Multi-Wavelength Monitoring and Reverberation Mapping of a Changing Look Event in the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 3516

TL;DR

This study presents multi-wavelength monitoring of the changing look AGN NGC 3516, revealing variable emission line delays, spectral asymmetries, and X-ray/UV/optical flux correlations, indicating complex accretion and obscuration processes during a high activity state.

Contribution

First detailed multi-wavelength reverberation mapping of NGC 3516 during a changing look event, highlighting inflow signatures and variable obscuration effects.

Findings

Measured time delays in broad emission lines indicating inflow.

Detected asymmetric line profiles with blueshifted peaks during high state.

Observed decoupling of X-ray and UV/optical variations suggesting obscuration.

Abstract

We present the results of photometric and spectroscopic monitoring campaigns of the changing look AGN NGC 3516 carried out in 2018 to 2020 covering the wavelength range from the X-ray to the optical. The facilities included the telescopes of the CMO SAI MSU, the 2.3-m WIRO telescope, and the XRT and UVOT of Swift. We found that NGC 3516 brightened to a high state and could be classified as Sy1.5 during the late spring of 2020. We have measured time delays in the responses of the Balmer and He II 4686 lines to continuum variations. In the case of the best-characterized broad H-beta line, the delay to continuum variability is about 17 days in the blue wing and is clearly shorter, 9 days, in the red, which is suggestive of inflow. As the broad lines strengthened, the blue side came to dominate the Balmer lines, resulting in very asymmetric profiles with blueshifted peaks during this high state. During the outburst the X-ray flux reached its maximum on 1 April 2020 and it was the highest value ever observed for NGC 3516 by the Swift observatory. The X-ray hard photon index became softer, about 1.8 in the maximum on 21 Apr 2020 compared to the mean about 0.7 during earlier epochs before 2020. We have found that the UV and optical variations correlated well (with a small time delay of 1-2 days) with the X-ray until the beginning of April 2020, but later, until the end of Jun. 2020, these variations were not correlated. We suggest that this fact may be a consequence of partial obscuration by Compton-thick clouds crossing the line of sight.