Research on the central region of quasars based on variability and structure function

TL;DR

This study uses time-domain observations and structure function analysis of SDSS quasar data to explore how their variability relates to physical properties like luminosity and black hole mass, revealing key correlations.

Contribution

It introduces a method combining light curve analysis and structure functions to indirectly study quasar central regions, highlighting correlations with physical parameters.

Findings

Structure function parameters correlate with luminosity, black hole mass, and Eddington ratio.

Higher luminosity and black hole mass lead to larger structure functions.

Variability characteristics are mainly influenced by intrinsic properties, not redshift or wavelength.

Abstract

Quasars,asextremelyluminousanddistantspecialcelestialbodiesintheuniverse,aredrivenbyacomplexsystemcomposedof supermassiveblackholesandsurroundingaccretiondisks.Thispaperadoptsatime-domainobservationstrategyandcombines the analysis of light curves with the construction of structure functions to indirectly reveal the physical essence of the central regionofquasarsfromtheperspectiveofvariability.Theresearchdataarederivedfromthelargesampleobservationdataofthe SloanDigitalSkySurvey(SDSS).Throughextensivedatastatisticsandcorrelationanalysis,aseriesofimportantfindingshave been obtained: the characteristic parameters of the structure function of quasars show significant correlations with luminosity, black hole mass, and Eddington ratio. That is, quasars with higher luminosity, larger black hole mass, and larger Eddington ratiohavelargerstructurefunctions.Forquasarsofthesameluminosity,thelargertheEddingtonratio,thesmallerthestructure function. However, the correlation between the structure function and redshift or rest wavelength is not significant, indicating that the variabilitycharacteristicsofquasars aremainly determined bytheir own physical propertiesandareminimallyaffected by the cosmologicalredshifteffect.