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Daniel Stern

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel Stern.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Extreme AGN Variability in WISE: Powerful Flares and Candidate Tidal Disruption Events in AGN

We present first results from a systematic study of extreme mid-infrared variability of active galaxies across the $>10$-year baseline of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission. WISE, which observed the full sky with a six-month cadence, is sensitive to transient events in both unobscured and obscured galaxies. This paper focuses on extreme flares in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Previous studies identified flares such as tidal disruption events (TDEs) in inactive galaxies, typically from optical or X-ray surveys. However, flares are also expected in AGN and optical/X-ray searches are insensitive to events in dust-enshrouded AGN. In this pilot study, we present flares in two AGN identified from extreme mid-infrared color variability. One flare was also detected at optical wavelengths. While both events showed broadened H$\alpha$ emission several years after the flare peak, more recent spectroscopy reveals continued broadened emission only from the source with the optical flare. After considering several potential physical causes of the flares, including supernovae and micro-lensing, we suggest both events are TDEs in AGN. Intriguingly, the optical flare decays much faster than the expected $t^{-5/3}$ fallback rate expected for TDEs in quiescent galaxies, suggesting either a partial disruption or the tidal disruption of a star by an intermediate mass black hole embedded in the accretion disk of an AGN. This work demonstrates the power of WISE to identify the full census of TDEs, including events in dust-obscured AGN. Mid-infrared data probes the nature of the event and provides a bolometric measure of the flare energetics.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

AGN X-ray coronae at high luminosity: A broadband study of RBS 229 and PG 1407+265

Context. The X-ray emission of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is commonly interpreted as arising from Comptonisation in a hot corona above the accretion disc. A prominent soft X-ray excess is also observed in many sources and is often explained by a warm Comptonising layer. Aims. We investigate the X-ray-emitting coronae of the luminous radio-quiet quasars PG 1407+265 ($z=0.94$) and RBS 229 ($z=0.334$), testing whether a two-corona scenario consistently describes their broadband spectra. Methods. We combine XMM-Newton EPIC and Optical Monitor data with simultaneous NuSTAR observations and long-term Swift monitoring, and model the spectra using Comptonisation models. Results. Both quasars are X-ray loud relative to the standard $\alpha_{\rm OX}$-$L_{\rm UV}$ relation, with PG 1407+265 showing the strongest deviation. Their spectra are well reproduced by a warm, optically thick Comptonising component accounting for the soft excess and a hot corona producing the hard X-ray continuum. Both sources show high-energy cut-offs at approximately 70-80 keV. RBS 229 exhibits moderate reflection and a weak neutral Fe K-alpha line, while no significant reflection features are detected in PG 1407+265. The warm-corona parameters of RBS 229 remain consistent across epochs, whereas PG 1407+265 shows strong variability, including an extreme soft-excess episode extending to approximately 3 keV in the rest frame. Conclusions. These results constrain AGN coronae in the poorly explored high-luminosity regime. The cut-offs are broadly consistent with trends in AGN luminosity and accretion rate and remain below the runaway pair-production limit. The contrasting variability suggests that the warm corona responds to changes in the accretion flow while remaining within a narrow range of physical conditions.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

A Broadband X-ray Analysis and Optical Counterpart Search of IC5052 ULX

We present broadband X-ray spectral and timing analysis of the Ultra-luminous X-ray source (ULX) in IC5052 using simultaneous XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations from 2022, supplemented by archival 2013 XMM-Newton data. A two-thermal component model, often interpreted as radially-segregated emission from a super-Eddington inner disc and its associated wind, provides a statistically acceptable fit but yields an implausibly high inner disc temperature of $k T_\mathrm{in} \approx 6.4$ keV, inconsistent with even super-Eddington disc models. Including an additional continuum component from either an accretion column or a Comptonizing corona, as motivated by high S/N observations from other ULXs, provides comparable goodness of fit while allowing plausible inner disc temperatures. The accretion column model yields $k T_\mathrm{in} \approx 1.2$ keV with the column contributing $F_\mathrm{col} \approx 62\%$ of total flux, while the Comptonizing corona model yields $k T_\mathrm{in} \approx 3.0$ keV with a scattered fraction $\sim 1$, assuming the hotter disc provides the seed photons. Timing analysis initially challenges both scenarios: the accretion column model places IC5052 ULX where prior results suggest pulsations may be detectable ($F_\mathrm{col} \sim 62\%$), yet none were detected, while the corona model appears inconsistent with its lack of observed short-timescale variability. However, incorporating spectral information relaxes these constraints, allowing both models to remain physically plausible for IC5052 ULX. Finally, using improved Chandra astrometry, we identified a candidate optical counterpart consistent with an evolved high mass donor. A discrepancy between the optical extinction and X-ray fitted absorption suggests localised X-ray absorption.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

