2025ApJ...993...50C


Query : 2025ApJ...993...50C

2025ApJ...993...50C - Astrophys. J., 993, 50 (2025/November-1)

The Relation between the Optical Variability Timescale, Magnetic Field of Jets, and Black Hole Spin in Active Galactic Nuclei.

CHEN Y., GU Q., FAN J., XIONG D., YU X., GUO X., DING N. and YI T.-F.

Abstract (from CDS):

We investigate the relationship among the jet magnetic field, black hole spin, black hole mass, Eddington ratio, and optical variability timescales in jetted active galactic nuclei (AGNs). By fitting a damped random walk (DRW) model to the g-band light curves, we obtain the characteristic variability timescale (τDRW) for 41 jetted AGNs with precise supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass measurements. Our main results are as follows: (i) Our analysis reveals a significant correlation between the jet magnetic field (B_1 pc_), black hole spin (j) and the characteristic variability timescale within our sample. These findings suggest that the optical variability of jetted AGNs is influenced by the jet magnetic field and black hole spin. Furthermore, the characteristic variability timescale aligns with the electron escape timescale, as evidenced by the relationship between the characteristic variability timescale and jet magnetic field (${\tau }_{\mathrm{DRW}}\propto {B}_{1\,\mathrm{pc}}^{0.76\pm 0.22}$). (ii) We confirm a significant correlation between the characteristic variability timescale and SMBH mass, expressed as: $\mathrm{log}{\tau }_{\mathrm{DRW}}=0.52(\pm 0.21)\mathrm{log}{M}_{\mathrm{BH}}/{M}_{\odot }-3.12(\pm 1.90)$, with an intrinsic scatter of 0.08 dex. The slope of this relationship is consistent with that between the thermal timescale and black hole mass. Our results support the hypothesis that magnetorotational instability fluctuations drive the intrinsic variability observed in the light curves emitted by the AGN's accretion disk.

Abstract Copyright: © 2025. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.

Journal keyword(s): Active galactic nuclei - Galaxy jets - Supermassive black holes - Time domain astronomy - Time series analysis

