No Significant Excess in Typical Variability in CLAS+ Changing-Look AGN Candidates in Rubin DP2

Abstract

Rubin Data Preview 2 (DP2) samples the CLAS+ changing-look AGN (CLAGN) candidates $\sim 1,000-9,000$ days after their comparison epochs, so it can test whether these objects retain enhanced short-term optical variability after their spectral transitions. Comparing peak-to-peak amplitude in magnitudes against a photometrically quiescent quasar control, one band at a time, we do not detect a significant median-amplitude excess for any state (turn-on, turn-off, intermediate) in either of two bands, nor a different in the median $|\Delta \text{mag}|$ as function of time lag. The $r$-band CLAS+ amplitude distributions are wider than the control's, with the intermediate state formally significant after multiple-comparison correction. This could hint for a high-amplitude subpopulation.

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