Nonorientable Minimal Surfaces Embedded in the Round $4$-sphere

We show that every closed, nonorientable surface can be minimally embedded in $\mathbb{S}^4$, providing in particular the first known examples of embedded, nonorientable minimal surfaces in $\mathbb{S}^4$ with negative Euler characteristic. All of the surfaces we obtain have area below $8\pi$, which has applications to the existence of nonorientable surfaces minimizing the Willmore functional with prescribed topology in $\mathbb{R}^n$ for $n\geq 4$. Moreover, the number of geometrically distinct embeddings of each nonorientable genus is shown to grow at least exponentially with respect to the genus. Among these surfaces, we identify a distinguished, highly symmetric family which converges in the large-genus limit to a union of four half-spheres, meeting along a great circle, whose poles are vertices of a regular tetrahedron. Rescalings of this family converge to a new singly-periodic nonorientable minimal surface in $\mathbb{R}^4$, which seems to provide the first example of a complete, embedded, nonorientable minimal surface in $\mathbb{R}^4$ without continuous symmetry group. The proofs further develop the equivariant eigenvalue optimization methodology from our earlier work, applied to carefully chosen families of symmetry groups acting on nonorientable surfaces. Interestingly, we also find natural pairs of surfaces and group actions for which there is no metric maximizing the first normalized eigenvalue of the Laplacian.

math.DG↗
arXiv2026

XRISM Resolves the Circum-nuclear Environment of NGC 4945

Compton-thick Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) represent one of the most elusive phases of massive black hole growth, yet are expected to contribute substantially to the Cosmic X-ray Background and the integrated growth of massive black holes. NGC 4945 is the closest Compton-thick AGN and amongst the brightest AGN in the hard X-ray sky, making it an important benchmark for more distant Compton-thick AGN. We present the first high-resolution X-ray spectral analysis of NGC 4945 using XRISM/Resolve. The entire 4-15 keV Resolve spectrum, including a strong Fe K$\alpha$ doublet and weak Compton Shoulder, is well described by a de-coupled dual-obscurer model. The model features a low-covering-factor Compton-thick primary obscurer intersecting the line-of-sight that permits the rapidly variable, direct transmitted coronal continuum to dominate above 10 keV. A Compton-thin secondary reprocessor with a high covering factor dominates the reprocessed emission between $\sim$4-10 keV. Assuming that virial motion accounts for line broadening, the secondary reprocessor can exist at $\sim$0.12 pc, and could help explain the weak high-ionisation optical and infrared emission lines observed in NGC 4945. If such obscuration geometries are common among more distant and/or fainter Compton-thick AGN, our results suggest that simpler coupled X-ray spectral modelling could substantially over-estimate Compton-thick covering factors and under-estimate intrinsic X-ray luminosities.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2026

Two Peas in a Pod: The First Confirmed Dual Active Galactic Nucleus within a Green Pea Galaxy System

The growth of galaxies in the early Universe is thought to be dominated by compact, intensely star-forming systems, yet the corresponding growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) within such environments remains poorly constrained. Green Pea galaxies are nearby analogs of rapidly assembling galaxies in the early Universe owing to their compact morphologies, intense star formation, low metallicities, and extreme ionization conditions. Although galaxy interactions are thought to trigger episodes of rapid SMBH growth, direct observations of simultaneous accretion onto multiple SMBHs in compact, intensely star-forming galaxies are lacking. Here we report the discovery of the first confirmed dual active galactic nucleus (AGN) in a Green Pea system, SDSS J162209.41+352107.5. Chandra imaging resolves two luminous hard X-ray sources separated by 8.4 kpc in projection, demonstrating simultaneous accretion onto two SMBHs. Follow-up Keck spectroscopy confirms that the two optical nuclei share a common redshift and independently exhibit broad Balmer emission and high-ionization AGN emission lines. Unlike most known dual AGN, which are typically found in massive mergers, J162209.41+352107.5 is a compact low-mass system analogous to galaxies thought to dominate early phases of galaxy assembly. These findings demonstrate that efficient growth of multiple SMBHs can occur in such environments and establish Green Pea galaxies as nearby laboratories for investigating the interplay between galaxy interactions, star formation, and black-hole growth under conditions analogous to those prevalent in the young Universe.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2026