Simbad objects: 43

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Number of rows : 43
N Identifier Otype ICRS (J2000)
RA
ICRS (J2000)
DEC
Mag U Mag B Mag V Mag R Mag I Sp type #ref
1850 - 2026
#notes
1 4C 01.02 Bla 01 08 38.77110544 +01 35 00.3171844   18.54 18.39 19.05   ~ 589 1
2 6C 013354+473615 Bla 01 36 58.59480326 +47 51 29.1000720     19.50 19.25 15.21 ~ 537 1
3 QSO B0149+218 Bla 01 52 18.05904204 +22 07 07.6997943     18 18.89   ~ 201 1
4 QSO J0217+0144 Bla 02 17 48.95475095 +01 44 49.6990271   16.74 16.09 18.51 13.29 ~ 455 1
5 4C 28.07 Bla 02 37 52.40567519 +28 48 08.9899986     19.30 16.99   ~ 654 1
6 QSO B0336-0156 Bla 03 39 30.93778633 -01 46 35.8041892   18.96 18.41 17.33   ~ 598 1
7 QSO B0420-0127 Bla 04 23 15.80072217 -01 20 33.0656073   17.50 17.00 16.28   ~ 1263 3
8 QSO J0530+13 Bla 05 30 56.41674741 +13 31 55.1494688     20.00 19.35   ~ 1004 1
9 6C 073002+502841 Bla 07 33 52.52058088 +50 22 09.0622668     19.30 18.37   ~ 129 1
10 QSO B0748+126 Bla 07 50 52.04573865 +12 31 04.8282079   17.67 17.28 17.16   ~ 363 1
11 7C 080458.39+495918.00 Bla 08 08 39.66628970 +49 50 36.5304041   19.55 19.18 18.34   ~ 389 2
12 4C 71.07 Bla 08 41 24.36528508 +70 53 42.1730435     17.30 16.8   ~ 818 1
13 RX J1015.0+4926 BLL 10 15 04.1396533776 +49 26 00.706055496   16.56 16.15 14.58   ~ 400 3
14 7C 1015+3557 Bla 10 18 10.98810472 +35 42 39.4409041   18.62 18.07 17.65   ~ 212 1
15 QSO J1130-1449 Bla 11 30 07.0523452128 -14 49 27.388021944   17.17 16.90 16 16.97 ~ 739 1
16 Ton 599 Bla 11 59 31.83391383 +29 14 43.8268224   14.80 14.41 17.652 13.39 ~ 989 1
17 4C 04.42 Bla 12 22 22.54962606 +04 13 15.7760715   17.88 17.98 17.06   ~ 354 1
18 3C 279 Bla 12 56 11.16657958 -05 47 21.5251510   18.01 17.75 15.87   ~ 3205 2
19 US 371 BLL 13 10 28.66385420 +32 20 43.7828340   15.61 15.24 17.91   ~ 917 1
20 QSO B1334-127 Bla 13 37 39.78278132 -12 57 24.6933925   18.5 19.00 16.22   ~ 540 1
21 QSO B1502+1041 Bla 15 04 24.97978391 +10 29 39.1985309   18.97 18.56 18.94   ~ 634 1
22 4C -05.64 Bla 15 10 53.59142427 -05 43 07.4175000   17.44 17.21     ~ 249 1
23 QSO J1512-0906 Bla 15 12 50.53293048 -09 05 59.8297908   16.74 16.54     ~ 1409 1
24 QSO B1532+016 Bla 15 34 52.45368345 +01 31 04.2065145   19.0 18.5 18.58   ~ 223 2
25 4C 14.60 BLL 15 40 49.49151924 +14 47 45.8846989   17.72 17.30 17.240   ~ 448 1
26 QSO B1546+0246 Bla 15 49 29.43684740 +02 37 01.1632556   17.57 17.42 15.53   ~ 395 1
27 4C 10.45 Bla 16 08 46.20318700 +10 29 07.7757424   18.5 18.70 18.03   ~ 409 1
28 3C 345 Bla 16 42 58.80997043 +39 48 36.9939552   16.81 16.59 16.84   ~ 1808 3
29 V* V821 Ara LXB 17 02 49.3876391280 -48 47 23.087954544         15.322 ~ 2237 0
30 7C 172601.30+453309.00 BLL 17 27 27.65080202 +45 30 39.7312530   19.0 18.10 16.64   ~ 233 2
31 QSO B1730-130 Bla 17 33 02.70578907 -13 04 49.5482119   18 19.50 18.78 17.39 ~ 1198 1
32 4C 09.57 BLL 17 51 32.81857326 +09 39 00.7284066   17.46 16.78 15.57   ~ 1007 1
33 6C 184914+670207 Bla 18 49 16.07228484 +67 05 41.6802599     16.90 17.45   ~ 305 2
34 QSO J2115+295 Bla 21 15 29.41345155 +29 33 38.3669390     19.5 19.26   ~ 201 1
35 QSO J2123+0535 Bla 21 23 44.51739933 +05 35 22.0930238   18.3 20.40 19.86   ~ 320 1
36 4C -02.81 BLL 21 34 10.30958988 -01 53 17.2389056   18.6 19.00 18.87   ~ 431 1
37 QSO B2209+236 Bla 22 12 05.96631459 +23 55 40.5438259   19 20.66 19.69   ~ 257 1
38 3C 446 BLL 22 25 47.25929101 -04 57 01.3907626   18.83 18.39 16.3   ~ 863 1
39 QSO B2227-0848 Bla 22 29 40.08433313 -08 32 54.4355294   17.80 17.41 17.81   ~ 391 1
40 4C 11.69 Bla 22 32 36.40890093 +11 43 50.9040592   17.75 17.33     ~ 1205 2
41 3C 454.3 Bla 22 53 57.7480438728 +16 08 53.561508864   16.57 16.10 15.22   ~ 3004 2
42 QSO B2345-167 Bla 23 48 02.60851466 -16 31 12.0222546   18.00 18.41 16.86   ~ 432 1
43 6C 235150+453621 Bla 23 54 21.68022501 +45 53 04.2365520   20.6 20.60 19.1   ~ 252 1

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