The relation between X-ray and ultraviolet variability of quasars

Abstract

The relation between X-ray and UV/optical variability in AGNs has been explored in many individual sources, however a large sample study is yet absent. Through matching the XMM-Newton serendipitous X-ray and UV source catalogs with SDSS quasars, we build a sample of 802 epoch-pairs of 525 quasars showing clear variability in logF_X - logF_UV space. After correcting for the effect of photometric noise, we find 35.6 ± 2.1 per cent of the epoch-pairs show asynchronous variability between X-ray and UV (brightening in one band but dimming in the other). This indicates only in 28.8 ± 4.2 per cent of the epoch-pairs the X-ray and UV variability are intrinsically coordinated. The variability synchronicity exhibits no dependence on physical parameters of quasars or the time lag of the epoch-pairs, except for stronger variability tends to have stronger synchronicity. Switches between synchronous and asynchronous variability are also seen in individual sources. The poor coordination clearly contradicts both the X-ray reprocessing model and the accretion rate variation model for AGN variability. The ratios of the observed X-ray variability amplitude to that in UV span a broad range and peak at ~2. The dominant fraction of the ratios appear too small to be attributed to X-ray reprocessing, and too large for accretion rate variation. The inhomogeneous disc model which incorporates both X-ray and UV/optical variability in AGNs is favoured by the observed stochastic relation between X-ray and UV variations.