A new timescale-mass scaling for the optical variation of active galactic nuclei across the intermediate-mass to supermassive scales

TL;DR

This study reveals new variability behaviors in intermediate-mass black hole AGNs and proposes a unified timescale-mass scaling relation across a broad range of black hole masses, challenging previous models.

Contribution

First detection of departures from the damped random walk process and timescale-dependent color variations in an intermediate-mass AGN, establishing a new scaling relation across mass scales.

Findings

Departure from DRW process at hours timescale in NGC 4395

Proposed timescale-mass relation with exponent ~0.6-0.8

Similar accretion processes across AGN mass scales

Abstract

Variability of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) has long been servicing as an essential avenue of exploring the accretion physics of black hole (BH). There are two commonly used methods for analyzing AGN variability. First, the AGN variability, characterized by the structure function (SF) of a single band, can be well described by a damped random walk (DRW) process on timescales longer than ~weeks, shorter than which departures have been reported. Second, the color variation (CV) between two bands behaves timescale-dependent, raising challenges to the widely accepted reprocessing scenario. However, both the departure from the DRW process and the timescale-dependent CV are hitherto limited to AGNs, mainly quasars, at the supermassive scale. Here, utilizing the high-cadence multi-wavelength monitoring on NGC 4395 harboring an intermediate-mass BH, we unveil at the intermediate-mass scale for the first time, prominent departures from the DRW process at timescales shorter than ~hours in all three nights and bands, and plausible timescale-dependent CVs in the two longest nights of observation. Furthermore, comparing SFs of NGC 4395 to four AGNs at the supermassive scale, we suggest a new scaling relation between the timescale (\uptau; across nearly three orders of magnitude) and the BH mass (M_BH): \uptau \propto M^\gamma_BH where the exponent \gamma is likely ~ 0.6 - 0.8. This exponent differs from most previous measurements, but confirms a few and is consistent with a recent theoretical prediction, suggesting a similar accretion process in AGNs across different mass scales.