X-ray Variability of the Seyfert 1 Markarian 335: Power Spectrum and Time Lags

Abstract

To investigate further the comparison between AGN and black hole X-ray binaries, we have studied the main X-ray variability properties of the Seyfert 1 Galaxy Markarian 335. We put particular emphasis on the X-ray time lags, which is a potentially important diagnostic of physical models. From a 100 ksec observation by XMM-Newton we show that the power spectrum of this source is well fitted by a bending power law model, and the bend time-scale Tb is precisely at the value predicted by the Tb vs Hbeta line-width relation of McHardy et al. Variations in different energy bands show time-scale dependent time lags, where higher energy bands lag lower ones. The lag, tau, varies as a function of the Fourier frequency, f, of the variability component in the light curves as tau propto 1/f at low frequencies, but there is a sharp cut-off in the lags at a frequency close to the bend frequency in the power spectrum. Similar behaviour is seen in black hole X-ray binary systems. The length of the time lags increases continuously with energy separation, in an almost log-linear relation. We show that the lag spectra can be produced by fluctuations propagating through the accretion flow as long as the energy spectrum of the X-ray emitting region hardens towards the centre.

accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (7)

• Discovery of multiple Lorentzian components in the X-ray timing properties of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Ark 564
• The variability plane of accreting compact objects
• Spectral-timing evidence for a Very High State in the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Ark 564
• The Energy-dependent X-ray Timing Characteristics of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Mkn 766
• Virial Masses of Black Holes from Single Epoch Spectra of AGN
• Suzaku observations of Markarian 335: evidence for a distributed reflector
• On the relativistic iron line and soft excess in the Seyfert 1 galaxy Markarian 335

Cited by in corpus (23)

• Modeling the Time Variability of SDSS Stripe 82 Quasars as a Damped Random Walk
• X-ray reverberation around accreting black holes
• Discovery of a ~2 hr high frequency X-ray QPO and iron K alpha reverberation in the active galaxy MS 2254.9-3712
• GRMHD prediction of coronal variability in accreting black holes
• How far is quasar UV/optical variability from damped random walk at low frequency?
• Theoretical modelling of the AGN iron-line vs continuum time-lags in the lamp-post geometry
• Simultaneous spectral and reverberation modelling of relativistic reflection in Mrk 335
• Incoherent fast variability of X-ray obscurers. The case of NGC 3783
• Localizing narrow Fe K$\alpha$ emission within bright AGN
• AGN STORM 2. VII. A Frequency-resolved Map of the Accretion Disk in Mrk 817: Simultaneous X-ray Reverberation and UVOIR Disk Reprocessing Time Lags
• Energy Dependent time lags in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4593
• A Negative Long Lag from the Optical to the UV Continuum in Fairall 9
• The X-ray continuum time-lags and intrinsic coherence in AGN
• A Hard Look At Relativistic Reverberation in MCG-5-23-16 & SWIFT J2127.4+5654: Testing the Lamp-Post Model
• Extended Corona Models of X-ray Reverberation in the AGN 1H~0707-495 and IRAS 13224-3809
• BASS-XL: X-ray variability properties of unobscured Active Galactic Nuclei
• Continuum optical-UV and X-ray variability of AGN: current results and future challenges
• X-ray timing and spectral analysis of reverberating active galactic nuclei
• The long term X-ray time-lags of NGC 4051
• A theoretical study of the time-lags due to Comptonization and the constraints on the X-ray corona in AGN
• XMM-Newton detection of soft time lags in the TDE candidate AT 2018fyk
• Long-term Evolution of the Short-term X-ray Variability of the Jetted TDE Swift J1644+57
• Modelling the energy dependent X-ray variability of Mrk 335