schmidt telescope/Kiso Wide Field Camera, and inter-band time lags of the light curves were measured. Wavelength-dependent continuum reverberation lag signals of several tens of days relative to the u-band were detected at g-, r-, i-, and z-bands, where the longer wavelength bands showed larger lags. From the wavelength-dependent lags, and assuming the standard disk temperature radial profile $T \propto R_{\rm disk}^{-3/4}$ and an X-ray/far-ultraviolet reprocessing picture, a constraint on the radius of the accretion disk responsible for the rest-frame 2500 \AA\ disk continuum emission was derived as $R_{\rm disk} = 9.46^{+0.29}_{-3.12}$ light-days. The derived disk size is slightly (1.2-1.8 times) larger than the theoretical disk size of $R_{\rm disk} = 5.46$ light-days predicted from the black hole mass ($M_{\rm BH}$) and Eddington ratio estimates of PG 2308+098. This result is roughly in accordance with previous studies of lower mass active galactic nuclei (AGNs), where measured disk sizes have been found to be larger than the standard disk model predictions by a factor of $\sim 3$; however, the disk size discrepancy is more modest in PG 2308+098. By compiling literature values of the disk size constraints from continuum reverberation and gravitational microlensing observations for AGNs/quasars, we show that the $M_{\rm BH}$ dependence of $R_{\rm disk}$ is weaker than that expected from the standard disk model. These observations suggest that the standard Shakura-Sunyaev accretion disk theory has limitations in describing AGN/quasar accretion disks.