Classification of IGR J20084+3221 as an Intermediate Polar using X-ray and Optical Observations

IGR J20084+3221 is a previously unclassified Galactic source first detected by INTEGRAL. Chandra observations led to possible classifications of either a magnetic Cataclysmic Variable (mCV) or high mass X-ray binary (HMXB) based on the hardness of its spectrum. Here, we report follow-up observations taken by XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and the Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory. Based on these observations, we conclude that IGR J20084+3221 is most likely an Intermediate Polar (IP) type mCV. Timing analysis of the X-ray data found a significant peak period of $P=635.0\pm0.4$ s, which we interpret to be the spin period of the white dwarf (WD). The X-ray spectrum is well fit to an absorbed Bremsstrahlung model with components accounting for partial covering, reflection, and a fluorescent Fe-line, all typical for an IP. The optical spectrum shows clear emission lines, consistent with emission dominated by an accretion disk. We find counterparts to the source across the optical and infrared (IR) bands, and, despite uncertainties in the distance and extinction, we estimate that the source is too faint in the IR to be an HMXB. Given the evidence pointing towards an IP classification, we fit the X-ray spectrum to a post-shock region model where we find a WD mass of $M=1.09^{+0.12}_{-0.11}\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$, larger than the average mass for a WD in an mCV.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

The Hunt for Red Dual AGNs I: Spatially-Resolved Mid-IR Dual AGNs in the DeCam Legacy Survey

Theoretical studies predict that dual AGNs are a critical stage of galaxy merger-driven supermassive black hole growth. Systematic searches for dual AGNs typically target late-stage mergers ($\leq10$ kpc nuclear separations) and select AGNs based on optical diagnostics. Yet, simulations predict that obscuration can occur early in the merger sequence, and that a significant fraction of dual AGNs can be found beyond $10$ kpc. Here, we report on a new sample of 157 spatially resolved mid-IR dual AGNs candidates selected based upon their mid-IR $W1-W2$ colors from the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer and optically classified as galaxy merger candidates using imaging from the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey. Spectroscopic results are presented for approximately 2/3 of the sample. 76 candidates have been confirmed to reside in galaxy mergers; among these, 13 have been confirmed as bona fide mid-IR dual AGNs, while 63 represent strong dual AGN candidates that require further examination. 46 candidates have been rejected as non-merger contaminants (foreground-background AGNs, separations inconsistent with interacting galaxies, etc.). 35 candidates still await spectroscopic coverage. The confirmed and high confidence dual AGN candidates exhibit separations of 14.5-129 kpc; $>50$% reside at separations $>50$ kpc. Confirmed and high confidence candidates also exhibit a diversity of nuclear optical BPT classes. Seyfert-Seyferts and Seyfert-HIIs dominate the overall BPT pairs sample. 31% of confirmed mid-IR dual AGNs reside in multi-mergers involving three or more galaxies. The diversity in AGN properties and environments identified in this work highlights the importance of multiwavelength selection strategies and analyses in the quest to holistically understand dual AGNs as a population.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2026

Spectroscopic Survey of Faint Planetary-Nebula Nuclei. VIII. The Dwarf Barium Central Star of Kohoutek 1-9

In the course of our ongoing survey of faint planetary-nebula nuclei (PNNi), we obtained optical spectroscopy of the central star of the little-studied PN Kohoutek~1-9 (K 1-9). Its spectrum is found to be that of a G-type dwarf with strong absorption features of carbon molecules and s-process elements such as Sr and Ba--a dwarf barium star. K 1-9 thus joins a very small group of PNe with barium-star nuclei. Their likely progenitors are wide binaries in which the primary star reached the thermally pulsing asymptotic-giant-branch (AGB) phase, dredged up C and s-process elements from its interior, and transferred enriched material to the companion through a dense stellar wind. The remnant core is now a hot, optically inconspicuous (pre-)white dwarf, responsible for ionizing the AGB ejecta, and leaving the optical spectrum dominated by the cool barium star. We present deep narrow-band images of K 1-9, obtained by accumulating long exposure times using amateur telescopes. The PN shows a thin-ring morphology, remarkably similar to the "wedding-ring" shapes seen around other members of this class of binary PNNi. The thin ring probably represents material preferentially ejected into the orbital plane of the binary; we note that the PNN is slightly off-center within the ring, as has been predicted theoretically. We suggest several follow-up studies, including precision photometry to search for periodic variations due to starspots on the rotating barium star, and high-resolution spectroscopy to determine atmospheric parameters of the star, chemical abundances, and its rotation velocity.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2026

