Exploring Quasar Variability with ZTF at 0 < z < 3: A Universal Relation with the Eddington Ratio
Quasars, powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes (SMBHs), exhibit significant variability, offering insights into the physics of accretion and the properties of the central engines. In this study, we analyze photometric variability and its correlation with key quasar properties, including...
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2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/addec0 |
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| author | Hygor Benati Gonçalves Swayamtrupta Panda Thaisa Storchi Bergmann Edward M. Cackett Michael Eracleous |
| author_facet | Hygor Benati Gonçalves Swayamtrupta Panda Thaisa Storchi Bergmann Edward M. Cackett Michael Eracleous |
| author_sort | Hygor Benati Gonçalves |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Quasars, powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes (SMBHs), exhibit significant variability, offering insights into the physics of accretion and the properties of the central engines. In this study, we analyze photometric variability and its correlation with key quasar properties, including black hole mass ( M _BH ) and nuclear luminosities, using 915 quasars with 0 ≤ z < 3.0 from the All Quasar Multi-Epoch Spectroscopy sample monitored within the fifth-generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V). Variability metrics were derived from approximately 6 yr light curves provided by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), while SMBH masses and luminosities were obtained from the SDSS DR16 quasar catalog of Q. Wu & Y. Shen. We identify a strong anticorrelation between variability amplitude and luminosity, which strengthens with redshift, and a redshift-dependent trend for M _BH : a positive correlation at low redshifts, no significant correlation at intermediate redshifts, and an anticorrelation at the highest redshifts. Our main finding is a robust anticorrelation between photometric variability amplitude and Eddington ratio, consistent across different redshift bins. We present a general equation encapsulating this relationship, which appears to be almost free of redshift dependence, enabling predictions of quasar variability based on accretion parameters or vice versa. The derived relation with the Eddington ratio provides a unified framework for interpreting variability in active galactic nuclei and facilitates future studies of quasar variability using high-cadence surveys, such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-23e27ccf0a994e44a9bb17b891de721a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-23e27ccf0a994e44a9bb17b891de721a2025-08-20T03:08:28ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-0198812710.3847/1538-4357/addec0Exploring Quasar Variability with ZTF at 0 < z < 3: A Universal Relation with the Eddington RatioHygor Benati Gonçalves0https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0492-9679Swayamtrupta Panda1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5854-7426Thaisa Storchi Bergmann2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1772-0023Edward M. Cackett3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8294-9281Michael Eracleous4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3719-940XDepartamento de Astronomia, Instituto de física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul , CP 15051, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilInternational Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab , Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile; Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica (LNA) , Rua dos Estados Unidos 154, Bairro das Nações, CEP 37504-364, Itajubá, MG, BrazilDepartamento de Astronomia, Instituto de física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul , CP 15051, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Wayne State University , 666 W. Hancock Street, Detroit, MI 48201, USADepartment of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, Penn State University , 525 Davey Lab, 251 Pollock Road, University Park, PA 16802, USAQuasars, powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes (SMBHs), exhibit significant variability, offering insights into the physics of accretion and the properties of the central engines. In this study, we analyze photometric variability and its correlation with key quasar properties, including black hole mass ( M _BH ) and nuclear luminosities, using 915 quasars with 0 ≤ z < 3.0 from the All Quasar Multi-Epoch Spectroscopy sample monitored within the fifth-generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V). Variability metrics were derived from approximately 6 yr light curves provided by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), while SMBH masses and luminosities were obtained from the SDSS DR16 quasar catalog of Q. Wu & Y. Shen. We identify a strong anticorrelation between variability amplitude and luminosity, which strengthens with redshift, and a redshift-dependent trend for M _BH : a positive correlation at low redshifts, no significant correlation at intermediate redshifts, and an anticorrelation at the highest redshifts. Our main finding is a robust anticorrelation between photometric variability amplitude and Eddington ratio, consistent across different redshift bins. We present a general equation encapsulating this relationship, which appears to be almost free of redshift dependence, enabling predictions of quasar variability based on accretion parameters or vice versa. The derived relation with the Eddington ratio provides a unified framework for interpreting variability in active galactic nuclei and facilitates future studies of quasar variability using high-cadence surveys, such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/addec0QuasarsActive galactic nucleiSupermassive black holesRadio quiet quasarsBroad band photometryCatalogs |
| spellingShingle | Hygor Benati Gonçalves Swayamtrupta Panda Thaisa Storchi Bergmann Edward M. Cackett Michael Eracleous Exploring Quasar Variability with ZTF at 0 < z < 3: A Universal Relation with the Eddington Ratio The Astrophysical Journal Quasars Active galactic nuclei Supermassive black holes Radio quiet quasars Broad band photometry Catalogs |
| title | Exploring Quasar Variability with ZTF at 0 < z < 3: A Universal Relation with the Eddington Ratio |
| title_full | Exploring Quasar Variability with ZTF at 0 < z < 3: A Universal Relation with the Eddington Ratio |
| title_fullStr | Exploring Quasar Variability with ZTF at 0 < z < 3: A Universal Relation with the Eddington Ratio |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Quasar Variability with ZTF at 0 < z < 3: A Universal Relation with the Eddington Ratio |
| title_short | Exploring Quasar Variability with ZTF at 0 < z < 3: A Universal Relation with the Eddington Ratio |
| title_sort | exploring quasar variability with ztf at 0 z 3 a universal relation with the eddington ratio |
| topic | Quasars Active galactic nuclei Supermassive black holes Radio quiet quasars Broad band photometry Catalogs |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/addec0 |
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