The scaling of the X-ray variability with black hole mass in AGN

Abstract

The relation between the 2-10 keV, long term, excess variance and AGN black hole mass is considered in this work. A significant anti-correlation is found between these two quantities in the sense that the excess variance decreases with increasing black hole mass. This anti-correlation is consistent with the hypothesis that the 2-10 keV power spectrum in AGN follows a power law of slope -2 at high frequencies. It then flattens to a slope of -1 below a break frequency until a second break frequency below which it flattens to a slope of zero. The ratio of the two break frequencies is equal to 10-30, similar to the ratio of the respective frequencies in Cyg X-1. The power spectrum amplitude in the "frequency x power" space does not depend on black hole mass. Instead it is roughly equal to 0.02 in all objects. The high frequency break decreases with increasing black hole mass according to the relation 1.5x(10^-6)/(BHmass/(10^7) solar masses) Hz, in the case of "classical" Seyfert 1 galaxies. The excess variance of NGC4051, a Narrow Line Seyfert 1 object, is larger than what is expected for its black hole mass and X-ray luminosity. This can be explained if its high frequency break is 20 times larger than the value expected in the case of a "classical" Seyfert 1 with the same black hole mass. Finally, the excess variance vs X-ray luminosity correlation is a byproduct of the excess variance vs black hole mass correlation, with AGN accreting at ~ 0.1-0.15 the Eddington limit. These results are consistent with recent results from the power spectral analysis of AGN.

7 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

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