PACHA: Probing AGN Coronae with High-redshift AGN

The X-ray emission of active galactic nuclei (AGN) is generally attributed to inverse Compton scattering of accretion-disk photons by hot electrons in a compact corona. In local AGN, directly constraining coronal properties is challenging because the high-energy cutoff often lies beyond the NuSTAR bandpass. High-redshift, luminous quasars enable systematic constraints on the high-energy cutoff, as cosmological redshift shifts the spectal cutoff into the observable hard X-ray band. We present first results from the ``Probing the AGN Coronae with High-redshift AGN'' (PACHA) project, based on quasi-simultaneous NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of 13 radio-quiet AGN at $z>1$. We constrain the high-energy cutoff and coronal temperature at 90\% confidence level for 10 and 9 sources, respectively. The sample exhibits a mean cutoff energy of $E_{\rm cut}=80.8\pm8.1$ keV and a mean coronal temperature of $kT_{\rm e}=18.4\pm1.6$ keV, both significantly lower than those measured in local {\it Swift}-BAT AGN, while the mean optical depth ($\tau=4.8\pm0.3$) is significantly higher. The uncertainties are at 1~$\sigma$. Combining our high-redshift sample with local AGN, we find a potential anti-correlation between cutoff energy and both X-ray luminosity and black hole mass, with no significant dependence on Eddington ratio. Within a hybrid coronal framework, the inferred temperatures lie well below the pair-production limits for purely thermal coronae, indicating a substantial efficient Compton cooling and/or non-thermal electron component. The detection of low coronal temperatures in high-luminosity AGN is broadly consistent with predictions from recent radiation MHD simulations that consider purely thermal electron populations, implying that non-thermal electrons may not be the primary drivers of the observed coronal properties in these systems.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

Three Hundred Quasars from the Couch: A first look at high-redshift quasar discovery with SPHEREx

Photometric selection of luminous high-redshift ($z\gtrsim4$) quasars is plagued by contamination from numerous low-mass Galactic stars, reddened lower-redshift quasars, as well as compact luminous red galaxies. Confirmation of these rare objects thus requires extensive spectroscopic campaigns on 4 and 8-meter-class telescopes with relatively low success rates. Here we demonstrate the utility of SPHEREx spectrophotometric survey data for quasar confirmation with no ground-based follow-up required, "from the couch," applied to candidates from a purposefully simplistic photometric and astrometric Gaia+WISE selection down to low Galactic latitudes ($|b|\geq8^\circ$). Primarily from the detection of their strong broad H$\alpha$ emission lines, we discover 87 new luminous $4.0 < z < 5.7$ quasars with median $M_\text{1450} = -27.5$, including 19 quasars at $z>5$, and recover 219 previously published quasars at $z>4$. We validate our SPHEREx selection with a 100% confirmation rate in ground-based spectroscopic follow-up of 29 of our new $z>4$ quasars, including 11 unpublished archival spectra. We also discover 203 additional lower-redshift quasars at $0.3 < z < 4$, consisting primarily of relatively rare highly-reddened and strong broad-absorption-line objects that are likely missed by traditional quasar surveys. Finally, we show that the Ly$\alpha$ absorption breaks and H$\alpha$ lines of luminous quasars are already detectable at redshifts $5.7\lesssim z\lesssim6.5$ after the completion of only the first of four all-sky surveys to be performed by SPHEREx during its planned two-year mission.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2026

16 new quasars at the end of the reionization unveiled by self-supervised learning

