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1. An elliptical accretion disk following the tidal disruption event AT 2020zso

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202142616  

   Wevers, T.; Nicholl, M.; Guolo, M.; Charalampopoulos, P.; Gromadzki, M.; Reynolds, T. M.; Kankare, E.; Leloudas, G.; Anderson, J. P.; Arcavi, I.; et al (October 2022, Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Aims. The modelling of spectroscopic observations of tidal disruption events (TDEs) to date suggests that the newly formed accretion disks are mostly quasi-circular. In this work we study the transient event AT 2020zso, hosted by an active galactic nucleus (AGN; as inferred from narrow emission line diagnostics), with the aim of characterising the properties of its newly formed accretion flow. Methods. We classify AT 2020zso as a TDE based on the blackbody evolution inferred from UV/optical photometric observations and spectral line content and evolution. We identify transient, double-peaked Bowen (N  III ), He  I , He  II, and H α emission lines. We model medium-resolution optical spectroscopy of the He  II (after careful de-blending of the N  III contribution) and H α lines during the rise, peak, and early decline of the light curve using relativistic, elliptical accretion disk models. Results. We find that the spectral evolution before the peak can be explained by optical depth effects consistent with an outflowing, optically thick Eddington envelope. Around the peak, the envelope reaches its maximum extent (approximately 10 15 cm, or ∼3000–6000 gravitational radii for an inferred black hole mass of 5−10 × 10 5 M ⊙ ) and becomes optically thin. The H α and He  II emission lines at and after the peak can be reproduced with a highly inclined ( i  = 85 ± 5 degrees), highly elliptical ( e  = 0.97 ± 0.01), and relatively compact ( R in = several 100 R g and R out = several 1000 R g ) accretion disk. Conclusions. Overall, the line profiles suggest a highly elliptical geometry for the new accretion flow, consistent with theoretical expectations of newly formed TDE disks. We quantitatively confirm, for the first time, the high inclination nature of a Bowen (and X-ray dim) TDE, consistent with the unification picture of TDEs, where the inclination largely determines the observational appearance. Rapid line profile variations rule out the binary supermassive black hole hypothesis as the origin of the eccentricity; these results thus provide a direct link between a TDE in an AGN and the eccentric accretion disk. We illustrate for the first time how optical spectroscopy can be used to constrain the black hole spin, through (the lack of) disk precession signatures (changes in inferred inclination). We constrain the disk alignment timescale to > 15 days in AT2020zso, which rules out high black hole spin values ( a  < 0.8) for M BH  ∼ 10 6 M ⊙ and disk viscosity α  ≳ 0.1. 

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2. Multiwavelength and Environmental Properties of Variability Selected Low-luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/addf42  

   Yuk, Heechan; Dai, Xinyu; Mićić, Marko (July 2025, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract We present the multiwavelength and environmental properties of 37 variability-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs), including 30 low-luminosity AGNs (LLAGNs), using a high cadence time-domain survey (All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae) from a spectroscopic sample of 1218 nearby bright galaxies. We find that high-cadence time-domain surveys uniquely select LLAGNs that do not necessarily satisfy other AGN selection methods, such as X-ray, mid-IR, or BPT methods. In our sample, 3% of them pass the mid-infrared color based AGN selection, 18% pass the X-ray luminosity based AGN selection, and 60% pass the BPT selection. This result is supported by two other LLAGN samples from high-cadence time-domain surveys of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and Palomar Transient Factory, suggesting that the variability selection method from well-sampled light curves can find AGNs that may not be discovered otherwise. These AGNs can have moderate to small variability amplitudes from the accretion disk, but many of them lack strong corona, emission lines from the central engine, or accretion power to dominate the mid-IR emission. The X-ray spectra of a subsample of bright sources are consistent with a power-law model. Upon inspecting the environments of our sample, we find that LLAGNs are more common in denser environments of galaxy clusters in contrast with the trend established in the literature for luminous AGNs at low redshifts, which is broadly consistent with our analysis result for luminous AGNs limited by a smaller sample size. This contrast in environmental properties between LLAGN and luminous AGNs suggests that LLAGNs may have different trigger mechanisms. 

