Extreme quasar X-ray variability

The quasars in this investigation are all spectroscopically confirmed, optically bright (m_i_<=20.2), and contain no identifiable broad absorption lines in their optical/ultraviolet spectra. This sample includes quasars spanning z~0.1-4 and probes X-ray variability on timescales of up to ~12 rest-frame years.

Variability amplitudes are computed between every epoch of observation for each quasar and are analyzed as a function of timescale and luminosity. The tail-heavy distributions of variability amplitudes at all timescales indicate that extreme X-ray variations are driven by an additional physical mechanism and not just typical random fluctuations of the coronal emission. Similarly, extreme X-ray variations of low-luminosity quasars seem to be driven by an additional physical mechanism, whereas high-luminosity quasars seem more consistent with random fluctuations.