Luminous quasars at $z > 6$ are key probes of early supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth, massive galaxy evolution, and intergalactic medium properties during cosmic reionization. However, their discovery is very challenging due to their scarcity and overwhelming contamination, as foreground ultracool dwarfs (UCDs) outnumber $z>6$ quasars by 2-4 orders of magnitude. In this work, we leverage the extensive coverage of DESI Legacy Survey DR10 to conduct a self-supervised search for quasars at $z > 6$, directly analyzing multiband optical images and minimizing the biases of traditional catalog-driven color-color selection criteria. By applying a contrastive learning (CL) method followed by spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting prioritization, we identified 1139 high-priority quasar candidates, for which we expect a competitive $\sim$1:1 quasar-to-UCD ratio based on literature samples. We spectroscopically confirm 16 new quasars at $z = 5.94$-6.45, achieving a 45\% success rate. Remarkably, all 16 objects are relatively bright ($M_{1450} < -25.5$) quasars, including several with unusual properties such as narrow Ly$\alpha$ emission (FWHM $< 2600$ km s$^{-1}$), strong Ly$\alpha$+NV emission with equivalent width $>100$ \AA, and mildly red observed-frame near-infrared (NIR) continua ($z - J > 0.4$). Notably, three of them would have been missed by traditional color-color selections. These results highlight the power of self-supervised machine learning combined with SED fitting prioritization to uncover rare distant sources beyond conventional techniques. Our approach offers a scalable and robust framework for data mining and can be readily extended to forthcoming wide-field surveys such as Rubin/LSST, 4MOST, Euclid, and Roman, improving the census of high-redshift quasars and constraints on SMBH formation and evolution in the first billion years of the Universe.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2026

BASS LV. Connecting X-ray variability with AGN physical properties and a new path to Cosmological distances

X-ray variability is a well-established characteristic of active galactic nuclei (AGN), known to correlate inversely with both the supermassive black hole mass and luminosity, although the degree of each remains a topic of debate. The potential of X-ray variability as a proxy for MBH or for intrinsic LX has led to proposals to use AGN as standard candles to test cosmological models. However, the large intrinsic dispersion in these relations has limited their practical applications. In this work, we investigate the dependence of X-ray variability on AGN physical properties using a sample of 134 Seyfert 1 galaxies from the BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS), which is the largest sample to date, more than three times larger than those used in previous studies. Contrary to earlier findings, we observe that X-ray variability correlates with luminosity just as strongly as with MBH. Furthermore, we still do not find evidence for the expected anti-correlation between variability and Eddington ratio, even when using refined bolometric luminosities from SED fitting to compute the Eddington ratio. From a cosmological perspective, the increased sample size reduces the scatter in the log(L)-log(exvar) relation to ~0.63 dex - a significant improvement over previous results, but still too large to serve as competitive standard candles, when compared to SNIa (uncertainties on distances of ~5-10%) or the L(X)-L(UV) relation in quasars (uncertainties of 10-12%). We tested including the width of broad emission lines as additional parameters, but found that this does not significantly lower the observed dispersion, contrary to previous studies on smaller samples. Finally, we discuss how future X-ray missions such as AXIS and NewAthena will improve this scenario by enabling precise variability measurements for thousands of AGN up to redshift z~3, thereby enabling it as a new cosmological probe.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2026

Transient Relativistic Iron Emission Line from an X-ray Flaring Supermassive Black Hole

We report the discovery of the first transient relativistic iron K{\alpha} line in an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) J1047+5907. The line was detected 21.5 days (rest-frame) after an X-ray coronal flare observed in 2008 and it exhibits significant broadening consistent with relativistic reflection from the accretion disk in the vicinity of the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). The line has a width of ~300 eV, corresponding to a Keplerian velocity of 14,000 km s-1, at a distance of 5-41 light-days from the SMBH, strongly implying that the observed coronal flare triggered the emergence of the line. This event provides rare direct evidence of the response of the accretion disk to impulsive coronal illumination and offers a new method to probe the SMBH and disk physics. The relativistic modeling favors a broadened line produced by distant reflection from an accretion disk around a rapidly spinning black hole viewed at an intermediate inclination, consistent with other observations. Systematic monitoring of type 1 AGN following strong X-ray flares may open a new observational window into the innermost regions of AGN, enabling constraints on the physics of SMBH and its accretion disk at different radii that are otherwise challenging to access.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

The Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey 2: Splashback Radii to z=1.65 from Galaxy Density Profiles