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3. On the Extremely X-Ray Variable Active Galactic Nuclei in the XMM-LSS Field

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adbb6b  

   Zhang, Zijian; Luo, Bin; Jiang, Linhua; Brandt, W N; Huang, Jian; Ni, Qingling (April 2025, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract We present a systematic investigation of extremely X-ray variable active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the ≈5.3 deg²XMM-SERVS XMM-LSS region. Eight variable AGNs are identified with rest-frame 2 keV flux density variability amplitudes around 6–12. We comprehensively analyze the X-ray and multiwavelength data to probe the origin of their extreme X-ray variability. It is found that their extreme X-ray variability can be ascribed to changing accretion state or changing obscuration from dust-free absorbers. For five AGNs, their X-ray variability is attributed to changing accretion state, supported by contemporaneous multiwavelength variability and the absence of X-ray absorption in the low-state spectra. With new Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) spectra for four of these sources, we confirm one changing-look AGN. One MMT AGN lacks multiepoch spectroscopic observations, while the other two AGNs do not exhibit changing-look behavior, likely because the MMT observations did not capture their high states. The X-ray variability of the other three AGNs is explained by changing obscuration, and they show only mild long-term optical/IR variability. The absorbers of these sources are likely clumpy accretion-disk winds, with variable column densities and covering factors along the lines of sight. 

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4. AGN STORM 2. IV. Swift X-Ray and Ultraviolet/Optical Monitoring of Mrk 817

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/acfdac  

   Cackett, Edward M.; Gelbord, Jonathan; Barth, Aaron J.; De Rosa, Gisella; Edelson, Rick; Goad, Michael R.; Homayouni, Yasaman; Horne, Keith; Kara, Erin A.; Kriss, Gerard A.; et al (November 2023, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract The AGN STORM 2 campaign is a large, multiwavelength reverberation mapping project designed to trace out the structure of Mrk 817 from the inner accretion disk to the broad emission line region and out to the dusty torus. As part of this campaign, Swift performed daily monitoring of Mrk 817 for approximately 15 months, obtaining observations in X-rays and six UV/optical filters. The X-ray monitoring shows that Mrk 817 was in a significantly fainter state than in previous observations, with only a brief flare where it reached prior flux levels. The X-ray spectrum is heavily obscured. The UV/optical light curves show significant variability throughout the campaign and are well correlated with one another, but uncorrelated with the X-rays. Combining the Swift UV/optical light curves with Hubble Space Telescope UV continuum light curves, we measure interband continuum lags,τ(λ), that increase with increasing wavelength roughly followingτ(λ) ∝λ^4/3, the dependence expected for a geometrically thin, optically thick, centrally illuminated disk. Modeling of the light curves reveals a period at the beginning of the campaign where the response of the continuum is suppressed compared to later in the light curve—the light curves are not simple shifted and scaled versions of each other. The interval of suppressed response corresponds to a period of high UV line and X-ray absorption, and reduced emission line variability amplitudes. We suggest that this indicates a significant contribution to the continuum from the broad-line region gas that sees an absorbed ionizing continuum. 

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5. Dwarf AGNs from Optical Variability for the Origins of Seeds (DAVOS): insights from the dark energy survey deep fields

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac2262  

   Burke, Colin J; Liu, Xin; Shen, Yue; Phadke, Kedar A; Yang, Qian; Hartley, Will G; Harrison, Ian; Palmese, Antonella; Guo, Hengxiao; Zhang, Kaiwen; et al (September 2022, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   ABSTRACT We present a sample of 706, z < 1.5 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selected from optical photometric variability in three of the Dark Energy Survey (DES) deep fields (E2, C3, and X3) over an area of 4.64 deg2. We construct light curves using difference imaging aperture photometry for resolved sources and non-difference imaging PSF photometry for unresolved sources, respectively, and characterize the variability significance. Our DES light curves have a mean cadence of 7 d, a 6-yr baseline, and a single-epoch imaging depth of up to g ∼ 24.5. Using spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting, we find 26 out of total 706 variable galaxies are consistent with dwarf galaxies with a reliable stellar mass estimate ($$M_{\ast }\lt 10^{9.5}\, {\rm M}_\odot$$; median photometric redshift of 0.9). We were able to constrain rapid characteristic variability time-scales (∼ weeks) using the DES light curves in 15 dwarf AGN candidates (a subset of our variable AGN candidates) at a median photometric redshift of 0.4. This rapid variability is consistent with their low black hole (BH) masses. We confirm the low-mass AGN nature of one source with a high S/N optical spectrum. We publish our catalogue, optical light curves, and supplementary data, such as X-ray properties and optical spectra, when available. We measure a variable AGN fraction versus stellar mass and compare to results from a forward model. This work demonstrates the feasibility of optical variability to identify AGNs with lower BH masses in deep fields, which may be more ‘pristine’ analogues of supermassive BH seeds. 

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