The Massive and Distant Clusters of WISE Survey 2 (MaDCoWS2) is a WISE-selected catalog of galaxy clusters at $0.1 6000$ deg$^2$. In this paper, we derive splashback radii for this cluster ensemble from galaxy density profiles and constrain the mass threshold of the survey as a function of redshift. We use MaDCoWS2 cluster candidates at $0.4\leq z \leq 1.65$ divided into subsamples with different signal-to-noise (S/N$_{\rm P}$) and redshifts, cross-correlated with galaxies from the CatWISE2020 catalog, to obtain average surface density profiles. We perform a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis to derive parameter estimates for theoretical models consisting of orbiting and infalling terms. A distinct splashback feature is detected in all subsamples. The measured splashback radii span from $0.89^{+0.02}_{-0.02}h^{-1}$ comoving Mpc/cMpc ($0.61^{+0.02}_{-0.02}h^{-1}$ proper Mpc/pMpc) at $\overline{z}=0.45$ to $1.27^{+0.05}_{-0.05}h^{-1}$ cMpc ($0.53^{+0.04}_{-0.04}h^{-1}$ pMpc) at $\overline{z}=1.54$. We also find that splashback radii increase with $S/N_{\rm P}$ at fixed redshift. The resultant splashback radii constrain the redshift dependence of the mass of MaDCoWS2 clusters at fixed $S/N_{\rm P}$. We calculate $M_{\rm 200m}$ from the radii using a relation based on a cosmological simulation. MaDCoWS2 $M_{\rm 200m}$ values derived from the simulation-based relation are lower than the expected values based on weak-lensing observations. More robust mass constraints will come from calibrating splashback radii derived from galaxy density profiles with weak lensing shear profiles from facilities such as $\textit{Euclid}$, Rubin, and $\textit{Roman}$.

astro-ph.CO↗
arXiv2026

Fast X-ray transients in NuSTAR data

Fast X-ray transients (FXTs) are flashes of X-rays that last for a few hundreds of seconds to a few hours. An enigmatic population of these transients that did not have a clear origin has been known for several decades, mostly found serendipitously in soft X-ray imaging observations. Recent progress in this field by Einstein Probe has found that many FXTs are associated with gamma-ray bursts and the collapse of massive stars. Motivated by this, we searched the NuSTAR archive in the harder 3--79 keV band for $\sim1000$ s duration transients. From 204 Ms of exposure we present five candidate FXTs, four of which are spectrally hard, with power-law indices $-3<\Gamma<0$, standing them apart from FXTs discovered in the soft band. Three have potential associations with galaxies at $z=0.1-2$, implying 3--79 keV luminosities of $10^{43}$ to $10^{48}$ erg s$^{-1}$ and volumetric event rates of 125--2900 Gpc$^{-3}$ yr$^{-1}$. The properties of these NuSTAR FXTs most resemble low-luminosity gamma-ray bursts, and would be much more common than their higher-luminosity counterparts in this redshift range.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

Reducing the Dimensions of AGN Lightcurve Manifolds

The Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) glossary is vast and complex. Depending on selection method, observing wavelength, and brightness, AGNs are assigned distinct labels, yet the relationship between different selection methods and the diversity of time-domain behavior within and across classes remains difficult to characterize in a unified framework. Changing-look AGNs (CLAGNs), which transition between classifications over time, further complicate this picture. In this work, we learn a data-driven, low-dimensional representation of multi-wavelength photometric light curves of AGNs, in which the structure of the projected manifold correlates with AGN class and independent spectroscopic properties. Using the NASA Fornax Science Platform, we assemble light curves from ZTF, Pan-STARRS, Gaia, and WISE/NEOWISE for two samples: (1) a heterogeneous set of $\sim$2000 AGNs spanning $z \lesssim 1$, including SDSS quasars, variability-selected sources, and CLAGNs; and (2) a homogeneous sample of $\sim$65000 narrow-line AGNs at $z \approx 0.1$ with well-characterized optical emission-line measurements. Without using class labels during training, the learned manifolds organize variability-selected AGNs into coherent regions of the low-dimensional space, distinguish between turn-on and turn-off CLAGNs, and place tidal disruption events in distinct regions. Manifold coordinates correlate with key spectroscopic and host-galaxy properties, including stellar mass, [OIII] luminosity, and D$_n$(4000), demonstrating that heterogeneous multi-band variability can be combined in a purely data-driven manner to recover correlations with independent physical diagnostics, without requiring explicit physical modeling. These results show that manifold learning offers a practical, assumption-light approach for integrating time-domain surveys and prioritizing spectroscopic follow-up.

astro-ph.GA↗